Jaishankar on US presidential elections outcome: ‘India will be able to work…’

S Jaishankar said that the American system will deliver its verdict and India is confident in its ability to work with whichever government is elected. External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that India is prepared to work with the President of the United States, regardless of who holds the position. Speaking about the upcoming US presidential elections at the launch of Indiaspora’s impact report in New Delhi, Jaishankar said that the American system will deliver its verdict and India is confident in its ability to work with whichever government is elected. “Generally, we don’t comment on other people’s elections because we also hope others don’t comment on us. But the American system will throw up its verdict. And, I’m not saying this just as a formality, but if you look over the last 20-odd years, maybe a little bit more for us, we have every confidence that we will be able to work with the President of the United States, whoever he or she will be,” ANI quoted Jaishankar as saying. When asked how he views the current global situation, S Jaishankar said that world is experiencing an exceptionally difficult period, highlighting the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Israel. “I’m an optimistic person and generally tend to think of solutions to problems rather than the problems that come out of solutions. But I would say with a great deal of sobriety, that we are going through an exceptionally difficult period,” he added. He also mentioned that the outlook for the next five years appears to be quite grim. “You have what you see happening in the Middle East, what you see happening in Ukraine, what you see happening in Southeast Asia, East Asia, the continued impact of the COVID which those of us who have come out of it take for granted, but many have not come out of it,” Jaishankar said. The minister also said that the world is facing significant economic challenges, with an increasing number of countries struggling with trade difficulties, foreign exchange shortages and various other disruptions. He said that climate events are also contributing to global instability, causing severe consequences.