"No Country Has Veto On Our Ties": S Jaishankar On Whether Putin Visit Irks US

S Jaishankar's remarks came in the backdrop of Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent India visit, which he said was about reimagining relationships.

06 Dec 2025, 06:01 · www.ndtv.com

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India's ties with Russia remain its biggest and steadiest global partnership, says Jaishankar
No country can veto India's relations with other nations, he adds
Jaishankar sees a US-India trade deal as achievable with reasonable terms soon

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Foreign Minister S Jaishankar has defended India's freedom of choice to choose its global partners, asserting that New Delhi's ties with Moscow had been the biggest and steadiest in a world fraught with geopolitical ups and downs.

"For any country to expect to have a veto in how we develop our relations with others is not a reasonable proposition. Others can expect the same," he said while speaking to NDTV's CEO and Editor-In-Chief Rahul Kanwal at the HT Leadership Summit this morning.

India has always maintained that it has multiple relationships, Jaishankar said, stressing the need for partnerships with as many players as possible. "We have a freedom of choice. We talk about what is called strategic autonomy. And that continues. I cannot imagine why anybody would have reason to expect the contrary," he added.

Read: India-US Trade Deal Soon? S Jaishankar's "Extremely Judicious" Response

Jaishankar's remarks came in the backdrop of Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent India visit, which he said was about reimagining relationships. Asked if the high-level visit complicates India's ties with the US, the minister said that he wouldn't go to the Western press for an objective assessment for a reading on Putin.

It's crucial for India to maintain cooperation with as many players as possible and have that freedom of choice to bolster its position in the world, the minister said.

"The world has seen a lot of ups and downs in the last 70-80 years, but India and Russia have been among the steadiest big relationships in the world. Russia's ties with China or Europe had their ups and downs, and so did our ties with other nations. But you can see it in popular sentiments; there is a feeling in the streets about Russia," he added.

Read: "Safest Bet Is Capability": S Jaishankar On Handling An Uncertain Future

India must stand up for what is in its interest, he thundered, adding that diplomacy is not about pleasing someone else.

There is no lack of communication with the US, he said, asserting that a trade deal with Washington could become a reality soon, though he also warned against unforeseen turnarounds.

"We believe there can be a landing point for our respective trade interests. It is something that will be negotiated hard. For us, the interest of the workers and the farmers and the middle class matters. When we look at the trade agreements with the US, we must be judicious," he added.

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