Highlights:
Former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has issued a stark warning about the potential fallout from escalating US-India tensions, urging President Donald Trump to repair relations with New Delhi as a bulwark against China’s growing influence. Her remarks come amid rising strain between Washington and New Delhi after Trump announced a series of steep tariffs and penalties in response to India’s continuing energy trade with Russia.
In an op-ed published Wednesday in Newsweek, Haley emphasized the strategic stakes, stressing that the US “cannot afford to let tariffs and disputes over Russian oil drive a wedge between the world's two largest democracies.” She wrote, “The United States should not lose sight of what matters most: our shared goals. To face China, the United States must have a friend in India.”
US-India tensions escalate over tariffs and Russian oil
The tension reached a boiling point after President Trump imposed a 25 per cent reciprocal tariff on Indian goods, followed by an additional 25 per cent levy as punitive action for India’s ongoing purchase of Russian oil. Trump’s trade actions followed months of diplomatic disagreement, including public disputes over America’s behind-the-scenes role in India-Pakistan ceasefire efforts.
Haley backed the administration’s push to pressure New Delhi, declaring that India’s energy deals are indirectly aiding Moscow’s military campaign in Ukraine. “India's energy purchases are helping to fund Vladimir Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine,” she stated.
However, Haley underscored the dangers of taking too aggressive a stance against an essential partner. "Scuttling 25 years of momentum with the only country that can serve as a counterweight to Chinese dominance in Asia would be a strategic disaster," she said.
Haley urges strategic partnership to counter China
Haley detailed India’s vital place in Washington’s broader security and economic agenda, as the US seeks to decouple critical supply chains from China. “As the United States seeks to shift supply chains away from China, India offers manufacturing capacity ‘at China-like scale’ for industries like textiles, phones and solar panels,” she pointed out.
She also highlighted India’s deepening defense cooperation with Washington and allies such as Israel, saying it makes India a “crucial asset to the free world’s security.” Haley went further, suggesting India’s economic growth could prove even more consequential to global power dynamics than China’s. “In the long run, India’s rise may be the most significant geopolitical development since China’s economic ascent. Simply put, China’s ambitions will have to shrink as India’s power grows,” Haley observed.
Economic and security stakes for both nations
Cautioning against letting present disputes lay the groundwork for long-term rupture, Haley pressed for direct dialogue between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She called upon US leaders to halt the “downward spiral.” “Without action… Beijing would exploit the rift. It would be a massive -- and preventable -- mistake to balloon a trade spat into an enduring rupture.”
Haley closed her appeal by recalling the sentiment expressed by Ronald Reagan to Indira Gandhi in 1982, reminding both governments of the ultimate intent of their partnership. “The United States should not lose sight of what matters most: our shared goals. To face China, the United States must have a friend in India,” she wrote.
