Washington: As India–US relations face a sharp downturn following the Trump administration’s decision to impose a 50% cumulative tariff on Indian goods, former top US officials Jake Sullivan (ex-NSA) and Kurt M. Campbell (ex-Deputy Secretary) have called for restoring the partnership, warning that Washington risks pushing New Delhi closer to rivals China and Russia.
Writing in Foreign Affairs, the duo stressed that the India–US relationship enjoys bipartisan support and has been crucial in deterring Chinese adventurism in the Indo-Pacific. They urged Washington to treat Trump’s tariff moves as a possible prelude to negotiation but cautioned that a prolonged rift could cost the US a key strategic partner.
The article highlighted recent strains caused by tariffs, India’s Russian oil imports, and renewed tensions over Pakistan. Sullivan and Campbell warned that Prime Minister Modi’s engagement with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin at the SCO Summit signalled India’s willingness to diversify alliances if relations with the US worsen.
The former officials urged both nations to move beyond simply restoring ties and instead pursue a deeper strategic alliance, including a ten-year tech-sharing plan in AI, semiconductors, quantum computing, clean energy, telecom, and aerospace. This would build a common technology ecosystem to ensure democracies retain their innovation edge over China.
On Pakistan, they reiterated that US policy must avoid “hyphenating” India and Pakistan, noting that Washington’s strategic interests with New Delhi outweigh its limited objectives in Islamabad.
The call for renewed engagement comes amid a deadlock in India–US trade talks, even as the Trump administration recently signed a trade deal with Pakistan and offered to help develop its oil reserves.
