“Gave weapons to Pakistan, not”: S. Jaishankar’s succinct response to the West about Russia

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reiterated India’s defense and commercial cooperation with Russia, claiming that Pakistan has been “preferred” by the West over India in terms of weapons delivery.

For a long time, several Western nations have chosen to supply Pakistan rather than India. However, in the last ten or fifteen years, that pattern has shifted. For instance, the USA is now one of our primary suppliers, and our new acquisitions have diversified with the USA, France, Russia, and Israel as well,” he stated.

Jaishankar was speaking to Handelsblatt, a reputable German business newspaper while serving as Germany’s Munich representative for the Munich Security Conference.

The foreign minister also said that Europe has to realize that India’s perception of Russia would differ from Europe’s perception of Moscow.

“My argument is that, just as I don’t expect Europe to see China the same way I do, Europe also has to realize that, when it comes to Russia, my perspective cannot match Europe’s. “Let’s acknowledge that relationships naturally differ from one another,” he said.

The declaration made by Jaishankar on India-Russia relations coincides with the approaching two-year anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict (February 24). New Delhi has been under fire for continuing to purchase oil and for often abstaining from voting on UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions criticizing Moscow while the West has placed sanctions on Moscow.

The tragic death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny in prison has also prevented the Western alliance from issuing new criticism of Vladimir Putin.