India defends buying discounted Russian oil despite appeal by Truss

Foreign secretary urges democracies to join in applying sanctions to Russia after Ukraine invasion

India's external affairs minister, Dr S Jaishankar, has defended his country's right to buy discounted oil from Russia following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, despite an appeal from the from his UK counterpart, Liz Truss, for democracies to show solidarity against authoritarians.

He also contrasted the concern the west has shown about the invasion with what he described as the relative uninterest in the Taliban takever of Afghanistan, saying people seemed motivated by the proximity of a crisis, as much as anything.