Munich, Feb. 20 -- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reaffirmed India's stance on buying Russian oil despite sanctions on Moscow amid military conflict with Ukraine. He said that India and Russia have always shared "stable and friendly ties" and Moscow has never hurt the interests of New Delhi.

In an interview with the German economic daily, Handelsblatt during his visit to Germany for the Munich Security Conference, Jaishankar stated that Europe should understand that India cannot have a view of Russia that is identical to the European one.

On being asked about India purchasing Russian oil, Jaishankar said, "Everyone conducts a relationship based on their past experiences. If I look at the history of India post-independence, Russi...