India Seeks Partnerships, Not Preachers: Jaishankar Highlights Shifting Global Dynamics

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New Delhi, May 4, 2025: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday underscored India’s evolving role in a rapidly transforming world order, asserting that the country now seeks equal partnerships and not unsolicited advice — particularly from those who fail to uphold their own standards.

Speaking at the Arctic Circle India Forum 2025, Jaishankar addressed the changing geopolitical landscape, emphasizing that major global developments now have direct consequences for India.

“We have now reached a size and a stage where almost anything consequential that happens in any corner of the world matters to us,” he said. Highlighting a growing multipolar reality, the minister noted, “The United States is much more self-sufficient today than it has been in a long time. Europe is under pressure to change. The realities of multipolarity are dawning on it, and I think it has still not adjusted and absorbed it fully.”

Jaishankar pointed to increasing geopolitical contestation across the globe, noting that while the U.S. has made dramatic shifts in its foreign policy, China continues its strategic trajectory. “We are going to see an arena of contestation, which is not going to be easy to recall. We are looking at a much more contested world, much sharper competition,” he said.

In a pointed remark aimed at international critics, the minister added, “We are not looking for preachers, especially the ones who don’t practice at home what they preach abroad.”

The comments reflect India’s assertive foreign policy stance amid global realignments and its push for recognition as a key player in shaping international narratives.