New Delhi: India’s relationship with the United States is an “extremely valuable relationship,” according to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who also emphasized on Friday that New Delhi should not be deterred from developing its economic ties with Russia.
Jaishankar spoke at an event celebrating the release of the book “Strategic Conundrums: Reshaping India’s Foreign Policy” by former ambassador Rajiv Sikri, where he discussed India’s foreign policy and its relationships with neighboring countries and major global powers, including China, Russia, and the US.
He stated that, as acknowledged in the book, India’s relationship with the US is “extremely valuable” for strategic and economic reasons. He added, “I would argue that the US is crucial today for enhancing our multipolarity. If we seek decision-making space and freedom, we need countries that have an interest in us maintaining those margins.”
Jaishankar acknowledged the historical challenges of the India-US relationship, particularly from the 1950s to the 1980s. “The challenge for us is considering multipolarity and strategic autonomy. Given our history, we often view this in opposition to the US,” he explained.
He noted that the global reality has changed significantly. “The primary source of pressure is no longer the US. Our understanding of the US has evolved as the world has changed, and so has the US’s understanding of us.”
Jaishankar also highlighted areas of convergence in India-US relations, while noting that “India and the US, by their nature, will always have interests that differ and diverge.”
Regarding Russia, he stated that India must consider a “Eurasian balance,” calling it a core strategic necessity. He pointed out that India’s trade with Russia has increased fivefold and involves more than just oil purchases. “There is an economic complementarity between India and Russia,” he said, referring to India’s increased imports of discounted Russian crude since 2022.
“We should not be intimidated from leveraging the benefits of this complementarity,” he emphasized. Jaishankar noted that Russia is now adopting its own “look east” policy and has altered its global approach since 2022, which India should “understand and capitalize on.”
On the issue of Pakistan, Jaishankar declared that the “era of uninterrupted dialogue” is over, and regarding Jammu and Kashmir, he stated that the abrogation of Article 370 “is a settled matter,” referencing the Indian government’s move to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019.
Referring to India’s concerns over Pakistan’s support of cross-border terrorism, he stated, “Actions have consequences.” While the book suggests that India may be content to maintain the current state of its relationship with Pakistan, Jaishankar added, “Maybe yes, maybe no. What I want to convey is that we are not passive, and we will respond whether events move in a positive or negative direction.”
Addressing China, with which India has been in a military standoff at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since 2020, Jaishankar mentioned that New Delhi has made significant efforts to “address the border infrastructure gap,” which is crucial for maintaining peace and stability in the border regions.
