Ukraine war-driven fuel, food crises will trigger inflation, hunger: Jaishankar

The fuel, food and fertiliser crises triggered by the Ukraine war will have a very significant inflationary impact globally, cautioned External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, while emphasising on the food crisis as an imminent cause for hunger situations worldwide.

Addressing students and researchers at the National Institute of Advanced Sciences (NIAS) here, Jaishankar foresaw the war-driven fertiliser shortage creating a ‘cascading problem’ down the road. This, he said, could deeply impact the next harvest in many countries.

Dwelling deep into the national security scenario in the last eight years, he identified the pandemic as a challenge which the government arrested through an unprecedented vaccination drive. But he acknowledged the 2020 scramble for vaccines, essential drugs and masks as a lesson to be prepared and not be dependent on external sources.

Faced with the Chinese forces on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), particularly in the Ladakh sector, was another challenge. But, he said India deployed its forces under the toughest conditions, ensuring national security. “The speed at which we deployed our infrastructure in the border was two to three times faster than eight years ago,” he noted.

“We will not allow unilateral change of the LAC. We will stand our ground and also engage the Chinese,” he said, while indicating that ways will also be found to reduce the friction. On the Western front, he said, Pakistan was shown that we will not be brought to the table through cross-border terrorism and strikes in Uri and Balakot.

Jaishankar found a huge positive in the land-boundary agreement with Bangladesh. “It has opened huge avenues for Bangladesh and our North-Eastern states, whether in power supply or access. We now have a much more peaceful North-East,” he observed.

In response to a query on India’s quest for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), he said: “There is a huge sentiment out there in our favour. We have a consistent record of winning elections quite handsomely. We are saying, expand it, you don’t need to replace someone. There is reservation of the entrenched players, but perseverance is important.”

On India’s presence in Africa, he drew attention to the $70-80 billions invested there, making it the fourth biggest globally. “In the last eight years, there has been a massive upgrade, with 18 new embassies opened,” he informed.