At a recent international security conference in Munich, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar engaged in dialogue about India’s nuanced diplomatic balances with global powers. Jaishankar, while stressing the uniqueness of India’s relationship with China and Russia, highlighted the differing perspectives between India and Europe. He acknowledged natural differences in relationships between countries and underscored that India’s perspective on China does not mirror Europe’s on Russia and vice versa.
On the economic front, Jaishankar criticized the prevailing global economic model for its ‘over-concentration’ and ‘unstable and unfair’ nature, which he suggested has resulted in production shifting to a few countries. Amid escalating tensions and a volatile oil market due to the conflict in Ukraine, Jaishankar defended India’s substantial oil purchases from Russia, clarifying that it was a move to stabilize the global energy market, especially as Europe redirected its energy procurement to the Middle East.
India’s diplomatic past with Russia proved to be one of firm friendships, according to Jaishankar. He cited Russia’s record of not harming India’s interests and discussed the changes in military cooperation with Western countries, noting that nations like the US, France, and Spain have recently become more open to defense ties with India. Shifting focus to reforms in the international order, Jaishankar called out the resistance to reforming entities such as the UN Security Council, indicating that such a reform is crucial for reflecting global changes. He promoted the idea that enlarging the council would be a step toward modernizing global governance.
In the context of international support, Jaishankar mentioned the lack of backing from the West during the military standoff with China in 2020, stating that he did not expect other countries to have an identical view of China as India does. He further commented on the historic and ongoing stances on India-Russia relationships that shaped current diplomatic decisions. This attitude towards Russia’s oil during the Ukraine conflict, highly scrutinized by Western powers, shined a light on India’s independent foreign policy and pragmatic need to fuel its economy.