External affairs minister S Jaishankar
NEW DELHI: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday said predictability has a huge premium in global politics, a remark made as India looks to readjust its relations with China while manoeuvring through US tariffs.The foreign minister also said the world is witnessing sweeping changes in the global strategic landscape. “Changes we see in the world today do influence our policy and do influence the manner we approach other countries,” he said.Speaking at a press briefing with German counterpart Johann Wadephul, Jaishankar further said: “We are seeing sweeping changes in the global strategic landscape. We are also seeing volatility on the global economic landscape, and together they make a very powerful case for India and the European Union (EU) and Germany to work more closely with each other.”Jaishankar’s remark could also be implied as a jibe at US President Donald Trump, who recently described India’s economy as “dead” and has upended the global economy with his numerous contradictory tariff diktats. Wadephul said the only demand the Western nations have with regard to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is that “weapons fall silent”. He said that Russia has “not been willing” to sit down at the negotiating table despite “enormous efforts” by Trump. “We have right from the outset been pursuing a policy that has the objective of Russia and Ukraine following the path of negotiations. However, what we have noticed of late is that despite the enormous efforts that the American president has invested, Russia has not been willing to sit down at the negotiating table, whereas the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has expressed his immediate readiness to negotiate and sit down at the negotiation table,” the German foreign minister said.He further said that Ukraine has been attacked “without having done anything” to trigger the Russian attack, while choosing to skip Moscow’s apprehension of Kyiv joining the US-led Nato alliance, which is argued as a key reason Russian President Putin decided to invade Ukraine.”In a way, it has taken a first step. We’re talking about a country that has been attacked without having done anything to trigger that attack. The only demand is that weapons fall silent. No more than that… The German approach and the European approach are that we want to do whatever we can to make President Putin sit down at the negotiating table,” Wadephul said.On Friday, Jaishankar said India should not be “unfairly targeted” in the context of the Ukraine war, as New Delhi continues to face pressure over its oil trade with Russia. “Had a telecon today with Finnish Foreign Minister,” Jaishankar posted on X. “Our discussions centered around the Ukraine conflict and its ramifications. India should not be unfairly targeted in that context. We have always advocated dialogue and diplomacy.”The remarks come as India is facing 50 per cent tariffs from the United States for purchasing Russian oil. The US administration has accused New Delhi of “funding the war” by continuing trade with Moscow. India has strongly criticised Washington’s decision, calling the tariffs “unjustified and unreasonable”. The Trump administration recently raised duties on Indian goods to over 50 per cent as a penalty for India’s oil imports from Russia. Last week in Moscow, Jaishankar defended India’s position during a joint press briefing with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov. He questioned the rationale behind Washington’s move.
