India, US reaffirm commitment to enhancing cooperation amid tensions

Amid tensions between India and the US over tariffs and claims of mediation, senior officials of the two countries held virtual consultations at which they “advanced bilateral initiatives” and discussed trade, the State Department said on Tuesday. The US readout of the virtual U.S.-India 2+2 Intersessional Dialogue held on Monday sounded a positive note for the future of India-US relations in contrast to the harsh statements from US President Trump, his Vice President J.D. Vance, and officials dealing with trade. A readout issued by the External Affairs Ministry also echoed the US statement. The officials expressed their countries’ “eagerness to continue enhancing the breadth and depth of the bilateral relationship in a manner that benefits the people of America and India,” the statements said.

They "advanced bilateral initiatives, discussed regional security developments, and exchanged perspectives on a number of shared strategic priorities,” the statements said. Trade and investment, energy security, including strengthening civil-nuclear cooperation, critical minerals exploration, counternarcotics and counterterrorism cooperation, and more were discussed, the readouts added. The readouts of the meeting reaffirming cooperation came after the US Department of Homeland Security released a draft notice that India would be hit with punitive tariffs of 25 per cent on Wednesday, in addition to the 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs announced earlier. External Affairs Additional Secretary Nagaraj Naidu Kakanur and Defence Joint Secretary Vishwesh Negi co-chaired the meeting along with Bethany Morrison, the senior official of the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, and Jedidiah P Royal, the acting assistant defence secretary for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs.

The intersessional dialogue is held between the 2+2 ministerial meetings to take stock of the ties and to chart the course till the next high-level meeting. The last 2+2 Ministerial was held last November in New Delhi between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin. Jaishankar and the Trump administration’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio have held meetings. The two countries also reaffirmed their commitment to the Quad, the group of India, the US, Australia and Japan that focuses on the Indo-Pacific, and to the burgeoning defence cooperation. The statements released separately in Washington and New Delhi said, “Both sides looked forward to increasing defence cooperation, including signing a new ten-year Framework for the US-India Major Defence Partnership, as well as advancing defence industrial, science, and technology cooperation; operational coordination; regional cooperation; and information-sharing". They “agreed to build upon the progress made in these areas under the auspices of the U.S.-India COMPACT (Catalysing Opportunities for Military Partnership, Accelerated Commerce & Technology) for the 21st Century and beyond,” the statements said. Trump has repeatedly harped on his claim that he mediated an end to the Operation Sindoor conflict by using trade as a lever – a claim that India refutes. He has also had harsh words for the Indian economy.