അമേരിക്കയുടെ ആഗോള പങ്കിൽ വലിയ മാറ്റങ്ങൾ; ഇന്ത്യയ്ക്ക് പുതിയ ഉത്തരവാദിത്തങ്ങളെന്ന് എസ്. ജയശങ്കർ

NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday that the United States is undergoing deeper structural changes that extend beyond the policies of any one administration. He said the decline in US underwriting of the existing global order was creating new gaps and responsibilities for other major powers. He also stressed that India's long relationship with Russia remains important even as New Delhi continues to push for dialogue and diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine.

Speaking at the 62nd Munich Security Conference here, Jaishankar said some of the changes in US policy could be temporary or linked to the current administration, but others reflected longer-term shifts. "It is important here to distinguish the more structural trends from the behavioral ones and take both of them seriously," he said.

Looking at the continuity of some policies across administrations, Jaishankar noted that several initiatives associated with US President Donald Trump's first administration continued under President Joe Biden. "Many policies which President Trump initiated in his first administration continued under Biden," he said, citing the emergence of a US industrial policy as one example.

On India's relationship with Russia, Jaishankar said the ties had deep historical roots and had expanded beyond their traditional focus on defence and security. He said the Soviet Union, and later Russia, had stood by India at critical moments when its security and territorial integrity were under threat.

"That history is not forgotten," Jaishankar said, adding that the relationship today encompasses defence, nuclear cooperation, space, trade, investment, energy and resources.

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At the same time, he described the Russia-Ukraine war as "an unfortunate conflict" and reiterated India's position that it should end through dialogue and diplomacy.

"There have to be negotiations in this regard," Jaishankar said, noting that India had advocated this position for years and had in recent months become more directly involved in efforts to address some of the issues arising from the conflict.

"We have conversations with both Russia and Ukraine in this regard," he said. India has sought to contribute to discussions on the safety of shipping in the Black Sea, as well as concerns involving grain exports, energy exports and "non-attack possibilities", he added.

Jaishankar also talked about the broader shift in the international system, arguing that the decline in US underwriting of the existing global order was creating new gaps and responsibilities for other major powers.

"The current system was significantly underwritten by the United States. That underwriting is diluting. There are gaps which have emerged," he said.

For India, he argued, a growing economy and greater international standing would necessarily bring greater responsibilities and contributions. "We can't speak of a multi-polar world for everything else and say we remain unipolar for certain things. If it changes, it changes as a whole, and it is changing as a whole," he said.

Jaishankar said India would need to deepen engagement with the European Union and other partners. He described an India-EU free trade agreement as a potential "real game changer" that could have a cascading effect across the broader relationship, including business, regulatory and institutional ties.

He also identified Europe as an important partner for India on climate and renewable energy, citing European technology and business expertise and India's ambitious renewable energy targets.

"A big part of it will also be to attract this huge European renewable energy capacity to get them to come into India," he said.

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