Modi embarks on five-nation tour amid oil price surge

Narendra Modi is heading out on a five-nation tour that puts India’s most urgent economic worries at the center of foreign policy. The trip, scheduled for May 15 to May 20, will take the prime minister to the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy as New Delhi seeks energy security, trade leverage and diplomatic room to maneuver while global oil prices climb.

The UAE will be the first stop on May 15, and it carries the most immediate weight. The Ministry of External Affairs says Modi and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan are expected to exchange views on energy cooperation, along with regional and international issues of mutual interest. That conversation lands at a sensitive moment for India, which imports large amounts of energy and has already felt the strain of higher oil prices in its currency, inflation outlook and current account balance.

The pressure was visible in markets on Monday, when Indian shares fell and the rupee closed at a record weak level, its sharpest drop in more than a month. Fuel conservation, lower imports, reduced gold buying and less travel have already been urged as the energy shock ripples through the economy. For Modi, the itinerary is as much about cushioning that blow as it is about diplomacy.

The UAE stop also reflects how far that relationship has advanced. India-UAE bilateral trade reached US$100 billion in 2025, according to the ministry, up from US$180 million a year in the 1970s. Modi’s 2015 visit to the UAE was the first by an Indian prime minister in 34 years and helped launch the comprehensive strategic partnership. A January 2026 joint statement, issued during President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to India, showed the two governments were still deepening high-level engagement.

Europe is the other half of the mission. The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy are expected to feature talks on trade and investment, with follow-up on the India-European Union trade deal agreed earlier this year. India and the Netherlands established diplomatic relations in 1947 and maintain strong political, economic and commercial ties. India and Sweden have longstanding relations built on business, investment and research cooperation, while India and Norway maintain a Dialogue on Trade and Investment under the Joint Commission framework.

Italy rounds out a tour that also has a clear commercial target. The ministry says India-Italy bilateral merchandise trade reached €14.25 billion in 2025. Against a backdrop of volatile energy prices and a fragile currency, Modi is using the trip to show that India wants to shape events, not merely absorb them. The message of the tour is that New Delhi intends to act as a broker of deals and stability, even as the global economy remains unsettled.