Jaishankar Leads India’s UNGA Delegation

Jaishankar Leads India’s UNGA Delegation – Foreign Policy

!Foreign Policy

Foreign Policy Get analysis and alerts more quickly in the mobile app.

Install

Back to Foreign Policy Magazine home page

* Latest
* Regions

+ Asia & the Pacific
+ China
+ Middle East & Africa
+ Americas
+ Europe
* Newsletters

Editors’ Picks

Evening roundup with our editors’ favorite stories of the day

!World Brief Icon

World Brief

Your guide to the most important world stories of the day

!China Brief Icon

China Brief

The latest news, analysis, and data from the country each week

Situation Report

Weekly update on what’s driving U.S. national security policy

FP Weekend

A curation of our best book reviews, deep dives, and other reads

!Africa Brief Icon

Africa Brief

Essential analysis of the stories shaping geopolitics on the continent

!South Asia Brief Icon

South Asia Brief

Weekly update on developments in India and its neighbors

The Reading List

Curated guides on geopolitics and current affairs

FP Bookshelf

A monthly guide to FP’s book reviews, excerpts, and reading recommendations

!Latin America Brief Icon

Latin America Brief

One-stop digest of politics, economics, and culture

!Southeast Asia Brief Icon

Southeast Asia Brief

A weekly dispatch with news from the region’s 11 countries

The New Geopolitics

A five-part masterclass in IR theory with Harvard Professor Stephen M. Walt

View All Newsletters

* FP Live

* Latest
* Trending:
* Trump-Xi meeting
* United Nations General Assembly

Search this website

* Preferences
* My FP Feed
* Saved Articles
* Newsletters
* Magazine Archive
* Subscription Settings
* FAQs
* Log Out

Sign In

Sign In

Partner with FP at UNGA81 Partner with FP at UNGA81

Subscribe Subscribe Partner with FP at UNGA81 Partner with FP at UNGA81

South Asia Brief: Jaishankar Leads India’s UNGA Delegation

*
*
* Facebook
* Bluesky
* X
* LinkedIn
* WhatsApp
* Reddit

Save

1. Create an FP account to save articles to read later.

Sign Up

ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER? LOGIN

PDF

1. **Downloadable PDFs** are a benefit of an FP subscription.

Subscribe Now

ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER? LOGIN

Gift

*
*
* WhatsApp

1. Gifting articles is a subscriber benefit.

Subscribe Now

ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER? LOGIN

2. This article is an Insider exclusive.

Contact us at [email protected] to learn about upgrade options, unlocking the ability to gift this article.

South Asia Brief

News and analysis from India and its neighboring countries in South Asia, a region home to one-fourth of the world’s population. Delivered Wednesday.

Jaishankar Leads India’s UNGA Delegation

New Delhi’s top diplomat aims to push back against new U.S. tariffs on countries buying Russian oil.

!Kugelman-Michael-foreign-policy-columnist13

*Kugelman-Michael-foreign-policy-columnist13*

*Michael Kugelman*

By **Michael Kugelman**, the writer of *Foreign Policy*’s weekly South Asia Brief and a senior fellow for South Asia at the Atlantic Council.

!Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar holds a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha following their meeting in Kyiv on Aug. 3.

*Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar holds a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha following their meeting in Kyiv on Aug. 3.*

Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar holds a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha following their meeting in Kyiv on Aug. 3. Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images

*
*
*
*
*
*
*

September 23, 2026, 5:51 PM

Welcome to *Foreign Policy*’s South Asia Brief.

The highlights this week: Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar leads the delegation to the **United Nations General Assembly** for the second year in a row, three sisters of former Pakistani Prime Minister **Imran Khan** are arrested ahead of nationwide protests, and Bangladesh and India plan to resume **cross-border train service**.

Welcome to *Foreign Policy*’s South Asia Brief.

The highlights this week: Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar leads the delegation to the **United Nations General Assembly** for the second year in a row, three sisters of former Pakistani Prime Minister **Imran Khan** are arrested ahead of nationwide protests, and Bangladesh and India plan to resume **cross-border train service**.

Sign up to receive South Asia Brief in your inbox every Wednesday.

---

What’s on India’s Agenda at UNGA?

With all that is on the agenda at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) here in New York—the wars in Iran and Ukraine, energy security, and climate change, to name a few—it’s not a surprise that the activities of India’s top diplomat are flying below the radar.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is leading India’s delegation to UNGA instead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the second year in a row. He appears in New York at a pivotal moment for the country’s foreign policy, with opportunities to advance key interests.

India, impelled by one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies, continues to shine on the global stage. In recent months, it has signed and implemented new trade deals with the European Union and United Kingdom, maintained a cautious rapprochement with China, and hosted a BRICS leaders’ summit that produced a joint declaration despite a fractious membership.

But India is also grappling with challenges, from its continued tensions with the United States to Pakistan’s deepening presence in the Middle East.

Indeed, Jaishankar’s most urgent priority at UNGA is to seek out U.S. officials to secure assurances on new U.S. legislation authorizing President Donald Trump’s White House to impose up to 100 percent tariffs on countries, including India, that buy Russian oil. Jaishankar reiterated India’s concerns to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.

India’s economy is strong and resilient, and it has developed workarounds to cushion the blow of previous Trump tariffs, including its new trade deals and stepped-up commercial ties with China.

Still, New Delhi would much rather avoid even higher tariffs from one of its largest export destinations, especially at a sensitive moment in trade talks with Washington. India—which actually reduced its Russian oil purchases last year—could also risk public and political backlash if it appears to be giving in to U.S. pressure again.

Another key goal for Jaishankar at UNGA is to connect with other global south states. One of the Modi government’s top foreign-policy priorities is to assert itself as a leader and champion of the global south. On this, it admittedly lags behind China, which has developed a stronger presence in Africa and Latin America.

At UNGA this week, many of the high-level events focus on challenges that disproportionately affect the global south, including sea level rise and pandemic risks. By participating in these events, Jaishankar can showcase how India looks to lead on these issues.

Finally, Jaishankar will prioritize engagement with the U.N. itself. Though some in the West might dismiss UNGA as a lot of high-level speeches and not much else, for much of the world, the gathering provides a platform to press for changes within the U.N. to make it more responsive to global needs.

Like much of the global south, India seeks more U.N. reform, especially expansion of the permanent membership of the Security Council to represent a wider array of countries. India is a logical candidate to join a bigger Security Council—an outcome that it has long sought. This might be putting the cart before the horse, but New Delhi is happy to play the long game.

---

What We’re Following

**Imran Khan’s sisters arrested.** This week, three sisters of imprisoned former Paki