OREANDA-NEWS The West claims that the whole world "agreed to sanctions against Russia," but this is not the case, Indian Foreign Minister Subramani Jaishankar said. According to him, Western countries use these restrictive measures "when they think that their interests are at stake."

"These sanctions, in fact, are levers that developed economies have at their disposal, based on mechanisms, powers and tools created over many years. They use these levers when it is convenient for them," the minister said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

According to Mr. Jaishankar, the difference in Europe's approaches to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East is explained by the fact that "in the past, when problems arose in other parts of the world, European countries believed that they should not worry about it." "As long as Europe was safe and nothing threatened the European way of life, others could take care of it. And when something happens in Europe, European countries want an international expression of solidarity," the head of the Indian Foreign Ministry added.

Subramaniy Jaishankar noted that the Indian authorities "in the modern world do not consider war a solution to the problem." "At some point, people have to sit down at the table and talk. India is always ready to lend a helping hand," the minister stressed.

In 2023, India, presiding over the G20 bloc, refrained from publicly condemning the Russian military operation in Ukraine. After the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions by Western countries, India increased oil purchases from Russia. According to The Economic Times, Russia more than doubled its oil supplies to India in April—September. Meanwhile, the European Union is preparing the 12th package of anti-Russian sanctions. The United States last week imposed new restrictions, including affecting companies from third countries that allegedly helped Russia circumvent sanctions.