'Lens of national interest' key as India navigates turbulent world: Jaishankar at HTLS

Speaking at HTLS 2026, Jaishankar said the world order today was navigating stormy seas amid multiple conflicts, frictions and uncertainties.

The turbulence the world is going through could last a few years, maybe till the end of the decade, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday, adding that India's compass for navigating these choppy waters is the "lens of national interest".

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2026

Jaishankar said the world order today was navigating stormy seas amid multiple conflicts, frictions and uncertainties, speaking to R Sukumar, Editor-in-Chief, Hindustan Times, at the 24th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi. The theme of this year's summit is "New Rules. New Realities." Track LIVE updates from Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here

The foreign minister touched upon the conflicts in West Asia and Ukraine, and also spoke of the crises parts of Africa are facing.

Jaishankar spoke of a readjustment of the world order that includes the rise of new powers. The rivalry between the United States and China, he said, was one of the factors behind the ongoing frictions, but not the only one.

Speaking on the trade deal, Jaishankar said bulk of the issues are sorted out and last remaining concerns are more at the American end than that of New Delhi.

“We should close it out soon… in the last period everybody is impatient but in any negotiation, the negotiators don't do that,” Jaishankar said, adding that the aim is to have a trade deal with is mutually beneficial and balanced.