New Delhi: India is looking for “partners” and not “preachers”, particularly those who “do not practice at home what they preach abroad”, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar said on Sunday (May 4) when asked what the Modi government expects of a partnership with the European Union.

Speaking at the Arctic Circle-India Forum in Delhi, Jaishankar also defended India’s continued engagement with Russia after the latter’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – saying the ‘fundamental realism’ that international relations is based upon necessitates engagement with Moscow.

He went on to say that a similar realism undergirds India’s engagement with the Donald Trump administration, adding that the “best way” to engage “today's America” is to identify mutual interests instead of putting “ideological differences upfront”.

During the forum, Jaishankar was asked by moderator and Observer Research Foundation president Samir Saran what he expects from the EU as a partner.

“Well, when we look out at the world, Samir, we look for partners. We don't look for preachers, particularly preachers who don't practice at home what they preach abroad,” Jaishankar said. “Some of Europe is still struggling with that problem. Some of it is changing.”

He continued: “But from our point of view, if we are to develop a partnership, there has to be some understanding, there has to be some sensitivity, there has to be a mutuality of interests, and there has to be a realisation of how the world works.

“And I think these are all [a] work in progress to differing degrees with different parts of Europe. So some have moved further. Some a little bit less.”

It is not clear what exactly triggered the minister's ‘partners, not preachers’ statement, but EU foreign minister Kaja Kallas last week had urged India and Pakistan, who are currently witnessing an escalation in tensions, to “show restraint and pursue dialogue to ease the situation”.

However, Washington too had also “encouraged India to work with Pakistan to de-escalate tensions”, while Moscow also called on the two sides to settle differences through political and diplomatic means.

Jaishankar's statement also comes not long after India and the EU agreed to aim to conclude talks for a free trade agreement by the end of the year.

‘Russia realism’, ‘America realism’

Upon being asked by former Icelandic president and Arctic Circle chief Olafur Grimsson whether India, given its historically warm ties with Russia, could act as an intermediary between Moscow and other countries in the Arctic region, Jaishankar said that New Delhi has always advocated “Russia realism” when it comes to its relations with the Kremlin.

“… We are not necessarily taking the case of one party or the other, but we have always felt that … international relations is conducted on the basis of some … fundamental realism. And that realism requires an engagement with Russia,” said Jaishankar.

He said that the fact that some talks which were held to find a solution to the Russo-Ukrainian war did not include Russia “challenged the basics of realism”.

India, however, has also been “very careful to not to prescribe a solution”, he added. “We have not told one or the other party, ‘do this’ or ‘do that’. And that's important to remember because that's a courtesy which apparently is not always granted to us. So we get advice on what we should be doing.”

Jaishankar then said that just as he advocated “Russia realism” he also batted for “America realism”.

“I think the best way to engage today's America is also through finding mutuality of interests rather than putting ideological differences upfront and allowing it to cloud the possibilities of working together,” he said.

Relations between the Trump administration and Brussels have come under strain with the US now insisting that certain European countries within NATO step up their defence payments.  The US president's intention of levying ‘reciprocal’ tariffs on America’s trading partners, including the EU, has also soured ties.

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