Why strategic partnership with America cannot be one-sided First Post 21 Aug 2025 Maj Gen Harsha Kakar
https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/india-pushes-back-why-strategic-partnership-with-america-cannot-be-one-sided-13926754.html
Why strategic partnership with America cannot be one-sided First Post 21 Aug 2025
White House Trade Advisor Peter Navarro in a strongly worded article in the Financial Times accused India of cozying up to Russia and China. Simultaneously, he accused India of ‘acting as a global clearinghouse for Russian oil, converting embargoed crude into high-value exports while giving Moscow the dollars it needs.’ He went further threatening India, ‘If India wants to be treated as a strategic partner of the US, it needs to start acting like one.’ He attempted to link India’s oil procurement process and funding of the Russian war machinery.
Navarro accused India of selling refined oil to Europe, Africa and Asia. A ban on import of refined oil has just been imposed by the EU and is slated to come into effect from Jan 2026. Till then the same is legal in Europe but not for Navarro. He went on to accuse India of imposing high tariffs on US goods as also trade barriers. Interestingly, there is no mention of China which imports far more crude.
Not placing tariffs on China was partially justified by Marc Rubio, the US Secretary of State, who mentioned, ‘let’s say you were to go after the oil sales of Russian oil to China – well, China just refines that oil. That oil is then sold into the global marketplace, and anyone who’s buying that oil would be paying more for it or, if it doesn’t exist, would have to find an alternative source for it.’ India is doing the same but is an easier target as China could block export of critical minerals to the US, as it did in Apr, in response to Trump’s tariffs.
Commenting on Indo-US defence deals and India’s continuing relationship with Russia and China Navarro mentioned that transferring critical technology and opening arms factories within India runs the risk of technology being passed onto Russia and China as India is close to them. Did he mention whether India shared Russian technology with the US all these years, when India was close to it. He implied that ‘make in India’ was not conducive to reducing trade deficits.
Why should the relationship between India and the US be a one-way street. If the US expects India to be a strategic ally, it should act like one. Placing high tariffs, stalling trade talks, reluctance to understand India’s political constraints, expecting India to buckle to White House demands are not how allies act. What the Trump administration has done is push a building relationship, nurtured by multiple administrations, into the dump, only reinforcing the fact that the US can never be trusted.
The US expects India to degrade its ties with Russia as also stay away from China, while Washington cozies with Pakistan, India’s sworn enemy. It also expects India to back Pakistan’s call for a Nobel award to Trump, when it knows Trump did nothing. Why should all this be done by India, while the US behaves in any manner it so desires, claiming that its relationships with India and Pakistan are at their own levels.
When India claims its ties with Russia and the US are at their own place, it is accused of not being a strategic ally. Putin calling Modi to brief him on Alaska talks indicate the proximity of Indo-Russia relations, which can never be broken under US pressure.
If the US is keen to exploit Pakistan’s minerals, thereby funding its military power, solely aimed at targeting India, its only declared enemy, then why should India stop from obtaining oil from Russia, even if it means funding the war. Allies don’t threaten and target each other; they discuss their differences and act in unison. If the US feels that because of its power it can compel India to bend and grovel, then it is sadly mistaken.
The biggest threat for the US is the Russia-India-China trilateral as also close unison amongst the BRICS, of which all three are members. The trilateral was dead for years but is now being revived because of US actions. India may currently lose the US market, but so will the US lose the Indian market. While defence cooperation may continue, economy and diplomacy will witness a distancing. India will be compelled to change its allies, even if it is not in tune with the US.
Indo-Russia ties are time tested and robust. They have stood despite upheavals and global changes. India displaying neutrality in the Russo-Ukraine conflict is solely because India does not believe that borders should change based on military power. It would set a wrong precedence and India could also be affected. The US pushing for this to garner a Nobel for Trump, ignoring its impact in the long term, displays how low can it stoop to compel a weaker nation like Ukraine to sacrifice land.
Further, trade talks don’t conclude in a day as Trump desires. He may be impatient but such deals need to benefit both nations, not just one. Indo-UK trade talks took three years to conclude. Expecting India to adhere to US demands, without alternatives suiting both is not the solution. Halting talks may be a temporary setback for India; however, the Indian economy will continue to grow, unlike the US economy.
As per Deloitte, the US economy is likely to move into recession in the fourth quarter of this year and continue through 2026. In response to US threats, India may have to consider trade in local currencies, expand its markets, which it has already begun doing, as also strengthen its financial infrastructure. It is bound to be impacted by US tariffs, but has the ability to regain its economy with time. The fact remains that the Indian economy is largely domestic driven and the government is already reducing taxes to boost it.
India will bide its time. The current US administration has to change. The next administration would have its own views. Till then, India will behave maturely, not overly criticize but reduce interaction. US-India ties will witness a slowdown but not an end. The globe’s oldest and largest democracies, which should have been on the same page are now falling apart, solely because one individual believes he can force the world to dance to his tune. Not everyone will, certainly not India.