India has a "deeper understanding" of the Ukraine issue, Russian Ambassador to New Delhi Denis Alipov told the India-Russia Business Forum in New Delhi on Wednesday, according to a Sputnik correspondent on the spot.
“The Indian government also has a much more, much deeper understanding of the circumstances," Ambassador Alipov said. "Europe may recall the words of [...] Dr. S. Jaishankar last year, when he said that Europe was trying to make [its] problems global problems. This is exactly the case. In the absence of those massive unprecedented, historically unprecedented sanctions imposed on Russia, there wouldn’t have been any disruption of supply chains.”
The Russian diplomat referred to the strong comments made by India's foreign minister back in June last year, when he said, “Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe’s problems are the world’s problems, but the world’s problems are not Europe’s problems.”
He also noted that Europeans remained numb on many developments taking place in Asia, wondering how in that case anyone in Asia could trust Europe.
Indo-Russian Ties Withstand Western Pressure
In September, Ambassador Alipov dismissed foreign media reports claiming there was a "divergence" in the Indian and Russian approaches to the Ukraine crisis. The diplomat assured that Moscow, like Delhi, is committed to putting an end to the conflict “at the earliest,” while NATO, and primarily the United States, are to be blamed for the "greatest miscalculation."
Regarding the Ukraine conflict, India has consistently advocated for a diplomatic approach to the issue, saying that the crisis can only be resolved through dialogue. The Modi government has assured that India was ready to contribute to "any peace process."
India has also rejected Western criticism of its continued purchases of Russian crude and defense items, maintaining that energy trade with Moscow provides for the country's national interests and guarantees its energy security.
In a blow to Western states, Russia's Rosneft and Indian Oil Corporation struck a deal last week to significantly increase crude supplies to India