India A Soft Target In Trump's Negotiations With Putin: Former Singapore Foreign Minister
Former foreign minister of Singapore George Yeo Yong-Boon offered a nuanced perspective on current global geopolitics in an interview with CNN-News18 on Saturday, cautioning that negotiations for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine have reached a crucial point. Yeo highlighted the unpredictable nature of Donald Trump's foreign policy, stating that the US President 'wants to maximise his leverage in negotiation with Putin".
In this high-stakes dynamic, the minister warned that 'India is a soft target", due to its important but sometimes challenging relationship with the United States. He noted that Trump's tendency to 'change his mind all the time" makes a firm and united stance from India essential, even as he acknowledged the paramount importance of India's relationship with the US.
Pivoting to India's domestic political landscape, the former minister offered high praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He described Modi as a 'strong leader" who has 'done a lot of good work for India". The minister went on to underscore that India's vast and diverse nature necessitates strong leadership, without which the country would be 'scattered all over the place". Expressing a deep respect for Modi, he added that the Indian Prime Minister is a 'good friend of Singapore".
On regional and international matters, the former minister expressed his hope that Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping could 'find a common ground to the path of normalisation" for their bilateral relationship. He also shared his desire for India to 'take a stronger position on Gaza", a stance he qualified by noting his understanding of why India, much like China, has chosen not to get involved in the Ukraine conflict. Yeo also expressed his happiness to see India 'doing well under the strong leadership of PM Modi".
About the Author
Anand Narasimhan is Managing Editor, Special Projects and senior anchor at CNN-News18. He writes extensively on Indian politics and sports. He tweets at @AnchorAnandN.
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