Defending India's decision to import oil from Russia, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that the government does not ask Indian companies to buy oil from Russia but it is a sensible policy to get the best deal in the interest of Indian people. In an interview on Tuesday, December 6, Ukraine's foreign minister Dymtro Kuleba had publicly criticised India's decision to carry on importing cheap Russian oil even as his country reeled under Russian shelling.
Responding to questions from members in the Upper House on December 7, the minister said it is his duty to put the interest of the Indian people first to ensure that they do not pay the cost of some other countries' actions or some other region's actions for fertilisers, food, etc.
"We do not ask our companies to buy Russian oil. We ask our companies to buy oil what is the best option that they can get. Now it depends on what the market throws up.
"If tomorrow the market gives us more competitive options. Again, please do understand. It's not just that we buy oil from one country. We buy oil from multiple sources, but it is a sensible policy to go where we get the best deal in the interest of the Indian people and that is exactly what we are trying to do," Jaishankar said.
(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)
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