India–US Hold High-Level Talks Amid Strained Ties Over Trade, Tariffs & Russia

Foreign secretary Vikram Misri, met Tuesday with Allison Hooker, visiting US under-secretary of state for political affairs. Hooker is in India for the regular foreign office consultations between the two countries.

Her visit comes at a time when India-US ties are under considerable strain following Donald Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on Indian exports, and the accusation that India’s purchase of Russian oil is funding the war in Ukraine. Much of this has to do with the bilateral trade negotiations that have hit a sticky patch.

The meeting is a kind of stock taking of bilateral relations and the statements by both sides reflect the depth and extent of relations between India and the US. However, without a shared political and strategic vision much of the good intentions will remain on paper. A bilateral trade agreement where tariffs come down to a reasonable level has to be in place to fulfil the potential of the India-US partnership. The foreign office consultations took place after a successful state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which celebrated the traditional friendship between the two countries and was high on optics.

The two sides discussed key bilateral issues, including trade and investment, defence cooperation, the TRUST initiative, energy cooperation including civil nuclear collaboration, technology, critical minerals, and trusted supply chains,’’ a statement issued by MEA late evening said.

The trade deal and opening of sectors of the Indian agricultural sector, would have been discussed though no details are available. Transforming the Relationship Utilizing Strategic Technology (TRUST) focuses on deepening tech- partnership in critical areas like AI, quantum, biotech, space, and energy, with a major push on strengthening supply chains for critical minerals, that is the driving force for high-tech industry.

TRUST was initiated during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington in February this year. It is an ambitious roadmap to take India-US technological co-operation to the next level.

“The meeting was an opportunity to translate President Trump and Prime Minister Modi’s vision from their February meeting into concrete progress that enhances U.S. security, jobs, and competitiveness, while supporting. India’s long-term goals,’’ a US embassy spokesperson said after the meeting.

“The under-secretary emphasized the United States’ aim to deepen cooperation in defense, energy, technology, space, and trusted supply chains and the value of U.S.-India cooperation that fuels U.S. innovation while supporting India’s rise as a global technology leader,’’ the spokesperson added.

Foreign office consultations also include discussions on regional and global developments. India and the US noted their “shared commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific” a euphemism for containing China’s often aggressive ambitions on the waters of both the Pacific and Indian oceans. So, though QUAD, the grouping of India, US, Australia and Japan may not be on top of the agenda as it was during the first Trump tenure or through Joe Biden’s presidency, QUAD remains in place.

The MEA statement also mentioned, implementation of "Catalyzing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce and Technology (COMPACT) for the 21st Century” to drive transformative cooperation across key pillars of the partnership