Speaking at an event in New York this week, India’s Foreign Affairs Minister S Jaishankar offered a blunt assessment of Washington: It has been an insensitive partner to India’s concerns over “terrorism”; has warmed to its arch-rival Pakistan; and has pursued “self-centered” trade policies that have disproportionately hurt the Global South.
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that → speak → South
That tone marks a new edge in how New Delhi is dealing with US President Donald Trump’s administration in Washington, analysts say, on the back of rising bilateral tensions between the capitals.
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analysts → mark → capitals
For decades, India has dealt with divisive issues with otherwise friendly nations quietly behind the scenes, away from spectacle.
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India → deal → spectacle
That has especially been New Delhi’s approach with Washington, where the relationship has broadly enjoyed wide bipartisan support.
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relationship → enjoy → support
However, after months of tensions, New Delhi is adopting a more openly critical tone towards Washington to address the volatility and uncertainty that Trump brings to the White House.
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Trump → adopt → House
The changing tune in New Delhi also comes at a critical time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who faces mounting domestic pressure and criticism from the opposition for allegedly bowing down to US pressure, time and again.
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who → change → pressure
On Wednesday, Modi held a telephone call with Trump, which the Indian PM called “productive” — a cold and formal depiction far removed from his description of the US president as a “good friend” in previous years.
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PM → hold → years
Chietigj Bajpaee, a senior research fellow for South Asia at the Chatham House think tank, said that Jaishankar’s remarks “offer a frank assessment” on the current state of the India-US relationship.
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remarks → say → relationship
“Clearly, the shine has come off the bilateral relationship after India was initially among the most optimistic about a second Trump term,” he said.
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he → come → term
Jaishankar addressed frictions between India and the US while speaking at an Asia Society event after the UN General Assembly in New York ended on Monday.
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Assembly → address → Monday
“If I stand back and look at the [India-US] relationship, I note that much of the world has had a more difficult relationship with the US,” he said.
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he → stand → US
“I mean that may not be a consolation, but that’s a reality.”
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that → mean → ?
Washington is India’s largest trading partner, with bilateral goods trade reaching $149.1 billion in 2025; but the relationship remains tilted towards India with a $58.4 billion goods surplus.
Jaishankar started by noting: “Countries should not be so self-centred that you’re in your own world and take your decision and say, ‘Well, it was not my intention to make your life difficult’.”
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life → trade → decision
The minister was partly referring to the economic spillover of the wars in Iran and Ukraine, urging that “sound common sense” should ensure that the basic needs of countries were not neglected.
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needs → refer → countries
But then, he referred to the trade negotiations between India and the US, that have so far yielded a roadmap to a deal — but not a deal itself.
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that → refer → deal
“Apart from the per capita gap between India and the United States, the nature of production and the nature of society is very different,” he noted.
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he → note → society
The agricultural sector has been among the most contested points between the two, where India has kept its market largely closed for decades to safeguard its farmers.
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India → contest → farmers
“The expectation that it could rapidly move forward was tested against the ground reality, which was much more complex,” he said, adding that “there is more or less an understanding on the trade agreement.”
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he → move → agreement
At one point, India was among the countries facing the worst tariff rates imposed by Trump.
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India → face → Trump
After the US Supreme Court struck down Trump’s sweeping tariffs in February, his administration swiftly turned to other tools, including a new 10 percent global tariff.
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administration → strike → tariff
Earlier this month, Trump signed a law under which the US can impose up to 100 percent tariffs on countries like India that purchase Russian oil.
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that → sign → oil
Jaishankar pointed to these changes, noting that the negotiations created “bumps last year for the relationship,” and added that once the deal is closed, it “would contribute to a better relationship.”
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it → point → relationship
Ajay Bisaria, a retired diplomat who served as high commissioner to Canada and Pakistan, and as ambassador to Poland, told Al Jazeera that with Washington, in particular, “India has decided to be more public because there has been a lot of public criticism and a sentiment that the US is bullying India and India has been silent.”
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India → serve → India
The new 100 percent tariff on India, due to come into effect in less than a month, “is sort of a deal breaker in the relationship right now,” said Bisaria.
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Bisaria → come → relationship
“If that becomes reality, then all Indian efforts [to reach out to the US] would come under scrutiny.”
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efforts → become → scrutiny
A major rupture emerged in May last year, when New Delhi engaged in a four-day war with its bitter neighbour, Pakistan, after an attack by armed fighters in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 civilians.
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attack → emerge → civilians
New Delhi was upstaged as President Trump announced a ceasefire, claiming that he threatened both countries with economic damage if they didn’t stop fighting.
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they → upstage → damage
For India, any question on Kashmir is strictly bilateral with Pakistan, with no room for so-called third-party intervention.
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question → call → intervention
Nevertheless, Trump has gone on to claim dozens of times that he brokered the crucial ceasefire — as recently as at the UNGA in New York — that halted the war between two nuclear-armed neighbours.
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that → go → neighbours
India took offence to these claims.
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India → take → claims
On the other hand, Pakistan’s leaders cozied up to Trump, showered high praise, and nominated him for a Nobel Peace Prize.
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leaders → cozie → Prize
Since then, the relationship between Islamabad and Washington has bloomed, to New Delhi’s obvious irk.
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relationship → bloom → irk
For India, Jaishankar said, “particularly important is the issue of terrorism.”
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issue → say → terrorism
“As a country, perhaps there are very few countries which have been subjected to the kind of terrorism that we have from a neighbour as part of a deliberate, conscious policy over many, many decades,” Jaishankar said, referring to Pakistan.
“Now, if something which matters so deeply to us, there isn’t enough understanding or appreciation or empathy of that, I think that creates a problem too,” he said, adding that India’s primary concerns are “not fully appreciated” by its partner, the US.
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concerns → be → partner
New Delhi’s changing tone while addressing Washington “is a lesson learnt from its experiences,” said Bisaria, the former diplomat.
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Bisaria → change → experiences
“After the ceasefire issue, the moods changed — and it all became worse.”
Harsh Pant, vice president of the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank, said that “the obsession with Pakistan in the Trump administration without taking India’s sensitivities into account contributed to the sense that, look, we need to start articulating it.
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we → change → it
“When at the top level, you don’t see reciprocity, then calculations change and decisions are taken to bring differences out in the open,” Pant told Al Jazeera, referring to Jaishankar’s comments.
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Pant → see → comments
Indians have been the biggest beneficiaries of the US’s H1B programme which allows hiring of foreign workers with training in specialty fields.
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which → allow → fields
But that has come under fire from Trump, under whose watch Washington has raised barriers and fees for applicants, amid growing criticism of the scheme from supporters of his MAGA movement.
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Washington → come → movement
“For many years, mobility was seen as an economic gain.
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mobility → see → gain
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
