Jaishankar Reinforces India’s Push for Multipolar World Order and Adherence to International Law Amid Venezuela Crisis
India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar’s ongoing visit to France and Luxembourg from January 4–9, 2026, comes at a time of significant global upheaval. US military action in Venezuela has intensified global debate over sovereignty, legality, and great power behavior.
Jaishankar’s engagements across Europe are positioned to firmly underline India’s commitment to a multipolar world order, strategic autonomy, and a rules-based international system rooted in the UN Charter.
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| EAM Jaishankar with Prime Minister Luc Frieden of Luxembourg. Via: MEA |
The French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, emphasizing the urgency for “bridges between centers of stability,” made it clear that India's inclusion was deliberate and timely: France holds the G7 presidency, and India the BRICS presidency, at a time when the global order is visibly fragmenting.
Delighted to call on President @EmmanuelMacron of France today and convey warm wishes of PM @narendramodi.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) January 8, 2026
Deeply appreciate his perspectives on contemporary global developments and positive sentiments for our Strategic Partnership.
🇮🇳 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/hFKoafAtlD
European leaders, including German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, highlighted India’s growing strategic weight, especially in light of the upcoming EU–India summit on January 27. Discussions included Indo-Pacific security, energy, technology, AI, and the Ukraine war. But most pointedly, they addressed the escalating crisis in Venezuela.
Interacting with the Indian Community in Luxembourg.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) January 6, 2026
🇮🇳 🇱🇺 https://t.co/IHSumKbVDs
While European leaders expressed strong views against what they called “authoritarian actions” by the Maduro regime, they also condemned violations of international law by permanent members of the UN Security Council, implicitly pointing to the US-led military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and brought them to New York for trial.
Asked about the implications of the US action, Jaishankar stated unambiguously that India is concerned and urged “all parties to sit down” in the interest of the Venezuelan people.
India’s official statement, released earlier by the Ministry of External Affairs, reaffirmed India’s support for the safety and well-being of Venezuelans, calling for peaceful resolution and dialogue.
This position was echoed by Jaishankar during his public interaction in Luxembourg, where he reinforced that India’s approach was guided by principles and long-standing relations, not geopolitical pressure.
“We have dealt with various challenges... we need to stand,” he said, underscoring India’s resolve and refusal to succumb to coercion from any quarter.
The first India - Weimar format meeting focussed on deepening India – European Union relations, assessing challenges in Indo – Pacific, and sharing perspectives on the Ukraine conflict.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) January 7, 2026
In the open and candid discussion, put across 🇮🇳’s views forthrightly on the above issues. pic.twitter.com/X6kpGGePBP
Throughout his European engagements, Jaishankar’s central message has been that the world is undergoing churn, and the moment calls for a serious conversation about the norms and architecture of the future global order.
India, he argued, is not just a bridge between blocs, it is a pole in its own right.
“We are committed to multipolarity, not as a slogan, but as a framework for stabilizing global politics,” he said during a press conference in Paris.
In discussions with French, German, Polish and Luxembourgish leadership, Jaishankar repeatedly emphasized India's increasing convergence with Europe on issues of technology, energy security, supply chain resilience, and defense collaboration.
My opening remarks during meeting with FM @jnbarrot of France in Paris.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) January 7, 2026
🇮🇳 🇫🇷 https://t.co/tgIpsbmt4P
But, as global anxieties rise over unipolar assertiveness, from the seizure of Venezuela’s leadership to renewed US threats to take over Greenland, India’s message has been calibrated but unmistakably independent.
While the European side expressed concern over "US intimidation", especially after Trump’s renewed threats on Greenland, Jaishankar did not directly comment on the US position.
However, his remarks defending international law and the inviolability of borders, and India's visible abstention from aligning with the logic of kinetic preemption, signal where New Delhi stands.
The Indian National Congress, India’s main opposition party, also broke its silence earlier, issuing a statement strongly condemning the US action in Venezuela as a breach of international law and warning against the return to “primordial rules of statecraft.”
Speaking to the press along side DPM & FM @sikorskiradek of Poland, FM @jnbarrot of France and FM @AussenMinDE of Germany after India - Weimar format meeting.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) January 7, 2026
🇮🇳 🇵🇱 🇫🇷 🇩🇪 https://t.co/MjI1hicj9j
The party emphasized that Venezuelan resources must be used for the benefit of its people and not be subject to external expropriation.
From calling on the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and Prime Minister Luc Frieden to engaging the diaspora and youth leaders in Paris, Jaishankar's diplomatic itinerary is as packed as it is strategic. His interactions show India's approach to Europe: deepening economic and technology ties while building political consensus on norms, multilateralism, and sovereign equality.
Jaishankar's visit signals a significant pivot that global power cannot, and must not, be concentrated in any one capital, nor exercised outside the legal boundaries set by the United Nations Charter. Whether in Caracas or Kyiv, Luxembourg or the Indo-Pacific, the world must choose dialogue over domination.
“Those who are like-minded, who have convergence, who share values—must collaborate more closely. That is what we are doing,” he said