The India-US relationship is presently limping back to normalcy following a turbulent few months under President Donald Trump. Efforts are currently underway to finalise a trade deal and source-based reports suggest that India is looking into alternatives for Russian oil. Former foreign secretary Shyam Saran however believes that these changes will not be enough to restore the easy camaraderie between the two countries prior to this year.
“I cannot see our relations with the US – even if we manage to get a trade deal in the aftermath of our reduced purchases of Russian oil – just go back to where they were before the sanctions were put on India. And also the kind of outreach which has been made to Pakistan by President Trump at a time when India-Pakistan relations themselves are under so much tension…For people to think (that) with a trade deal and the oil issue behind us now, relations can go back to where they were before, I do not believe that is going to be the case,” he opined during an interview with The Wire.
Strained India-US ties
Ties between the two countries have deteriorated rapidly under Trump — with India currently facing steep 50% tariffs and several additional curbs. India had also refused to support his efforts to garner a Nobel Peace Prize and repeatedly denied claims that the US President had singlehandedly ‘averted nuclear war’ with neighbouring Pakistan. Continued purchase of Russian oil has also become a major bone of contention with top aides holding New Delhi responsible for the ongoing ‘bloodshed’ in Ukraine — claiming that India was indirectly financing the Russian war and being a “laundromat for the Kremlin”.
Efforts to secure an India-US trade deal had briefly stumbled in August before gaining significant momentum in recent weeks. Reports indicate that an agreement might be reached in November — aiming to more than double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030.
Trump has also insisted over the past few days that Modi told him during a Diwali phone call that India “was not going to buy much oil from Russia”. Similar claims earlier this week had prompted a clarification from the Indian Foreign Ministry which insisted that it was “not aware” of any phone call between the leaders at the time.
