New Delhi : India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent two day visit to New Delhi was focused on reshaping the long standing partnership between the two countries.
Addressing the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, he underlined that the India Russia relationship has remained one of the most stable among major global partnerships despite decades of geopolitical shifts.
Reimagining the India-Russia Partnership
Jaishankar noted that the relationship has endured through changing equations across the world. He said, “The world has seen a lot of ups and downs in the last 70 to 80 years. I have said this before, and I will say this again: the India Russia relationship has been among the steadiest big relationships in the world.”
He added that other nations have seen more turbulence in their ties with Moscow, including the United States, China and countries in Europe. “Russia’s own relationship with the United States, China, or Europe has had its ups and downs. Our relationship with many of these countries has had it ups and downs as well,” he observed.
Economic Cooperation Takes Center Stage
According to the minister, Putin’s visit offered both nations an opportunity to strengthen areas that had not grown as expected, particularly on the economic front. “India Russia economic ties had not kept pace. This visit was about reimagining that relationship, and building facets that it lacked,” he said.
Jaishankar stressed that expanding these dimensions was a priority and that the discussions during the visit aimed at injecting new momentum into economic cooperation.
No Strain Expected in India US Relations
Amid questions over Washington’s reaction to Putin’s visit, the External Affairs Minister made it clear that the engagement with Russia is not expected to complicate India’s ties with the United States. He said there was no reason for the visit to be viewed as a point of friction and reiterated that managing multiple key partnerships is an essential part of India’s foreign policy framework.
Importance of Balanced Diplomacy
Jaishankar explained that India’s strategic approach is shaped by the need to keep all major relationships stable and functional. “For a big country like us, it is very crucial that our key relationships are all in good repair. It is important that we maintain good relationship with as many players as possible. That we have that choice. That is foreign policy in a nutshell,” he said.
The minister said that in an evolving global order, India must ensure it has the flexibility to work with every major power while advancing its own national interests.
