'Parachuted into a job she isn't qualified for': Ex-Foreign Secy slams EU's top diplomat for her take on Indo-Russia ties
EU officials have identified India's participation in Russian-led military exercises and continued purchase of Russian oil as significant barriers to cooperation.
- Sep 19, 2025,
- Updated Sep 19, 2025 1:42 PM IST
Former Foreign Secretary of India Kanwal Sibal on Friday condemned the European Union's top diplomat — Kaja Kallas — over her recent comments on New Delhi's ties with Russia. Sibal took to social media and claimed that Kallas has been parachuted into a job she is not qualified for.
"The reference to “carrots and sticks” is most objectionable. Is India a donkey which has to be offered carrots to make it move and if that doesn’t work beat it with a stick to make it budge. Kaja Kalas has been parachuted into a job she is not qualified for. She is contributing to Europe’s geopolitical drift by her anti- Russian paranoia," Sibal wrote on X (previously Twitter).
He added that the India-Europe FTA is not a favour to India, adding that the EU will benefit from it as well. Sibal went onto decode why Kallas took shots at New Delhi's ties with Russia in her statement.
"The EU is being humiliated by the US. This callous Kallas is aggressive against China too. Now she is talking down at India. Does the EU want to become more relevant by buiding on its strengths or more irrelevant by an unwillingness to shed its pretensions that it holds all the cards?"
EU officials have identified India's participation in Russian-led military exercises and continued purchase of Russian oil as significant barriers to cooperation.
Kaja Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission, highlighted the challenges, stating, "Participating in military exercises, purchase of oil - all these are obstacles to our cooperation when it comes to deepening the ties," she said.
"We are living in very turbulent times. We need to build partnerships. The question is always whether we leave this void to be filled by somebody else or try to fill it ourselves. So deepening the ties with India in order to really not push them to Russia's corner was the agreement by the college."
EU officials remain focused on advancing talks with India, viewing trade as a mutually beneficial area that could strengthen both economies. Despite these efforts, concerns persist over India’s defence cooperation with Russia and its participation in exercises that the EU views as threatening. Kallas stated, "clear areas of disagreement" exist between the EU and India on these matters.
The recent Zapad 2025 military exercise, held from September 10 to 16, saw the Indian Armed Forces participate alongside Russian units. This event has drawn criticism from EU representatives who see such cooperation as conflicting with EU security interests. Kallas emphasised, "This is a great concern for our countries. If you want closer ties with us, then why participate in exercises that are existential threat to us? So, to be very clear in this message is that we are not taking this lightly."
Although the EU wants to strengthen economic ties, leaders acknowledge the complexity of India-Russia relations. Kallas remarked, "The discussion we also had was whether it's possible to completely decouple India from Russia, considering their history as well. I don't think we have illusions regarding this. The problems we have between ourselves in the relationship are very clear. And we are trying to address them in the negotiations. So if everything is not agreed then nothing is agreed in the end."
Kallas confirmed that she had raised these issues directly with India's External Affairs Minister, signalling the EU's intent to address military and economic concerns in parallel with trade talks.
Former Foreign Secretary of India Kanwal Sibal on Friday condemned the European Union's top diplomat — Kaja Kallas — over her recent comments on New Delhi's ties with Russia. Sibal took to social media and claimed that Kallas has been parachuted into a job she is not qualified for.
"The reference to “carrots and sticks” is most objectionable. Is India a donkey which has to be offered carrots to make it move and if that doesn’t work beat it with a stick to make it budge. Kaja Kalas has been parachuted into a job she is not qualified for. She is contributing to Europe’s geopolitical drift by her anti- Russian paranoia," Sibal wrote on X (previously Twitter).
He added that the India-Europe FTA is not a favour to India, adding that the EU will benefit from it as well. Sibal went onto decode why Kallas took shots at New Delhi's ties with Russia in her statement.
"The EU is being humiliated by the US. This callous Kallas is aggressive against China too. Now she is talking down at India. Does the EU want to become more relevant by buiding on its strengths or more irrelevant by an unwillingness to shed its pretensions that it holds all the cards?"
EU officials have identified India's participation in Russian-led military exercises and continued purchase of Russian oil as significant barriers to cooperation.
Kaja Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission, highlighted the challenges, stating, "Participating in military exercises, purchase of oil - all these are obstacles to our cooperation when it comes to deepening the ties," she said.
"We are living in very turbulent times. We need to build partnerships. The question is always whether we leave this void to be filled by somebody else or try to fill it ourselves. So deepening the ties with India in order to really not push them to Russia's corner was the agreement by the college."
EU officials remain focused on advancing talks with India, viewing trade as a mutually beneficial area that could strengthen both economies. Despite these efforts, concerns persist over India’s defence cooperation with Russia and its participation in exercises that the EU views as threatening. Kallas stated, "clear areas of disagreement" exist between the EU and India on these matters.
The recent Zapad 2025 military exercise, held from September 10 to 16, saw the Indian Armed Forces participate alongside Russian units. This event has drawn criticism from EU representatives who see such cooperation as conflicting with EU security interests. Kallas emphasised, "This is a great concern for our countries. If you want closer ties with us, then why participate in exercises that are existential threat to us? So, to be very clear in this message is that we are not taking this lightly."
Although the EU wants to strengthen economic ties, leaders acknowledge the complexity of India-Russia relations. Kallas remarked, "The discussion we also had was whether it's possible to completely decouple India from Russia, considering their history as well. I don't think we have illusions regarding this. The problems we have between ourselves in the relationship are very clear. And we are trying to address them in the negotiations. So if everything is not agreed then nothing is agreed in the end."
Kallas confirmed that she had raised these issues directly with India's External Affairs Minister, signalling the EU's intent to address military and economic concerns in parallel with trade talks.