India’s relationship with the United States cannot move steadily forward if Washington does not fully appreciate New Delhi’s concerns over cross-border terrorism, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said while assessing bilateral ties amid renewed US engagement with Pakistan.
Taking part in a session hosted by the Asia Society in New York, Jaishankar said terrorism remained one of India’s most consequential concerns and that a lack of understanding from a key partner could have a direct bearing on the relationship.
“What for us in India is particularly important is the issue of terrorism,” Jaishankar said, adding that India had faced terrorism from a neighbouring country as part of what he described as a “deliberate, conscious policy” over several decades.
“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.”
His comments come against the backdrop of a complicated phase in India-US ties, marked by disagreements over tariffs and trade, India’s purchases of Russian energy and Washington’s renewed outreach to Islamabad.
The Pakistan factor has acquired particular salience since the Trump administration returned to office in January 2025. US President Donald Trump has repeatedly spoken of his role in halting the India-Pakistan military confrontation following India’s Operation Sindoor last May, a claim New Delhi has consistently rejected, maintaining that the cessation of hostilities was reached bilaterally after a call initiated by Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO).
“We would certainly hope for and expect the relationship to move on an upward trajectory,” he said. “But I have to be real about the issues that we confront, and to the extent we are able to move ahead on some of these issues, I think we’ll have a better relationship.”
Jaishankar also described India-China relations as significantly improved compared with the period immediately following the 2020 border standoff.
“If you asked me, compared to where you were in 2025, is the relationship better today? I would say yes. Compared to 2024, even more so,” he said. He attributed the improvement primarily to the easing of tensions along the border, arguing that the relationship could not return to normal while the border remained unsettled.
“We came down to a very fundamental principle, which is that the state of the border determines the state of the relationship,” he said. “You can’t have tension... on the border and say the relationship should be normal.”
Jaishankar said the restoration of official contacts, visas and flights following the resolution of the standoff had helped create conditions for broader engagement.
Jaishankar said the international system was moving visibly towards greater multipolarity, driven partly by changing US foreign policy and the growing weight of China.
Referring to the recent Trump-Xi meeting, he cautioned against viewing the US-China relationship as capable of resolving wider global questions.
“There are limits to what the two of them can agree upon vis-a-vis the rest of the world,” he said. For other countries, he argued, the response was increasingly one of diversification and risk reduction.
“Each one of us is looking for our optimal solutions. How do we de-risk? How do we diversify? Which are the new partners?” Jaishankar said.
