‘Superb for EAM’: Shiv Sena MP cheers Jaishankar’s ‘Russian oil’ remark during US-India meet

When the United States questioned India about exporting Russian oil in the midst of the Ukraine crisis, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar was quick to respond, saying that India’s purchase of Russian oil is much less compared to that of Europe.

Tweeting this response by Jaishankar, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi applauded his sharp retort to the United States, calling his remarks on the ‘Russian oil’ question by the United States “superb”.

Posting a video of the same, Chaturvedi wrote, “Superb for EAM!” This is one of the few times when a Shiv Sena leader has appreciated a move of the BJP-led central government since the two parties turned bitter rivals after years of alliance.

Superb from EAM!
“If you're looking at India’s energy purchases from Russia, I'd suggest your attention should be on Europe— our purchases for the month would be less than what Europe purchases in an afternoon” pic.twitter.com/nUuWWWIdps

— Priyanka Chaturvedi(@priyankac19) April 12, 2022

During the 2+2 US-India meeting which took place on Monday, MEA S Jaishankar was questioned by US reporters about cutting down the import of oil from Russia. Responding to this, the foreign minister said that India imports less Russian oil in a month than “Europe does in one afternoon”.

During the conference, Jaishankar said, “I noticed you refer to oil purchases. If you are looking at energy purchases from Russia, I would suggest that your attention should be focused on Europe. We do buy some energy, which is necessary for our energy security. But I suspect looking at the figures, probably our total purchases for the month would be less than what Europe does in an afternoon.”

MEA S Jaishankar and Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh addressed a joint briefing during the 2+2 US-India meeting, just hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden conversed in a virtual meeting.

During the 2+2 ministerial meeting, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that India’s purchase of Russian oil is “not in the best interest” of the country. These remarks come as Russia remains embroiled in a war with neighbouring nation Ukraine.

India’s stand on the war between Russia and Ukraine currently remains neutral, but MEA S Jaishankar also condemned the brutalities that took place in Bucha. The foreign minister had earlier said that when it comes to taking sides, “India remains on the side of peace.”

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