NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday told his US counterpart that developing countries are deeply concerned about oil prices as well as supply.
Addressing a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after holding bilateral talks in Washington, he said, “We are a $2,000 per capita economy. The price of oil is breaking our back.”
Jaishankar said the energy market is under stress due to the Ukraine war and that not just the pricing but the very availability of oil has become an issue. He also clarified that India is able to service and supply military equipment purchased from Russia despite Western sanctions on Moscow, “Where we get our military supplies from is not an issue. We look at possibilities across the berth and exercise a choice which we believe is in our national interest. Having said that, we have also taken military aircraft from US, France and Israel as we have a tradition of multi-sourcing,’’ he added.
On the Ukraine war, he said: “We have taken the position privately, publicly, confidentially and consistently that this conflict is not in anybody’s interest.” Blinken sought to justify the US’ F-16 aid to Pakistan, saying it helps it deal with threats emanating from Pakistan or from the region. “We’ve a responsibility to whomever we provide military equipment to, that it’s maintained and sustained,” he said.