India-US Partnership 'Essential' For New Century, Says Antony Blinken; Backs Strategic Autonomy

Former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday described the India-US partnership as an essential pillar of the new century, while stressing that Washington should not expect New Delhi to simply follow its lead. He also said the US understood India's longstanding ties with Russia.

“I remain absolutely convinced that the relationship, partnership and strategic convergence between the United States and India are essential elements of this new century. It is a relationship that we must continue to pursue and deepen,” Blinken said at the 24th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.

He was speaking in a conversation with Ambassador Javed Ashraf, chairman of the India Trade Promotion Organisation.

From Estrangement To Strategic Partnership

Blinken said India and the US had remained “estranged democracies for 50 years” before ties began to improve over the following 25 years. The shift started towards the end of the Clinton administration and continued under successive Republican and Democratic presidents, he said.

“We moved from estrangement to a genuine and, in some ways, unique partnership, built on a convergence of strategic interests,” he said.

He added that the relationship was also “underpinned by the profound people-to-people connections between our societies.”

Blinken identified nuclear cooperation as the turning point that “flipped the switch” in bilateral ties. He said technology would be central to the next phase of the partnership, citing semiconductors, secure AI supply chains, space and quantum technology.

“All of these things are a glue that will continue to get stronger.”

'India Is Not Simply Going To Follow Washington'

Blinken emphasised that a closer partnership did not mean India would automatically align itself with US positions or initiatives.

“We shouldn’t have an expectation that India is simply going to in some fashion model us or follow and do exactly what Washington thinks needs to be done on any initiative,” he said.

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He said he understood India's emphasis on strategic autonomy, given its history, geography and specific requirements.

“The notion of strategic autonomy I fully understand, because by history, by geography, by particular needs… there are going to be places where we don’t exactly hit the same track. The trick is to continue to build the trust and the mechanisms to manage where those differences are.”

US Understands India's Longstanding Ties With Russia

On India's relationship with Russia, Blinken said Washington was not asking New Delhi to sever its longstanding ties with Moscow.

“We understand there is deep history between India and Russia,” he said.

Instead, the US wanted India to diversify its sources of energy and defence supplies while keeping the door open for continued engagement.

Blinken attributed recent strains in India-US ties to “personalities” as well as differences over tariffs and energy. He also called it “very hypocritical” for Washington to press India over its engagement with Russia while the US itself had waived sanctions on Moscow.

“But I think these pale in comparison to the larger strategic drivers,” he said, pointing to the shared interest in a free and open Indo-Pacific and the growing convergence between the two economies.

Blinken Remains 'Bullish' On India-US Ties

Despite the differences, Blinken said he remained confident about the future of the bilateral relationship, while cautioning that sustaining it would require continued effort from both sides.

“I remain very, very bullish about this unique partnership. But it doesn’t just happen. It takes a lot of hard work. It takes commitment to continue to deepen it, strengthen it, and to manage through the places where we differ.”

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