At the 23rd Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS) 2025 in New Delhi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar delivered a clear and uncompromising articulation of India’s evolving foreign policy priorities—foregrounding the country’s “freedom of choice,” the principles of strategic autonomy, and New Delhi’s determination to maintain balanced, independent relations with all major global powers.

Speaking in conversation with NDTV CEO and Editor-in-Chief Rahul Kanwal, Jaishankar addressed concerns about India’s position amid U.S.–India trade frictions, Russia’s renewed engagement with New Delhi, and the tentative reset in ties with China. His remarks illustrated the extent to which India views its foreign policy as a sovereign enterprise, guided solely by national interest rather than expectations or pressure from any foreign capital.

India’s foreign policy anchored in autonomy

Asked whether Putin’s recent visit could complicate India’s already delicate negotiations with the Donald Trump-led administration in the United States, Jaishankar dismissed the notion outright.

“Everybody knows that India has relations with all the major countries of the world. And for any country to expect to have a veto on how we develop our relationships with others, is not fair,” he said. The sentence—notably firm—captured India’s position that it will continue building deep strategic relations with Washington, Moscow, Beijing, and other global centres of power without allowing one partnership to determine or constrain the others.

He stressed that India has “always made it clear that we have the freedom of choice; we have the strategic autonomy.” Strategic autonomy, a concept historically associated with India’s Cold War-era nonalignment doctrine, has taken on a renewed, more pragmatic character in recent years. It now refers not to distance from global blocks but to an ability to engage widely, choose flexibly, and retain independent decision-making in a fluid world order.

Managing U.S. trade tensions with caution and clarity

One of the central concerns framing India’s foreign policy landscape today is its strained trade relationship with the United States. Ties have been turbulent since President Trump’s decision to impose a substantial 50 percent tariff on Indian goods, half of which was labelled a “penalty” for India’s continued purchase of Russian oil.

The tariff jolted bilateral trade and triggered a pause in negotiations in August. Talks have since resumed, and Jaishankar expressed cautious optimism that a deal could advance “soon,” though he declined to offer any specific timeline. He underlined that India must tread “extremely judiciously,” ensuring decisions reflect the interests of Indian farmers, consumers, and the middle class.

His emphasis here was deliberate: India’s foreign economic policy, he suggested, must prioritize internal welfare first, rather than bending to external demands or timelines. It was another reaffirmation of New Delhi’s insistence on decision-making driven by domestic imperatives rather than international pressure.

Putin’s visit will not disrupt ties with the U.S.

The minister rejected categorically the suggestion that Vladimir Putin’s India visit would unsettle New Delhi’s relationship with Washington. “It should not and will not,” he said, reflecting India’s deep confidence in its ability to engage both major powers without sacrificing trust with either.

For India, Russia remains a long-standing partner in defence, energy security, and emerging technology sectors. Even as New Delhi deepens cooperation with the United States, it views Moscow as integral to its strategic landscape. Jaishankar reiterated that India’s multi-aligned approach is transparent and well understood globally. In his articulation, India’s relationships do not compete—they coexist.

India-China relations: stability but no complacency

One of the most notable segments of the conversation was Jaishankar’s perspective on the gradual thaw in India-China ties after years of tension following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash. Asked whether the recent improvements in bilateral relations represent a meaningful reset, he offered a carefully calibrated response.

He noted that several challenges with China “predated Galwan,” signalling that structural issues persist, but acknowledged that significant progress had been made since the Kazan meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in October 2024.

“By and large, border areas have remained stable,” he said, emphasizing that “peace and tranquility in the border areas is a key requisite to good relationships.” His choice of words reflected both hope and caution. Stability is welcome, but it cannot substitute for lasting resolution.

The diplomatic opening that began with Modi’s attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Tianjin in September 2025 has since expanded to include the resumption of direct flights, among other incremental measures. But Jaishankar’s tone suggested that while engagement has improved, India’s strategic assessment of China remains grounded in realism.

A foreign policy crafted for a changing world

Taken together, Jaishankar’s remarks painted a picture of India as a nation comfortable with its rising global role and increasingly assertive about its diplomatic independence. It refuses to be polarized by geopolitical rivalries or restrained by external expectations.

Three themes dominated his articulation:

1. India will not accept vetoes over its choices.
Whether from Washington, Moscow, or Beijing, India rejects the idea that its strategic options must align with the preferences of any external actor.

2. Domestic interest is the final lens.
Whether negotiating trade, handling tariffs, or expanding partnerships, India evaluates decisions through the prism of national welfare: consumers, farmers, enterprise, and economic resilience.

3. Relationships will be diverse, simultaneous, and interest-driven.
India will maintain strong ties with the U.S., deepen defence and energy cooperation with Russia, and cautiously stabilize relations with China—each independently, without sacrificing the others.

The road ahead: positioning India in a fractured world

The global environment of 2025 is marked by trade wars, contested technology ecosystems, and shifting alliances, with the U.S., China, and Russia locked in deep strategic competition. In this context, Jaishankar’s articulation of India’s foreign policy serves as a clarion call: India will navigate the turbulence by widening partnerships, defending autonomy, and ensuring that its choices are shaped by sovereign priorities.

HTLS 2025 offered the perfect platform for Jaishankar to restate a longstanding principle with fresh clarity: India listens to the world, but acts in accordance with its own interests. That conviction—rooted in historical experience and strengthened by India’s rising global stature—continues to define a foreign policy that is both confident and pragmatic, and poised to guide the country through the complex diplomatic challenges of the decade ahead.