Key Points

The Union Minister further said that India wants partnerships, and not preachers, especially those who don't follow their own advice.

He pointed out that parts of Europe are still struggling to adjust to today's changing global realities and must seriously reflect if they want meaningful cooperation with India.

Speaking at the Arctic Circle India Forum 2025, Jaishankar said, "We have now reached a size and a stage where almost anything consequential that happens in any corner of the world matters to us. The United States is much more self-sufficient today than it has been in a long time. Europe is today under pressure to change. The realities of multipolarity are dawning on it. I think it has still not adjusted and absorbed it fully. The US has dramatically changed positions. The Chinese are doing what they were doing. 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."

The External Affairs Minister said, "When we look at the world, we look for partners, we don't look for preachers. Particularly, preachers who don't practice at home what they preach abroad. Some of Europe is still struggling with that problem. Europe has entered a certain zone of reality check. Whether they are able to step up or not is something we will have to see. If we have to develop a partnership, there has to be some understanding, sensitivity, mutuality of interest and a realisation of how the world works."

The EAM further highlighted India's expanding engagement in polar regions, noting that the country has been active in the Antarctic for over four decades and has recently strengthened its Arctic involvement through a dedicated policy and international collaborations.

Emphasising the importance of the Arctic, Jaishankar said that as one of the world's youngest countries, India's future is closely tied to what happens in the region, which will have global consequences.

"We have had a growing involvement with the Arctic. We had an even earlier involvement with the Antarctic, which is now more than 40 years. We have come up a few years ago with an Arctic policy. We have agreements with KSAT on Svalbard, which is relevant to our space. As the country with the most young people on this planet, what happens in the Arctic is of extreme importance to us...Given the direction in which things are moving, the consequences are going to be felt not just by us but by the entire world," the Union Minister said.

"Given the Arctic's trajectory, its impact will be global, making it everyone's concern. Warming is opening new routes, while technological and resource dimensions are set to reshape the global economy. For India, this matters deeply as our economic growth accelerates," Jaishankar added.

- ANI