Modi to Visit UAE, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy on Five-Nation Tour Starting May 15

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a five-nation tour from May 15-20 that includes stops in the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy, India's foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday. Modi is scheduled to visit the UAE on May 15.

There he will meet UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to exchange views on bilateral issues, in particular energy cooperation, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest, the foreign ministry stated.

The European leg of the trip aims to deepen India's trade and investment ties with the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Italy. That portion of the journey follows up on the India-EU trade deal agreed upon earlier this year. The tour announcement arrives as the Middle East crisis drives up global oil prices and strains India's foreign currency reserves.

Higher oil prices are a major risk for net energy importer India, threatening to widen the country's current account deficit, slow growth and stoke inflation. Modi has urged a series of measures including fuel conservation, fewer imports and gold purchases as well as reduced travel. The calls for austerity came as a surge in energy prices takes a toll on the country's foreign exchange buffers.

Indian shares fell on Monday. The rupee endured its sharpest drop in more than a month to end at its weakest closing level on record following Modi's call for austerity measures. A file photo of Narendra Modi addressing the media at parliament in New Delhi was taken on January 29, 2026.

The article was published on May 11, 2026, with reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Barcelona and editing by Alistair Bell. com reported that the tour announcement and market reaction unfolded on the same day.