Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba alleged that the Russian crude oil, India has been importing has “Ukrainian blood” even as he hoped for more support from New Delhi.
Speaking to a select group of journalists from South and South-East Asia virtually, the foreign minister claimed, “When India purchases Russian crude oil with high discounts from Russia, they have to understand this discount is paid with Ukrainian blood.”
“Ukrainian killed, tortured, raped people with destroyed cities and towns. Every barrel of Russian crude oil delivered to India has a good portion of Ukrainian blood in it,” he further said.
While India has progressively increased its import of Russian crude oil since February, it is still less than the energy Europe imports from Russia. It was in February, that Russia invaded Ukraine, something that not only impacted Europe but also global food security.
The foreign minister said that “two democracies, theoretically, have to stand by each other. However, yes, we know, that India is buying Russian crude oil. We are not surprised by that.”
he alleged, “Throughout human history, in every conflict, every war, there are those who suffer from the war, there are those who make money from the war.”
While there hasn’t been any reaction by New Delhi over the comments by minister Kuleba, external affairs minister Dr Jaishankar has several times pointed to how Europe continues to import energy from Russia.
In June, at the Bratislava Forum on foreign policy, he questioned, “is buying Russian gas not funding the war? It’s only Indian money and oil coming to India that funds it, but not the gas coming to Europe?”
The Ukrainian foreign minister, in his response, hoped to build “very open relations with India” and that his country “expected stronger practical support from India to Ukraine under the current circumstances.”
He even highlighted the evacuation of foreign students, especially the Indian students who “always considered Ukraine as a second home, whom we always considered as part of our society.”
India was able to bring back more than 22,000 of its nationals, mostly students, since February 1. Under Operation Ganga launched for evacuation, 90 evacuation flights, of which 76 were by commercial airlines and 14 were by IAF were operated at the Indian government’s cost.
The Ukrainian FM also commented on the Russia and Myanmar engagement saying, “Russia wants to put its foot in the security environment and use Myanmar as a leverage in its relations with India and other neighbouring countries.”
He warned that “you must be careful of the strategic intentions of Russia’s presence in Myanmar and strengthen relations because in the end it will be a security presence of Russia next to you, will be your problem and your national security risk.”
Recently, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov visited Myanmar. That was also the first high-level visit from Russia to Myanmar since the coup in the country last year.
The Ukraine FM spoke on ties with Pakistan saying that the “relationship has a big potential to be exploited” and that his country expects a “greater solidarity of Pakistan with Ukraine, under the current circumstances”.
Asked about Imran Khan’s visit to Moscow in February, he said, “It is the choice of every leader of the world to decide if he/she wants to shake the hand of President Putin or not. We cannot impose decisions on them. They represent sovereign nations, to make choices. But in our view, it is shameful to provide, to offer any understanding, any sympathy to President Putin of Russia for everything he has done.”
The then PM of Pakistan Imran Khan was in Russia on the day the Russian President announced the invasion of Ukraine, in what was seen as an embarrassment for Islamabad.
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