‘We will make independent choices’: EAM Jaishankar underlines strategic autonomy amid US claim on Russian oil

Amid Washington’s claim that New Delhi has agreed to stop importing Russian crude oil, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday reiterated that India remains committed to “strategic autonomy” and said the country’s energy procurement decisions will be driven by factors such as costs, risks, and availability.

Jaishankar made the remarks during an interactive session at the Munich Security Conference. Asked whether India will stop buying Russian oil under the provisions of a trade deal – and whether such a move could affect New Delhi’s policy of strategic autonomy, Jaishankar described the global energy market as “complex” and said India’s oil companies will take decisions based on what they consider to be in their best interest.

“We are very much wedded to strategic autonomy because it is very much a part of our history and our evolution. And it is something which is very deep, it is something which cuts across the political spectrum as well,” he said.

“As far as energy issues are concerned, this is a complex market today. I think the oil companies in India, as in Europe, as probably in other parts of the world, look at availability, look at costs, look at risks and take decisions that they feel are in their best interest,” he said.

Earlier this month, United States President Donald Trump slashed tariff on Indian goods to 18 Per cent from 50 per cent after a phone conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He, however, said that India had ‘committed’ to stop buying Russian oil and buy more American products. 

At the Munich summit, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that the United States had secured commitments from India to stop buying oil from Russia.

Jaishankar, in his remarks, said India keeps the option of making independent decisions, without always agreeing with its partners in the West. “We would not necessarily agree on everything, but I do believe that by doing that, and if there is an inclination to find common ground and overlaps, that would happen,” he said.

“If the bottomline of your question is — would I remain independent-minded and make my decisions and would I make choices which may not agree with your thinking — yes, it can happen,” he said.