Can the U.S.-India Relationship Be Salvaged?

The president would have to backtrack and stop the economic war against India.

Rudra Chauduri explains why India isn’t going to cave to Trump’s absurd demands:

Insiders in the U.S. government have suggested that the current impasse could be mitigated if India made a public statement hinting at a diversification from Russian oil imports. What they overlook is the political and strategic reality that makes such an ask impossible, even if India has already taken, or may yet take, such steps for its own interest. A public statement at this time, especially following Navarro’s public pronouncement of India fueling the Russian war machine, will be seen as bending to American will. Within India, there is no public support to do more with the United States at this time.

The Indian government has every reason to reject U.S. pressure. If Modi gave in to Trump’s extortion, he would be inviting more abuse down the road. Not only would caving to Trump fail to end the threat, but the Indian government can’t let a foreign power dictate how to manage its trade relations with other countries. The fact that the U.S. is publicly demanding that India stop purchasing Russian oil makes it imperative that the Indian government refuse to yield.

The U.S. and India could salvage the situation, but it would require an unlikely climbdown on the U.S. side. The president would have to backtrack and stop the economic war against India. If he doesn’t do that, rapprochement will be extremely difficult.