A leading expert on India-US economic ties in Washington believes that the pressure tactics adopted by the Trump administration on India in recent weeks “do not make a great deal of sense.”
Reacting to White House Senior Advisor Peter Navarro’s recent statement in which he implored that “India needs to be with us, not Russia,” Richard Rossow, the Chair of India and Emerging Asia Economics at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), noted that the current US strategy of singling out India does not help the relationship.
“Long-time supporters of US-India ties would like to see further reductions in India’s cooperation with Russia. But the pressure tactics adopted by President Trump in recent weeks – applying solely to India – do not make a great deal of sense,” he told IANS in Washington.
In the past few days, Navarro has repeatedly targeted India, accusing New Delhi of “profiteering” from the war in Ukraine. The Indian government has strongly rejected the charge, with Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri writing in an article in The Hindu newspaper on Monday that “nothing could be further from the truth.”
Navarro’s critics have suggested his outspoken views are not always aligned with administration policy. But Rossow argued that the trade adviser is not straying far from the president himself. “His statements are not far from the sorts of things we have seen from President Trump. So, his remarks are certainly noted and vetted, but he is a long-time Trump insider,” he noted.
The White House Advisor’s latest statement comes after Prime Minister Modi concluded his visit to China, where he attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit and held bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Rossow downplayed the speculation that India was closing ranks with Russia and China. “I viewed it primarily as a meeting forum rather than an action forum,” he said, adding that Modi’s trip to Tokyo just before the summit had “far more consequential announcements.”
On India-China talks, Rossow welcomed the “steps to reduce tensions”, though he cautioned against a reset in bilateral ties.
“The ceiling for cooperation is probably quite low due to a wide range of deeper tensions on issues like China’s expanded presence in the Indian Ocean, one-sided trade, and the future of Tibetan Buddhism,” he added.
Rossow also addressed the muted response from US lawmakers. “Republicans in Congress seem worried about taking positions contrary to President Trump,” he explained. “As for Democrats, there are perhaps too many concerning things happening, many of which are US domestic issues – and these will always take priority.”
