Former US National Security Advisor Susan Rice has warned that Washington’s approach under President Donald Trump has dealt a serious blow to decades of efforts to strengthen ties with India. Speaking at a Council on Foreign Relations event, Rice described the deterioration in relations as a “huge loss,” noting that India is a proud and independent nation now being nudged closer to Russia and China through its participation in forums such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
Rice argued that both Democratic and Republican administrations had “assiduously” built stronger ties with New Delhi over the past 30 years, only to see that progress undone in a matter of weeks. She linked the strain in relations to the Trump administration’s tariff measures, which were publicly framed as targeting India’s ties with Moscow over the Ukraine conflict but, in her view, were more about personal grievances tied to Trump’s claim of diffusing tensions between India and Pakistan.
Despite these tensions, signs of warmth have recently resurfaced between the two nations. Earlier this week, President Trump phoned Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend birthday greetings on his 75th birthday. Modi responded by calling Trump a friend and expressing support for his initiatives toward resolving the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump later posted on Truth Social celebrating the call, praising Modi’s leadership and thanking him for his backing on efforts to end the war. This outreach suggests a willingness from both sides to steady relations despite the turbulence of recent years.
Still, Rice emphasized that the short-term gestures cannot mask the long-term setback caused by tariff-driven policy. She maintained that the US had, in effect, pushed India to explore stronger alignments with rival powers, jeopardizing one of the most important strategic relationships for Washington in Asia.
