Amid rising tensions between Washington and New Delhi, following US President Trump’s tariff announcement, India is hosting the India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) summit. Ricky Gill, Trump’s top advisor on South Asia, is expected to attend the event next week, advocating for bilateral talks between the nations.

This comes after India’s energy purchases from Russia, despite the ongoing war in Ukraine and Trump’s longstanding criticism of Indian tariffs. In retaliation, a 25% tariff with an additional penalty has been levied on India. Economists believe that this could be a blow to India’s GDP growth if it lasts beyond a quarter.

Who is Ricky Gill?

Senior Director for South and Central Asian Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC), Gill holds meetings with top Indian and European officials. Gill has been a longstanding element in the Trump administration. He has served in the NSC, looking over Russia and European energy issues. Gill has done time in the American State Department as well.

Representing the White House, the NSC is an extremely powerful body that coordinates military, diplomatic and economic functions across several departments and agencies.

Why is Gil visiting India?

Set to attend the India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) summit in New Delhi, Ricky Gill’s visit comes at a crucial time amid Trump’s tariff frenzy. With escalating tensions due to Trump’s trade deal with Pakistan, it fuels a further tiff and raises speculations as to why Trump is lashing out at ‘friend’ PM Modi.

IMEC Summit 2025

The IMEC summit is set to be hosted in Delhi on August 5-6. Diplomats from Europe and West Asia will be present representing their nations. IMEC was launched in India in September 2023, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. A planned economic and trade corridor, the summit gives India’s economy a global stage linking the market to global superpowers like Europe and West Asia. Key signatories of the IMEC include: India, America, the European Union, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, France, Germany, and Italy

In the background, however, remain escalating tensions between the US and India as Trump struck a deal with Pakistan. Currently at a diplomatic war with the latter, Trump pledged to help develop their “massive oil reserves” and slammed India for its “dead economy”. Be it Trump’s anti-BRICS ideology or reportedly “obnoxious” trade barriers, India-US relations are surely asking for repairs.