India-US relations have faced “bumps” over the pace and complexity of trade negotiations, tariff uncertainty and differences over India’s concerns about terrorism originating from Pakistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said in New York on Tuesday.
Speaking at an Asia Society event alongside former US diplomat Daniel Russel, Jaishankar said India’s economic structure had made trade negotiations more complicated than initially anticipated, while changes in the US tariff framework had added uncertainty to the process.
“The relationship has had its bumps, I would say, primarily over the pace and the complexity of the trade negotiations,” Jaishankar said.
He said India’s large base of small producers, farmers and factories meant that any trade agreement had to account for a complex set of domestic interests.
Jaishankar said there was now “more or less an understanding” on the trade agreement, but questioned how changes in US trade policy would affect the negotiations.
“Today, I would say that more or less there is an understanding on the trade agreement. But the question really is what has changed on the US side,” he said.
The minister pointed to changes in the US tariff framework after the country’s reciprocal tariffs were struck down, saying a new process under Section 301 of the US Trade Act was still unfolding.
Jaishankar also flagged terrorism as a key concern for India, particularly attacks that New Delhi has long attributed to Pakistan.
“For us in India, what is particularly important is the issue of terrorism,” he said, adding that India had been subjected to terrorism from a neighbour as part of what he described as a “deliberate, conscious policy” over several decades.
Jaishankar said insufficient understanding of India’s concerns could affect its ties with partner countries.
“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.
“If one of my primary concerns is not fully appreciated by my partner, then clearly there is an impact of that on the relationship,” he added.
Jaishankar also defended India’s longstanding policy of maintaining strategic autonomy and engaging with multiple major powers, saying the international system was moving towards greater multipolarity.
He said there had previously been a view in Washington that India should limit its options and focus primarily on its relationship with the US.
“Today that pretence has dropped,” Jaishankar said, adding that “everybody is openly dealing with everybody else”.
He pointed to Washington’s simultaneous engagement with China, Russia, Ukraine, Asia and Europe as an example of the approach India had long followed.
“Pretty much what people used to say about us, Washington is today practising with a great deal of gusto,” he said.
“So actually, Washington was doing what India had practised,” Jaishankar added.
His comments come as New Delhi and Washington continue to navigate trade negotiations alongside differences over tariffs and their respective approaches to relations with other major powers. The Asia Society Policy Institute has also described trade negotiations and broader geopolitical differences as significant sources of strain in the bilateral relationship.
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