The United States mishandled its approach to India after Operation Sindoor, revealing a lack of understanding of how to engage with New Delhi, says Max Abrahms, an international security professor and author on terrorist dynamics.

Speaking to ANI, Abrahms said the Trump administration’s conduct left India feeling slighted while Pakistan publicly praised Washington’s role. “Pakistan became very vocally supportive of the US role and recommended a Nobel Prize for Trump, whereas India really chipped at the level of US involvement and especially Trump claiming so much credit,” he noted.

Abrahms argued the administration “doesn’t fully appreciate” India’s global standing. “India feels like it’s not being fully respected and that the Trump administration doesn’t fully appreciate its contributions or regard India as a fully independent country on the world stage,” he said.

He was also sceptical of Trump’s actual role in brokering the ceasefire. “I cannot really say with any level of confidence exactly what the Trump administration’s role was What I do know is that President Trump claimed a lot of personal responsibility for the end of that conflict.”

Abrahms linked the tensions in India-US ties to disagreements over Russian oil imports, suggesting Washington’s issues with New Delhi will hinge partly on Trump’s talks with Vladimir Putin. “In a weird way, that war in Russia is connected to US-India relations because Indian purchasing of Russian oil fuels the war in Ukraine,” he explained.

Highlighting the importance of the Quad alliance — involving the US, India, Japan, and Australia — Abrahms said improved ties were essential to counter China. “The China threat isn’t going away and that is going to require the US to mend relations with allies in the Indo-Pacific region,” he said.

He also warned that the “America First” approach could damage both economic and military relations. “They think America could seal itself off But that’s a dangerous path to go down. It can have a negative effect on the financial system, but also in terms of military ties,” he cautioned.

Abrahms stressed that in a globalized world, US prosperity is linked to India’s. “If something’s bad for the Indian economy, it’s also not good for the US economy It is actually in the US interest for Indian economic growth to continue apace,” he said.

– Ends

With inputs from ANI

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