Highlights:
- Blinken says the US must respect India's right to defend itself and maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward terrorism.
- He describes US relations with India as global in nature, while characterizing ties with Pakistan as regional.
- He calls for US support for India's response to attacks alongside diplomatic efforts to prevent escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
- Blinken highlights emerging technology cooperation between India and the US, including space, quantum technology and artificial intelligence.
- He says Washington understands India's historical relationship with Russia and does not expect New Delhi to end those ties.
The United States must respect India's right to defend itself and maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward terrorism, former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday (14), describing Washington's relationships with New Delhi and Islamabad as "fundamentally different."
"India is a global force," Blinken said, adding that the relationship and shared interests between Washington and New Delhi were "really global in nature."
In contrast, he described the US relationship with Pakistan as "regional." He made the remarks during a conversation with Jawed Ashraf, chairman of the India Trade Promotion Organisation, at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2026 in New Delhi.
"The relations with Pakistan are regional, and there are still going to be important areas where we need to do things with them, particularly, for example, when it comes to counterterrorism, but these are fundamentally different relationships," he said.
"We have to have a zero-tolerance policy for terrorism. Period. And that means that we have to have respect for India's right to defend itself," he added.
Blinken said the US approach should include supporting India's efforts to respond to attacks while also pursuing diplomatic efforts to prevent an escalation between New Delhi and Islamabad, two nuclear-armed neighbors.
He said preventing an escalation was particularly important given the destructive potential of the weapons possessed by both countries.
Reflecting on Washington's past engagement with Islamabad, Blinken said US strategic interests during the Cold War and the war in Afghanistan may have led successive administrations to be less critical of Pakistan's civil-military establishment.
"And there's certainly an opportunity for the United States to do more," he added.
India-US ties have evolved into strategic partnership
On India-US relations, Blinken described the transformation over the past few decades as a shift from estrangement to a strategic partnership, driven by shared interests and strong people-to-people connections.
"We moved from estrangement to a genuine and, in some ways, unique partnership, built on a convergence of strategic interests. Of course, it is also underpinned by the profound people-to-people connections between our societies," he said.
He identified cooperation in emerging technologies as a major area for further collaboration, pointing to opportunities in space, quantum technology and artificial intelligence.
"The next step is tech cooperation, our ability to work in space, tech, quantum, and artificial intelligence," he said.
US understands India's historical ties with Russia
Addressing India's relationship with Russia, Blinken acknowledged the deep historical ties between the two countries and said Washington did not expect New Delhi to end that partnership.
"There will be places where we don't have the same perspectives. For Russia, we understand there is deep history between India and Russia. So, we don't want them to end it," he said.
Blinken served as the 71st US secretary of state from 2021 to 2025 under then-president Joe Biden.
Blinken discusses Trump's foreign policy and West Asia conflicts
Blinken also discussed how the changing global order is affecting the United States, including the influence of domestic political developments and the midterm elections on Washington's international engagement.
He addressed the current Donald Trump administration's approach to global affairs and the broader implications of changes in American politics for the country's relationships with allies and partners.
The conversation also covered conflicts in West Asia, including the ongoing confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran, and the risks it poses to regional stability and international security.
Blinken highlighted the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz and the potential consequences of disruptions to shipping through the waterway, a critical route for global energy supplies.
He stressed the need to prevent a wider regional conflict, emphasizing the role of diplomacy in addressing the crisis and creating a path toward de-escalation.
