External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said ongoing global conflicts are impacting the worldwide economy during a visit to Belgium [1].

These discussions highlight India's growing role in mediating international stability and its concern over how geopolitical volatility disrupts global trade and financial systems.

Jaishankar said July 15, 2026 [1], during the maiden India-Belgium Strategic Dialogue in Brussels. During this engagement, he focused on the intersection of global security and economic health, noting that persistent conflicts create ripples that affect nations far beyond the immediate combat zones [1].

Following the dialogue in Brussels, Jaishankar traveled to New York for a meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday, July 16, 2026 [2]. The two leaders discussed global developments, with a specific focus on the situations in West Asia and Ukraine [2].

At the United Nations Headquarters, the conversation centered on how these regional wars contribute to a broader atmosphere of instability [2]. Jaishankar and Guterres examined the mechanisms through which these conflicts continue to shape the global economic landscape, and the challenges of maintaining international order in a fractured environment [2].

India's diplomatic push in both Europe and at the UN suggests a strategy of balancing bilateral strategic partnerships with multilateral institutional engagement. By linking conflict directly to economic outcomes, Jaishankar said that stability is not merely a political goal but a prerequisite for global prosperity [1], [2].

“Ongoing global conflicts are shaping the world economy.”

India is positioning itself as a bridge between the Global South and Western powers by framing geopolitical conflicts through the lens of economic risk. By addressing both a strategic bilateral partner like Belgium and the multilateral leadership of the UN within a 48-hour window, India is signaling that it views economic stability as inseparable from the resolution of conflicts in Ukraine and West Asia.