Ashley Tellis, a top expert on India-US relations and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, has high praise for how India handled recent tensions with the United States. He says New Delhi gets the big picture when it comes to the stakes in this key partnership.
In a recent interview on the “Grand Tamasha” podcast with host Milan Vaishnav, Tellis explained that India didn’t want to risk anything as ties with Washington hit rough patches. Despite widespread public backlash against President Donald Trump and the US overall, Indian leaders stayed cool and calculated. “The Indian government understands fully well the stakes in the relationship with the United States, and they were not willing to leave anything to chance,” Tellis said. “Even though there was a national chorus of disapproval, the Indian government did nothing to bait that sentiment. I see that as part of a very calculated nature of the Indian reaction.”
Tellis, who once advised the US ambassador in New Delhi and served as a special assistant to President George W. Bush, remains optimistic. He points out that India has kept communication lines open and engaged respectfully to tackle issues like trade and Russian oil imports. “India has been nothing but responsible, and they’re making an effort,” he noted. “I’m hoping that in the weeks to come, we’ll see the early fruit of that effort.”
Tellis even calls India’s recent offers on trade and energy a clear “win” for Trump. “The fact that India has moved so far on issues like it has never done before, to my mind, is a win for President Trump, and he should pocket it at some point,” he advised. “Be gracious enough to accept it.”
These comments come amid active India-US trade talks. On Monday, India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in New York to push forward the first part of a potential trade agreement. Sources say the talks zeroed in on tough sticking points, with both sides optimistic about an interim deal soon.
This follows discussions last week in Delhi between US Assistant Trade Representative for South and Central Asia Brendan Lynch and India’s chief trade negotiator Rajesh Agrawal.
Goyal highlighted exciting opportunities in India-US energy cooperation during a speech on Tuesday. He talked up expanding energy trade, teaming up on nuclear power as a clean and affordable option, and boosting start-ups in renewables.
Echoing that enthusiasm, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright called India an “awesome ally” in a statement on Wednesday. “I’m a huge fan of India. We love India,” he said. Wright pointed to India’s role as the world’s largest democracy and a fast-growing economy with rising energy needs as people build better lives. He pushed for even deeper ties in energy to meet that demand.
As bilateral tensions ease, experts like Tellis see a bright path ahead for stronger India-US relations in trade, energy, and beyond.
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