External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, on Tuesday, emphasised that India will be able to work with the president of the United States, whoever he or she will be.

Talking about the upcoming US presidential elections, Jaishankar said that the American system will throw up its verdict, and India is confident that it will work with whosoever’s government it would be.

The EAM was speaking at the launch of Indiaspora’s Impact report in the national capital.

“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,” Jaishankar said.

Further, responding to how he sees the world today, Jaishankar said that today, we are going through an exceptionally difficult period, underscoring 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 said.

He added that it would be a very grim forecast for the next five years.

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.

Further noting the economic challenges worldwide, EAM said that many countries are struggling today.

“The kind of economic challenges which you see in the world, you see more and more countries struggling. You know, their trade is getting difficult, facing foreign exchange shortages, so, you know, disruptions of various kinds,” he said.

Jaishankar continued and mentioned that today, the climate events are also globally causing disruptive consequences.

“What was happening in the Red Sea, climate events which are no longer just news. I mean, they have globally disruptive consequences, and sometimes entire regions of countries being basically made dysfunctional,” he said.