Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said that Europe must be more sensitive to India if it aims to maintain good relations. At the Arctic Circle India Forum, Jaishankar was highlighting the importance of a cordial relationship with Russia, where he emphasised the “complementary”, “important fit” type of situation between the two countries. He was also heard criticising the Western countries for solving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict without including the stance of Russia. Stating that the act by the Western powers “challenged the basics of realism.”
On the idea of working together in cooperation, he also said that the best way to engage with the present America will be to find the areas of mutual interest rather than prioritising ideological differences and then thinking of working together.
A glimpse of the conference can be witnessed in the post shared on X by S. Jaishankar
Concerning the relations between India and Europe, he said that Europe should act like a partner, not a “preacher”, hinting at the hypocrisy of the European nations as those who preach abroad and not within their borders. He also said that though a lot of countries have come out of this ideology, many are still following it. Adding that Europe is failing in its attempt to change with the changing nature of geopolitics.
Coming back to the test between India and Russia, he further stated that the relation between the two is of a “resource provider and resource consumer”, in this context it is important to know that India is a major importer of Russian defence equipment and Russia is also the largest importer of crude oil in India. India has maintained cordial relations with Russia, be it abstaining from a resolution against the country in the United Nations or continuously increasing oil imports. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack in India, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar also had a conversation with Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, who reiterated support to Delhi and said that both countries must politically and diplomatically ease the tensions.
