India-US ties in the crosswires
The external affairs ministry's response to Trump's latest fusillade against India has two key takeaways: One, New Delhi reserves the right to choose its trade partners and will exercise strategic autonomy to meet its security needs; and two, the West must end its hypocrisy of offering one set of principles for the rest of the world and following another set to meet its own energy imperatives. A year ago, US officials, albeit under a different administration, had assured the Indian side that Russian crude refined in a third country, such as India, is not a 'product of Russia' from a sanctions perspective. For India, Russian energy is a necessity to ensure predictable and affordable costs for Indian consumers amid volatile market conditions. At the same time, members of the EU and the US have retained their energy and other trade ties with Russia under carve-outs from sanctions packages. The EU's latest sanctions, for example, provide exemptions for Canada, Norway, Switzerland, the UK and the US from an import ban on refined products made from Russian oil. Such double standards do not sit well with Trump's sharp remarks about India. Sure, Trump's posturing may be aimed at pressuring India to conclude a trade deal that is to the advantage of the US, but this is no way to treat an important partner. While Washington has taken the moral high ground on Ukraine (one reason Trump has cited for targeting India), it appears unconcerned about Israel's war in Gaza that has claimed more than 60,000 Palestinian lives. Washington will be mistaken to take India for granted at a time when Trump is dining with the Pakistan army chief in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. Such moves may even push New Delhi closer to Moscow, a longstanding and reliable ally.
India-US ties have evolved from the Cold War days, when New Delhi was allied to Moscow and Washington patronised Islamabad, to achieve a relatively balanced relationship based on mutual respect, democratic values, and strategic interests. Trump's short-sighted and transactional approach to diplomacy threatens to disrupt that journey.
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