External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India is very much “wedded” to its policy of “strategic autonomy” when, at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, he was asked about India being “forced” to “wean off” Russian oil.
Jaishankar’s statement came days after US President Donald Trump announced the “historic” trade deal in a post on the TRUTH social media platform, claiming that India has agreed to stop buying Russian oil as part of the pact.
However, India has not yet confirmed if it will indeed stop buying Russian crude.
What did Jaishankar say?
In an interactive session alongside German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Jaishankar said the global energy market is “complex”.
He said oil companies “in India, Europe and other parts of the world, look at availability, look at costs, look at risks and take the decisions they feel are in their best interest.”
“We are very much wedded to strategic autonomy because it is very much a part of our history and our evolution,” he said.
When asked if India can exercise this “strategic autonomy today,” Jaishankar said, “We do, we’ve always done. I think it is something which is very deep, and it is something which cuts across the political spectrum as well.”
Jaishankar added that India keeps the option of making independent decisions, without always agreeing with its partners in the West.
“We would not necessarily agree on everything, but I do believe that by doing that, and if there is an inclination to find common ground and overlaps, that would happen,” Jaishankar said.
“If the bottomline of your question is — would I remain independent-minded and make my decisions and would I make choices which may not agree with your thinking — yes, it can happen,” he said.
Jaishankar at Munich Security Conference 2026
On Saturday, S Jaishankar met with G7 Foreign Ministers at the Munich Security Conference 2026, reiterating India’s support for the UN80 agenda and underscoring New Delhi’s role in safeguarding global security.
On the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Jaishankar held a series of bilateral meetings with counterparts, discussing economic cooperation, defense ties, and regional security challenges.
In a post on
Jaishankar also strongly called for reforms in the United Nations, especially in view of the profound changes that the world has been witnessing.
“These developments also underline the need to reform the UN, especially after the world experienced a series of shocks over the last five years, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine conflict, the tensions in the Middle East, and the rise of China and its impact on global systems,” he said.
