At the 23rd Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS) 2025, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar offered a detailed and candid overview of India’s global diplomatic priorities, placing special emphasis on the need for New Delhi to maintain steady, well-balanced relationships with all major world powers. Speaking against the backdrop of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to New Delhi, Jaishankar made it clear that India’s foreign policy today is rooted in flexibility, autonomy, and pragmatism — principles he framed as essential for a rising nation with expanding global responsibilities.

Responding to a direct question about the significance of Putin’s visit and its potential impact on India’s strained trade negotiations with the United States, Jaishankar said the real task before India is to ensure that its relationships with key countries remain in “good place.” For a nation of India’s size, ambition, and strategic importance, he explained, the ability to keep multiple partnerships functioning smoothly is not just desirable but indispensable.

According to Jaishankar, India’s foreign policy must remain grounded in the understanding that global politics is no longer bipolar or neatly divided into ideological blocs. Instead, it is a world characterised by overlapping interests, competing alignments, and simultaneous cooperation and competition among major powers. In such an environment, he argued, India must ensure that it maintains “good cooperation as much as possible with as many players as possible.” This, he said, is the fundamental essence of foreign policy in the twenty-first century.

He emphasised that India’s approach is not influenced by pressures from one capital or another. Rather, it reflects the country’s sovereign judgment about what best serves national interest at any given time. “For a country like us — big country, rising, and expected to occupy a more important place — it is important our key relationships are in good place,” the external affairs minister said. He stressed repeatedly the idea of “freedom of choice,” calling it central to how India conducts itself internationally.

Turning specifically to Putin’s visit, Jaishankar outlined several concrete outcomes from the bilateral discussions. These included a mobility agreement, a renewed understanding on fertilizer joint ventures, and a shared focus on raising the overall trajectory of India–Russia ties. These outcomes, he noted, were the product of sustained engagement and a mutual recognition that the partnership still holds significant value for both countries.

On whether Putin’s visit could complicate India’s ongoing trade negotiations with the United States — which have been under strain following the Trump administration’s decision to impose steep tariffs — Jaishankar was unequivocal. “I disagree,” he said. “Everybody knows that India has relations with all the major countries of the world. For any country to expect to have a veto or a say on how we develop our relations with others is not a reasonable proposition.” He added that if one country were to demand such a veto, then by the same logic, others could expect it too — a scenario India firmly rejects.

He reiterated that India has always maintained multiple strategic relationships simultaneously and openly, and that this model of diplomacy is well understood internationally. “We have made it clear we have multiple relationships, we have a freedom of choice,” he said, underscoring that India will neither allow its choices to be constrained nor its international autonomy to be diluted.

To illustrate the evolution of different bilateral relationships over time, Jaishankar offered historical context. With the United States, he pointed out, India’s economic relationship blossomed through the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, while the defence relationship remained negligible. It was only after the India-US civil nuclear agreement that defence cooperation expanded rapidly. This, he said, shows that relationships evolve in phases, with certain sectors progressing ahead of others based on national needs and shifting geopolitical environments.

In contrast, India’s ties with Russia — though always significant — have gone through their own cycles. While Russia historically occupied a central position in India’s defence sector, broader economic engagement between the two countries remained modest compared to India’s partnerships with the West or with East Asian economies. Similarly, Russia’s own priorities, Jaishankar observed, were shaped by its focus on the West and China, both of which were seen as primary economic partners. India, he said, visualised a similar global economic structure, which explained why certain dimensions of the India–Russia relationship progressed more slowly.

Yet, despite these differing trajectories, the partnership with Russia continues to hold strategic weight for India. Whether in defence technology, space cooperation, energy security, nuclear projects, or emerging technology collaborations, Moscow remains an important partner. Putin’s visit, Jaishankar suggested, must be understood within this long-term context: not as a signal of alignment away from the West but as part of India’s effort to maintain balanced, productive ties with all major powers.

Jaishankar’s remarks reflected a deeper confidence in India’s ability to navigate a complex international order. He framed India not as a country caught between rival blocs but as an increasingly influential global player capable of stabilising relationships and pursuing national interests with clarity. India’s diplomacy, he said, recognises the interconnected nature of global issues — from trade and energy security to defence alliances and mobility partnerships — and therefore requires flexibility and openness rather than rigidity.

The external affairs minister also reminded the audience that fluctuations in any bilateral relationship are natural. “In any relationship, it’s natural that some aspects of it develop, and some kinds of don’t keep up,” he said. This, he argued, should not be interpreted as instability but as an inherent feature of long-term diplomacy in a world where economic, strategic, and technological environments are constantly shifting.

Ultimately, Jaishankar’s comments reinforced a broad, consistent message: India’s foreign policy is built on autonomy, balance, and sustained engagement. Putin’s visit, the ongoing negotiations with the United States, and India’s partnerships across Europe and Asia are not contradictory threads but interconnected elements of a wide-ranging diplomatic strategy. As India rises globally, the ability to maintain multiple strong relationships — each serving different facets of national interest — becomes not just useful, but essential.