Unpacking the Main Takeaways From PM Modi's Europe Visit

A common texture across the trip was the joint statements, where differences over Ukraine were apparent.

In the backdrop of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up his first foreign visit of the year to Europe on 5 May with visits to Germany, Denmark, and France.

PM Modi’s first port of call was Berlin, where he met the new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, whose government has decided to make economic sacrifices by reducing its energy dependence on Russia and even changing its decades-old stance on defence spending.

PM Modi then travelled to Copenhagen, where he held the second India-Nordic summit with Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Norway to explore new areas of cooperation. This summit was special because India is the only country other than the US that the Nordic Five engages on such a level.

And on his way back to New Delhi, PM Modi made a stopover in Paris, France, where President Emmanuel Macron was re-elected just 10 days ago. India and France have been strategic partners since 1998 and the talks here focused on the importance of a "free, open and rules-based" Indo-Pacific.

A common texture across the trip was the joint statements in each country, where differences over Ukraine were apparent. In Germany, Modi’s statement said no one will be the "victorious party in this war" and the only way out was through talks.

While India has been in an uncomfortable position since the Russia-Ukraine war began and has continued to not condemn Russia for any of its actions so far, there seems to be a level of comprehension by European countries on India’s stance.

And the flurry of European leaders and delegations to India in the past few weeks, especially the visit of EU President Ursula von der Leyen suggests a changing world order.

In today’s episode, we discuss the main takeaways from PM Modi’s EU trip with our guest Manoj Joshi, a distinguished Fellow at The Observer Research Foundation.