Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, who is currently in Brussels to meet the European Union (EU) leaders, has called on the West to view New Delhi's action against Pakistan following the terror in Kashmir as an India vs terrorism issue and not just a mere border conflict between two neighbouring nations. Talking to European news website Euractiv, the Minister also reflected on Europe's changing geopolitics and hopes for better EU-India ties in future.
India is halfway through negotiations on a major free trade agreement with the EU, as it seeks to diversify its partnerships amid growing ties between Russia and China.
On Pakistan's Terror Past
Jaishankar criticised the international media for framing India's actions under Operation Sindoor in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack as a tit-for-tat between two nuclear-armed neighbours.
"Let me remind you of something - there was a man named Osama bin Laden. Why did he, of all people, feel safe living for years in a Pakistani military town, right next to their equivalent of West Point?... I want the world to understand - this isn't merely an India-Pakistan issue. It's about terrorism. And that very same terrorism will eventually come back to haunt you," he said.
On Russia and Ukraine
When asked why India didn't join the EU and other Western nations in sanctioning Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Foreign Minister reiterated India's stand, saying peace can't come through wars.
"We don't believe that differences can be resolved through war - we don't believe a solution will come from the battlefield. It's not for us to prescribe what that solution should be. My point is, we're not being prescriptive or judgemental - but we are also not uninvolved," he said.
He stressed that India has strong relationships with both Ukraine and Russia, but reminded that the Western country stood by Islamabad when Pakistan invaded India post-independence.
"Every country, naturally, considers its own experience, history and interests. India has the longest-standing grievance - our borders were violated just months after independence, when Pakistan sent in invaders to Kashmir. And the countries that were most supportive of that? Western countries," he said.
'If those same countries, who were evasive or reticent then, now say 'let's have a great conversation about international principles', I think I'm justified in asking them to reflect on their own past."
Changing Geopolitical Order In The West
Jaishankar also talked about the changing geopolitics in the West and said that multipolarity is already here.
"Europe now faces the need to make more decisions in its own interest - using its own capabilities, and based on the relationships it fosters globally....I hear terms like 'strategic autonomy' being used in Europe - these were once part of our vocabulary," he stated.
He described the EU as a major pole-- and increasingly autonomous one-- in the global order.
"That is precisely why I'm here: to deepen our relationship in this multipolar world," he said.
On The EU's Climate Tax
Jaishankar told Euractiv that India continues to have "deep reservations" about the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)-- a tax that the bloc imposes on products from jurisdictions where climate policies are not robust.
"Let's not pretend - we're opposed to parts of it. We have very deep reservations about CBAM, and we've been quite open about it. The idea that one part of the world will set standards for everybody else is something which we are against," he said.
On Trump And Relations With The US
The Foreign Minister also reflected on India's growing ties with the United States over the years, especially under the presidency of Donald Trump.
"I take the world as I find it. Our aim is to advance every relationship that serves our interests, and the US relationship is of immense importance to us. It's not about personality X or president Y," he said.
On China
Jaishankar pitched India to the EU as a nation of 1.4 billion that offers skilled labour and a more trustworthy economic partnership than China.
"I just met with several European companies in India that have chosen to set up there specifically to de-risk their supply chains. Many companies are becoming increasingly careful about where they locate their data - they'd rather place it somewhere secure and trustworthy than simply go for efficiency," he said.
"Would you really want that in the hands of actors you don't feel comfortable with?"
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