India open to compromising approach with Trump, EAM S Jaishankar says

India is prepared for a compromising approach while engaging with the incoming administration of Donald Trump to maintain its ties with the US, the South Asian nation’s foreign minister said.

Relations between the two major economies would require some “give and take,” Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister, said at an event in New Delhi on Monday. He acknowledged that under the Trump administration, global affairs could become more dynamic, with “a degree of unpredictability” likely shaping the future of international relations.

The minister’s comments are the first public indication of how the world’s most populous nation intends to negotiate with Trump’s incoming administration, which has threatened a 100% tariff on the BRICS countries — comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — if they abandoned the dollar for international trade.


Over the past two decades, US-India relations have strengthened, buoyed by growing tensions between the US and China. Washington has increasingly viewed India as a strategic partner in counterbalancing China’s rise, especially in the Indo-Pacific region.

Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden agreed to enhance the partnership, including sharing advanced technology to bolster India’s manufacturing sector. Jaishankar expressed confidence that US-India relations will continue to evolve under Trump, with more opportunities for “collaborative” ventures.

“A lot of what lies ahead would be in fashioning terms of engagement that are perceived as mutually beneficial,” said Jaishankar. “The more that India can bring to the table, the stronger our appeal.”