External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar said on Wednesday that he took a strong stance on buying Russian oil amid sanctions on Moscow during its conflict with Ukraine because he is the “minister of a strong government with a strong Prime Minister”.
EAM Jaishankar said this while speaking at the BVB College in Hubballi where he released a booklet on development works initiated by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi. Acknowledging that India was “under great pressure” from European nations who disapproved of its oil trade with Russia, he said that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clear vision that helped at that time.
“We had a Prime Minister who was very clear — that the interest of the Indian consumer will come first. People say you took a very strong stance. I took a very strong stand because I am a minister of a strong government with a strong PM”, he said.