If German Foreign Minister Ms. Baerbrock thought she could bamboozle India into following Global NATO’s dictates, she learned otherwise. In their joint press conference after meetings, the two were polite, but Indian Foreign Minister Jaishanker made clear what he had told Baerbock by taking none of the badgering attempted by German and other Western reporters.
When asked by a German reporter about India’s increasing purchase of Russian oil, Jaishankar once again pointed out who’s preaching to whom:
“The European Union between February 24 and November 17 has imported more fossil fuel from Russia than the next 10 countries combined. If I have to give you an India comparison, the oil import in European Union is like six times what India imported…. Gas is infinity times [greater] because we don’t import it, whereas European Union has imported 50 billion Euros worth. Even coal imports from Russia by European Union … is 50% more than India’s import.”
He recommended that the press check the website, Russiafossilfueltracker.com; “It would give you country-by-country data of who is really importing what, and I suspect that might be very very helpful.”
He added: “And bear in mind today, Europe is buying a lot from the Middle East. Now the Middle East was traditionally a supplier for economy like India. So it puts pressure on prices in the Middle East as well. So we have been very, very understanding of European choices and European policies.” But…
Asked snidely if India supported Russia’s condition that Ukraine must recognize the Donbass territories now part of Russia, Jaishankar replied that it is up to Ukraine and Russia to decide for themselves; “it’s not for India to specify or to advocate or to a condition. That is not our intention, that has not been our approach, it is something which the parties involved will have to decide.”
As for the provocative question about the reported “list of demands” which Russia had presented to India during trade talks, Jaishanker offered the correction that Russia and India have been discussing how to increase their trade for many years, long before last February, and as part of that process India, too, had presented a list of products which it wished to export to Russia, and the outcome of expanded trade in both directions would largely be determined by the market. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p8R6aNDrWY&t=3s
