India Says It Takes No Sides in Ukraine Conflict at U.N., Despite Purchasing Russian Oil

Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said at the United Nations on Saturday his nation would not take sides in the Ukraine conflict following months of criticism for purchasing large amounts of Russian oil.

Jaishankar noted in his address to the U.N. General Assembly that the Ukraine conflict poses challenges for India in regard to trading for energy, food, and fertilizer products. However, the foreign minister attempted not to disrupt relations with the West or Russia by reiterating that India remains neutral in the conflict.

“As the Ukraine conflict continues to rage, we are often asked whose side we are on. And our answer, each time, is straight and honest. India is on the side of peace and will remain firmly there,” said Jaishankar.

“We are on the side that respects the U.N. Charter and its founding principles. We are on the side that calls for dialogue and diplomacy as the only way out. We are on the side of those struggling to make ends meet, even as they stare at escalating costs of food, fuel, and fertilizers. It is therefore in our collective interest to work constructively, both within the United Nations and outside, in finding an early resolution to this conflict,” he added.

India has been accused of helping fund Moscow’s war against Ukraine after it seized on the opportunity to purchase “cheap oil” from Russia after western European nations stopped trading relations with Vladimir Putin’s nation amid the February invasion of Ukraine.

Delhi is purchasing approximately more than 400,000 barrels of oil per day from Moscow, the Russian central bank said in July via Reuters.

Nirmala Sitharaman, finance minister of India, recently stated that crude shipments from Russia have jumped to 12 to 13 percent of all imports after being around two percent in February. The Narendra Modi-led nation is heavily reliant on imports for supplying energy, as it is the world’s third-biggest consumer of crude oil.

While India is facing consequential geopolitical threats from China, Jaishankar did not mention the genocidal country by name once during his address. The foreign minister only made vague references to “concerns” regarding the stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region.

As Breitbart News previously reported, tensions between the two Asian giants are rising as the United States is slated to participate in military drills with India near the Chinese Himalayan border in October, two years after China and India engaged in hand-to-hand combat that killed 20 Indian soldiers and an estimated 38 People’s Liberation Army soldiers.

India has also recently condemned China’s military presence near Taiwan’s waters and complained about the communist-led nation not respecting its border, despite both of them participating in military war drill games with Russia in September.

Jaishankar’s address to the U.N. General Assembly was primarily focused on the 1.3 billion-person country’s commitment to multilateralism and globalization, with aspirations to become a developed nation within the next 25 years.

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