EAM Jaishankar opens up on key diplomatic questions at HTLS - from Putin visit, India-US trade deal & Operation Sindoor

Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar spoke on Saturday about a host of diplomatic issues, including the recently concluded visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India, bilateral ties with India, and Operation Sidnoor.

Jaishankar was speaking at the 23rd edition of the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS).

In a conversation with Rahul Kanwal, Jaishankar emphasised the importance of maintaining a strong relationship with major nations, including Russia, given the current geopolitical environment. Jaishankar said that Russia has been a steadfast ally of India for years.

On Putin's visit to India

“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,” the EAM said.

Jaishankar said Putin's visit to India allowed both New Delhi and Moscow to reimagine and strengthen their economic ties.

“India-Russia economic ties had not kept pace. This (Putin) visit was about reimagining that relationship, and building facets that it lacked,” EAM said.

On India-US ties

When asked if India's relations with Russia complicate trade negotiations with the US, Jaishankar said, “I think everybody knows that India has relations with all the major countries of the world and I think for any country to expect to have a veto or say in how we develop our relations with others is not a reasonable proposition because remember, the others can expect the same.”

“So, I think we've always made it very clear that we have multiple relationships, we have a freedom of choice,” he said.

Jaishankar's statement came a day after the 23rd Russia-India Summit was held on Friday. Russian President Vladimir Putin had arrived in New Delhi on Thursday for his first state visit to India since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, showcasing warming ties that angered the US and led to hefty trade tariffs. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally received him at the airport.

Jaishankar was asked about when to expect the India-US trade deal to happen. ‘Soon,’ the EAM responded without specifying when.

India and the US have been engaged in negotiations for the past year to have a bilateral trade agreement with the Trump administration. Currently, India has also been hit with 25 per cent tariffs, with an additional 25 per cent imposed as a “penalty” for New Delhi's purchase of Russian oil.

Negotiations, Jaishankar said, need to be extremely judicious and need to take into consideration what is best for the Indian consumer, middle class and country.

On India's renewed ties with China

Jaishankar also spoke about India's renewed ties with China. “After October 2024, when the Kazan meeting happened between PM Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, since then, by and large, border areas have remained stable,” he said.

"Patrolling has mostly resumed and are taking place normally. Peace and tranquility on the border areas is a key requisite to have good relationships,” Jaishankar said.

The EAM's remarks comes after a key visit by PM Modi to China for the SCO Summit 2025. Earlier this year, New Delhi and Beijing sought to renew their ties, five years after a pause in diplomatic relations following the Galwan border clash.

Both India and China have resumed direct flights, visas for tourists and more as part of their efforts to renew relations.

On Operation Sindoor and Donald Trump

Jaishankar said US President Donald Trump works a bit radically than his predecessors. When asked about the US President's comments on mediating between India and Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.

“There was a certain reality. We owe it to ourselves to stay with that reality,” he said.

On Asim Munir

Jaishankar also spoke about Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir. Like there are good terrorists and bad terrorists, there are good military leaders and not-so-good ones, S Jaishankar said, explaining the Pakistan army's role in the country's politics.