External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar held high-level talks with counterparts from the 27 European Union (EU) member states in Brussels, where the escalating conflict in West Asia and its implications for global energy security featured prominently. The minister's visit followed the recent India-EU summit and the conclusion of a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and his engagements included meetings with the EU foreign and security policy chief and the European Commission president. Both sides underlined the need for dialogue and diplomacy to de-escalate tensions. Officials noted that global oil and gas prices had risen after actions that significantly disrupted transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping lane between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman that handles roughly 20 per cent of global oil and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). The disruption was described as having clear ripple effects for countries dependent on West Asia for energy procurement, including India, and ministers exchanged assessments of short term supply risks and longer term market stability. Jaishankar set out priorities to capitalise on the momentum from the summit and to deepen strategic ties, calling for the Free Trade Agreement to be fully implemented and for defence industrial collaboration and maritime co-operation to be intensified under the security and defence partnership. He also advocated transforming the India-EU Trade and Technology Council into a more outcome driven forum and encouraged closer alignment between India-EU relations and bilateral ties with member states. European counterparts reportedly reciprocated the emphasis on a shared strategic agenda. Ministers also exchanged views on the situations in Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific and reiterated support for a stable international order and strengthened multilateralism. Bilateral meetings on the margins covered consultations with several member states and reinforced a shared ambition to elevate cooperation to a higher strategic level while maintaining regular consultations on regional matters.