External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar gave a thorough speech at the Arctic Circle India Forum 2025, arguing for a practical and interest-based strategy in India’s dealings with the US and Russia.
Jaishankar emphasized the idea of “realism,” stating that India’s foreign policy should be based on active participation rather than ideological adherence, particularly in a world that is changing quickly due to multipolarity and shifting alliances.
Jaishankar emphasized the idea of “Russia realism,” stating that India has continuously interacted with Russia on the basis of mutual gain and strategic interests. In light of the increased international tensions in 2022 and 2023, he pointed out that a lot of pessimistic forecasts regarding the conflict between Russia and Ukraine had not come to pass, highlighting the importance of taking a reasonable and practical approach.
He stressed that, motivated by the core ideas of realism, India wants balanced participation rather than taking sides. Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s willingness to help if it can in the Russia-Ukraine dispute, but he purposefully avoided giving either side terms or solutions in order to preserve India’s diplomatic independence and reputation.
In a similar vein, Jaishankar promoted “America realism,” which holds that concentrating on shared interests rather than letting ideological disagreements cloud possible collaboration is the best approach to interact with the US. He emphasized that India and the US should have a practical partnership that prioritizes areas of agreement while handling differences with maturity. According to Jaishankar, this strategy maximizes the potential for fruitful collaboration in a challenging global setting.
Speaking on India’s larger foreign policy ethos, the minister claimed that the country looks for “partners, not preachers.” He urged fair and courteous international collaborations, specifically denouncing those who promote norms overseas that they do not accept at home. In his address to some European countries, Jaishankar urged them to interact with India on the basis of respect, understanding, and a practical grasp of world affairs.
The Indo-Pacific region, a critical area with a wide range of interests and problems, will be the focus of the next Quad conference, Jaishankar said. He emphasized that India’s participation in these forums is governed by the same mutuality of interest and realism principles, reaffirming the nation’s dedication to strategic autonomy and well-balanced diplomacy.
In his speech at the Arctic Circle India Forum 2025, Jaishankar underlined India’s dedication to a practical, interest-based foreign policy. He positioned India as a self-assured, independent actor looking for practical alliances in a multipolar world by promoting “realism” in relations with both the US and Russia.
