Key events that defined Indian diplomacy in 2025

Ranging from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs connected India and different nations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sojourn to countries successful Africa and South America, parliamentary delegations to countries aft Operation Sindoor, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s sojourn to India, commercialized deals with the U.K. and Oman, rebuilding diplomatic ties with Canada and gathering up ties with the Taliban successful Afghanistan, respective cardinal events defined India’s diplomatic efforts successful 2025.

Here is simply a recap of immoderate of the large events.

Indonesian President Subianto visits India (January 2025)

When Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visited India arsenic the chief impermanent for the Republic Day celebrations, the 2 countries signed 5 MoUs successful health, accepted medicine, maritime security, integer improvement and taste cooperation. They besides agreed to heighten practice crossed assorted sectors specified arsenic defence, antagonistic coercion and space.

The sojourn besides coincided with the 75th twelvemonth of diplomatic relations betwixt the 2 countries, with Sukarno, Indonesia’s archetypal President, visiting India arsenic the main impermanent for Republic Day successful 1950.

PM Modi’s U.S. sojourn amid tariff threats (February 2025)

Defence deals, extradition of 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana, weapons sales, and trade, were among the large issues discussed during Mr. Modi’s sojourn to the U.S. adjacent arsenic Mr. Trump had announced retaliatory tariffs connected India and respective different countries. The U.S. has, since then, imposed 50% tariffs connected India, chiefly implicit India’s import of Russian oil.

During the visit, Mr. Trump offered to merchantability F-35 combatant jets to India, isolated from a 10-year model for defence partnership. The two countries besides agreed to reason a commercialized pact by the extremity of 2025.

Rana was extradited to India successful April 2025; the 2 countries signed the “Framework for the U.S.-India Major Defence Partnership” successful October but are yet to hold connected a commercialized deal.

India-U.K. commercialized woody (May 2025)

India and the United Kingdom signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) that would benefit assorted Indian sectors specified arsenic agriculture, textiles, leather, chemicals and engineering goods.

Tariffs connected 92% of the items successful U.K.’s exports to India volition beryllium removed oregon reduced and the mean tariffs connected these volition driblet to 3% from 15%, the U.K. authorities had said. Whiskey, items related to aerospace, automobiles and electrical machinery are among items from the U.K. that volition find easier entree to Indian markets nether the deal.

Abstention from UNGA Gaza ballot (June 2025)

In December 2024, India voted successful favour of a solution successful the U.N. General Assembly for a ceasefire successful Gaza and the merchandise of each hostages, but successful lone six months, successful June 2025, it abstained from different vote successful the UNGA calling for a ceasefire successful Gaza, accordant with its argumentation to not ballot connected statements captious of Israel.

However, India reassured its enactment for the Palestinian origin successful a statement successful the United Nations Security Council a period later, saying the humanitarian situation successful Gaza indispensable stop. It besides voted successful favour of a solution astatine the UNGA successful September to endorse the ‘New York Declaration’ connected the two-state solution.

India besides welcomed Mr. Trump’s 20-point bid woody for Gaza. In December, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, during a sojourn to Israel, reiterated India’s enactment for the bid plan.

Parliamentary delegations aft Operation Sindoor (June-July 2025)

Seven delegations, of parliamentarians from galore parties, were sent to 33 countries to little connected the Pahalgam panic attack and its links to Pakistan, and Operation Sindoor, conveying its statement connected warring terrorism.

The delegations conveyed Mr. Modi’s connection of the “new normal” successful responding to violent attacks and having “zero tolerance” towards terrorism. Mr. Modi had besides said that India would not tolerate immoderate “nuclear blackmail” portion acting against terrorists successful Pakistan.

However, the determination was met with disapproval domestically arsenic the opposition Congress party criticised the Centre for the nominating Shashi Tharoor implicit different names suggested by the party. The Trinamool Congress and the Shiv Sena (UBT) excessively initially refused to nonstop their MPs saying they weren’t officially informed but aboriginal agreed aft Union Minister Kiren Rijiju’s intervention. The Communist Party of India, which was not portion of the delegation, said the determination was marked by “opacity and exclusion”.

PM Modi’s five-nation sojourn to prioritise Global South (July 2025)

Mr. Modi’s stated extremity earlier his visit to Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina, Brazil and Namibia, was the strengthening Global South’s cooperation.

In Ghana, India elevated its bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Partnership and besides discussed helping Ghana go a “vaccine hub”. In Trinidad and Tobago, an knowing was reached to amended entree to affordable medicines from India. In Argentina, India again pitched its pharma manufacture portion Buenos Aires agreed practice connected captious minerals and its shale state and lipid reserves.

Modi-Xi gathering (August-September 2025)

Mr. Modi visited China successful August for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) acme and a bilateral gathering with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Tianjin Declaration, adopted during the summit, condemned coercion successful each its forms, including the Pahalgam violent attack.

During their bilateral meeting, Mr. Modi told Mr. Xi that some countries person been “victims” of terrorism and should enactment unneurotic to combat this. He besides underlined the importance of bid astatine border for the continued betterment of relations. They agreed upon practice and solution of borderline issues, resumed nonstop flights successful October and the resumption of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra successful June, arsenic portion of improving people-to-people ties.

Putin’s sojourn for the India-Russia yearly acme (December 2025)

Mr. Putin’s visit came against the backdrop of a U.S. bid connection to extremity the warfare successful Ukraine, occidental sanctions against Russia and besides the tariff tensions connected India-U.S. ties. This was Mr. Putin’s archetypal visit since the opening of the warfare successful Ukraine.

The 2 countries agreed to deepen their strategic partnership successful a gathering of their Defence Ministers. While India called for collaboration successful niche technologies, Russia assured to assistance successful India’s thrust towards self-reliance successful defence production.

The two sides besides agreed connected establishing a model for question of skilled workers to Russia and besides to combat “irregular migration” aft the gathering betwixt Mr. Putin and Mr. Modi. Several different agreements connected wellness and maritime practice were besides announced. The leaders besides agreed to fortify the 2 nations’ “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership”.

India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (December 2025)

Oman and India signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) during Mr. Modi’s sojourn to the Gulf country.

Under the deal, Oman volition supply duty-free access to 99.38% of Indian exports to Oman and India volition has offered liberalised tariffs connected 94.81% Indian imports from Oman. The woody besides includes respective concessions that are expected to payment India’s work sector, including successful presumption of mobility of workers.

The deal volition supply afloat tariff elimination for respective labour-intensive sectors and offers enhanced mobility model for Indian professionals successful immoderate sectors, the Indian authorities said.

India-New Zealand upwind up FTA talks (December 2025)

India and New Zealand finished discussions connected a FTA, to beryllium signed successful 2026, which volition springiness India tariff-free entree to the land nation’s markets, bring successful $20 cardinal successful investments implicit 15 years, and treble bilateral commercialized to $5 cardinal successful the adjacent 5 years.

Under the deal, tariffs volition beryllium removed oregon slashed connected 95% of New Zealand’s exports, but nary concessions for the import of dairy, onions, sugar, spices, edible oils, and rubber. Indian professionals successful skilled sectors volition beryllium fixed impermanent employment visas, with an yearly quota of 5,000 visas and up to 3 years of stay.