​Home and abroad: on the Prime Minister’s five-nation diplomatic tour

What Happened

• The Prime Minister concluded a five-nation tour spanning the UAE, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Italy between May 15–20, 2026, with energy security and the green transition as the dominant cross-cutting themes.
• The visit was triggered in part by the partial blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran since late February 2026, affecting approximately half of India's crude oil supply routes.
• In the UAE, India and the UAE agreed to a strategic defence partnership framework and signed pacts on strategic petroleum reserves and LPG supplies; the UAE accelerated construction of a pipeline to Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman as a Hormuz bypass.
• In the Netherlands, discussions covered semiconductor technology cooperation; in Sweden, round tables focused on batteries, wind energy, green hydrogen, and industrial investment; in Norway, cooperation on sovereign capital, maritime technology, the blue economy, and critical minerals was advanced.
• The Italy leg centred on connectivity, specifically the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which Italy is a signatory of.
• The tour signals India's strategy of "multi-directional energy hedging" — simultaneously securing Gulf hydrocarbon supplies, building European clean-energy partnerships, and advancing connectivity infrastructure.

Static Topic Bridges

India's Energy Security: Structure and Vulnerabilities

India is the world's third-largest oil consumer (approximately 5.5 million barrels per day) and fourth-largest LNG importer. It imports approximately 85% of its crude oil requirements. Historically, the Persian Gulf region has supplied over 60% of India's crude imports, with roughly 50% of that transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait — a chokepoint between Oman and Iran — is approximately 34 km wide at its narrowest and carries approximately 20% of global petroleum trade. Any sustained disruption directly affects India's import costs, forex outflows, and downstream fuel prices. India has responded by: (1) diversifying suppliers (Russia, USA, Africa); (2) building strategic petroleum reserves; and (3) accelerating the domestic renewable energy transition to reduce long-run oil dependence.

Strait of Hormuz and India's Geopolitical Energy Exposure

The Strait of Hormuz is the world's most strategically significant oil chokepoint, connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It is bordered by Iran to the north and Oman and the UAE to the south. Historically, Iran has periodically threatened to close the Strait during geopolitical tensions with the US or Gulf states. A sustained closure would force oil tankers to use longer alternative routes — such as via the Cape of Good Hope — significantly raising shipping costs and transit times. The UAE has partially mitigated this risk by constructing the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP) to the Fujairah terminal on the Gulf of Oman, bypassing the Strait for Abu Dhabi's production.

India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC)

IMEC was announced at the G20 Summit in New Delhi on September 9, 2023. It is a multimodal connectivity initiative linking Indian ports to the UAE by sea, then via rail through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Israel to the Haifa port, and onward to Greece, Italy, and Europe. Signatories include India, the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, France, Germany, Italy, and the EU. IMEC is structured around three pillars: transportation (integrated rail and maritime), energy (cross-border energy and electricity infrastructure), and digital (new fibre-optic cables). It is positioned as a strategic alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and is projected to reduce India-Europe transit times by approximately 40% compared to the Suez Canal route. The Gaza conflict and West Asia instability have slowed early implementation.

India's Green Energy Transition: International Technology Partnerships

India's National Hydrogen Mission (launched August 2021) targets production of 5 million metric tonnes (MMT) of green hydrogen per year by 2030, with an export ambition to become a global hub. The National Green Hydrogen Mission (approved January 2023) has a budget outlay of ₹19,744 crore. The Norway and Sweden legs of the five-nation tour specifically targeted partnerships in: offshore wind energy (Norway has deep expertise in offshore wind and maritime technology), battery and energy storage technology (Sweden hosts leading industrial players), and green hydrogen infrastructure. India's renewable energy capacity has crossed 200 GW (solar + wind combined), and the target is 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030.

Key Facts & Data

• Five nations visited: UAE, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Italy (May 15–20, 2026).
• Strait of Hormuz: carries approximately 20% of global petroleum trade.
• India's crude oil import dependence: approximately 85% of consumption.
• India's Strategic Petroleum Reserves (SPR) capacity: approximately 5.33 MMT (equivalent to ~9.5 days of net imports).
• IMEC announced: September 9, 2023, G20 New Delhi.
• IMEC projected to reduce India-Europe transit time by ~40% vs. Suez Canal.
• National Green Hydrogen Mission budget: ₹19,744 crore (approved January 2023).
• Green hydrogen production target: 5 MMT per year by 2030.
• India's 2030 renewable energy target: 500 GW non-fossil fuel capacity (NDC).
• India's crude import bill (FY 2023-24): approximately USD 132 billion.