‘Could have taken Vande Bharat’: EAM Jaishankar recalls Modi’s Ukraine visit by train

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Ukraine by train, saying that he could have done that ‘with a Vande Bharat’.

Responding to a query about PM Modi’s train ride to Ukraine, Jaishankar said laughing, “I could have done with a Vande Bharat.” He added, “It was 10 hours each way, and I think, given the situation you got what you got, but 10 hours is 10 hours.”

Further, on the current geopolitical situation, the minister said that every government, consciously or otherwise is today assessing risks, and the majority of the policies are on de-risking.

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“If I were to have a one-word summary of this situation, which is risks. What we have seen really for the last 15 years is a steady increase in terms of risks to the global order, the international economy, and individual countries. There are risks that are actually coming out of the process of change…If there is a major war going on in Europe, there is a huge conflict going on in West Asia, and the Middle East, there are tensions around Asia, there is a revival of territorial claims, and border frictions. Those are actually, with each one of them, the risks mount…there are risks to supply chains today, not just Houthis in the Red Sea, there could be climate risks, there could be pandemic risks, there could be technology risks,” Jaishankar said.

“The idea that there are borders and borders are some kind of hardlines, and problems can be stopped on that side of the border, those days are over,” the EAM underlined.

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“To me, every government, consciously or otherwise is today assessing risks, and the majority of the policies are on de-risking…The ones who do it better, have the ability, then to explore opportunities but the focus of the world is on de-risking,” he further said adding that India, today is exploring opportunities, and trying to get involved more in global supply chains.

PM Narendra Modi’s Ukraine visit was the first by an Indian Prime Minister to the war-hit nation. The visit assumes deeper significance as it comes at a time when the region finds itself in the middle of a conflict.

With inputs from ANI.