European weapons used to attack India: Jaishankar silences West on Russia oil purchase

External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar strongly defended India's Russian oil purchases at the Kultaranta Talks in Finland. He said the West had no moral authority to lecture India as weapons from European countries had been used against it while Delhi never posed any threat to Europe.

In Short

• Jaishankar says India bought Russian oil as it was affordable and available
• EAM adds, European nations sold weapons that were used to attack India
• US supported India's Russian oil buys to curb global prices, adds Jaishankar

India's External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar strongly defended India's purchase of Russian energy while also silencing western critics who questioned the morality of such ties. He said the West was in no position to lecture India on the purchase of Russian energy as made-in-Europe weapons had been used against India while India never supplied any weapon that could be used against the West.

Speaking at a discussion on 'Emerging Powers and the New Geopolitical Competition' at the Kultaranta Talks during his visit to Finland, Jaishankar said India's decision to buy Russian crude after the Ukraine war was driven by affordability and availability. He added that the US had itself encouraged India in 2022 to continue purchases to help stabilise global markets.

Jaishankar's remarks came as a journalist questioned India's position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, accusing the nation of being "too sympathetic to Russia" and "too willing to buy oil from Russia".

Jaishankar, a former career diplomat, responded by stating that India had no choice but to turn to Russian oil after European consumers started to buy oil en masse from India's traditional suppliers in the Middle East after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022.

Expanding on his criticism of Europe, Jaishankar said many of the weapons supplied by European nations over the decades had ended up in the hands of countries that used them against India. He contrasted this with India's record, saying New Delhi had never contributed to threats against European security and that no Indian-made weapon had been used against a European country.

"No European country has been attacked with Indian weapons. I wish I could say that for Europe weapons vis-a-vis India," he remarked, subtly reminding the audience of India's history and relations.

When requested by the interlocutor to expand upon his statement, Jaishankar reiterated India's long-standing security concerns regarding Western arms supplies to the region. "Europe sells weapons, which are used to attack India. Not just now but for many years," he explained.

JAISHANKAR DEFENDS INDIA'S PURCHASE OF RUSSIAN OIL

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, India has increasingly turned to purchasing Russian energy in place of its traditional Middle East and Gulf suppliers. New Delhi's purchase of Russian energy reached its peak in August 2025, when imports reached roughly 2 million barrels per day, making Moscow India's largest crude supplier.

According to Jaishankar, India turned to Russian energy after the start of its war with Ukraine and the subsequent Western sanctions on Russian oil that disrupted global energy markets.

"I'll make two observations. I buy oil based on cost and availability. So at that point of time, much of the oil available in the market was Russian because Europeans were essentially buying oil from the Middle East, which was our traditional supplier. So circumstances pushed us in a certain direction," Jaishankar stated.

He also added that the US had itself encouraged India to step up imports of Russian energy in 2022 in order to stabilise the global energy market, which had been shaken by sanctions that isolated the West from Russian oil reserves and increase pressure on Middle Eastern suppliers.

"At that time, the US directly asked India to buy Russian oil to stabilise the oil market. We buy oil based on cost and availability," Jaishankar stated during his address in Finland.

EUROPEAN WEAPONS USED TO ATTACK INDIA, SAYS EAM JAISHANKAR

Aside from defending New Delhi's reliance on Russian energy imports, Jaishankar also argued that European nations lacked the moral authority to lecture New Delhi on the issue. He pointed out that weapons manufactured in European factories had, over the years, ended up in the hands of countries that later used them against India.

"Europe sells weapons which are used to attack India. Not just now but for many years," the seasoned diplomat told those in attendance at the discussion in Finland, highlighting New Delhi's longstanding concerns regarding Western arms sales.

Jaishankar also highlighted New Delhi's record, arguing that no Indian-made weapon had ever been used against a European country and that India had never posed a significant security threat to the continent.

"No European country has been attacked with Indian weapons. I wish I could say that for Europe weapons vis-a-vis India," Jaishankar stated, adding that, "We Indians have never done anything to endanger Europe. I think that's a reasonable point."

For context, India's neighbour, Pakistan, while increasingly relying on Chinese weapons, has and continues to maintain a significant arsenal of European hardware that it has used against New Delhi.

A significant portion of the Pakistan Army is equipped with German rifles and machine guns produced under licence in Pakistani factories. Its Air Force flies French-made Mirage jets and Swedish-made Saab 2000 Erieye Early Warning Aircraft. Its Navy, meanwhile, counts among its vessels, five French-made Agosta class submarines. In fact, it was a French-made Daphne class submarine that sunk the Indian Navy frigate, INS Khukri during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Jaishankar thus, has put it plainly. India buys Russian oil simply because it is the most affordable and readily available option for New Delhi. Europe and the West lack the moral authority to criticise this decision, seeing as made-in-Europe arms have ended up in the hands of those who use them to strike India.

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