‘Oil import from Russia driven by market forces’

India on Monday strongly defended importing oil from Russia during the ongoing Ukraine conflict and said it is largely driven by market forces. Moreover, European Union (EU) has bought more oil from Russia than India during the last few months, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.

This assertion in the backdrop of some European nations and the US criticizing India for procuring fuel from Russia came during talks here with his visiting German counterpart Annalena Baerbock. She arrived on Monday for a two-day visit to India.

Enunciating New Delhi’s position on the war, Jaishankar also said India’s position on the Ukraine issue is clear that this is not an era of war and that the conflict should be resolved through dialogue.