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Indo-US Relations
The US has returned 657 antiquities collectively valued at nearly USD 14 million to India, saying there is "more work to be done" to return stolen artifacts to the country. The return was announced by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Tuesday. The pieces were recovered following several investigations into trafficking networks, including those related to disgraced art dealer Subhash Kapoor and convicted trafficker Nancy Wiener. The pieces were returned at an event attended by Consul Rajlakshmi Kadam from the Consulate General of India in New York. "The scale of the trafficking networks that targeted cultural heritage in India is massive, as demonstrated by the return of more than 600 pieces today," Bragg said in a statement. "There is unfortunately more work to be done to return stolen artifacts back to India, and I thank our team for their persistent efforts." Consul General of India in New York, Binaya Pradhan, appreciated the sustained cooperation of the Manhattan Dist
India's Ambassador to the US Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Friday met US Energy Secretary Chris Wright and discussed the energy partnership between the two countries. Kwatra received Wright and his wife Liz at the India House here. "Honoured to host @SecretaryWright and Mrs. Wright at India House. Productive conversation on a range of subjects including the India-US energy partnership," Kwatra said in a post on X. The US is keen to cooperate with India on civil nuclear cooperation in addition to other areas, such as coal gasification and US LPG exports. India has increased its energy imports from the US over the past year amid trade pact negotiations with Washington. India is the largest buyer of US coal globally with coking coal contributing 40 per cent of the total 20 million tonnes (mt) of coal imported by New Delhi from the US in FY25. Earlier this week, GAIL (India) Limited flagged off an LNG vessel from a US terminal, signalling deeper India-US cooperation in securing cleaner fuel
Democrat leaders slammed US President Donald Trump for referring to India and some other countries as "hellholes" and accused him of turning the presidency into a reality TV gig by amplifying "racist trash" on social media. "Americans are struggling, and he's busy amplifying racist trash on social media, treating the presidency like a reality TV gig. This is a serious moment. Our country deserves leadership that acts like it," the House Foreign Affairs Committee-Democrats said in a post on X. The remarks came after Trump on Thursday kicked off a row by reposting comments by American radio show host Michael Savage that contained derogatory references to India. Savage had made the comments in the context of a case in the US Supreme Court challenging birthright citizenship. Addressing Vice President JD Vance, Congressman Ro Khanna, in a social media post, asked, "Any comment on the President insulting immigrants from 'China or India or some other hellhole on the planet'. Do you also .
US President Donald Trump once again claimed that India is going to stop buying oil from Russia, emphasising that India is cutting back Russian oil purchases completely while China will cut back very substantially. Talking to reporters onboard Air Force One on his way to Malaysia, on Saturday, Trump said that India is cutting back Russian oil purchases completely. While responding to a question about raising the issue of Russian oil with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting, Trump said he might discuss Russian oil purchases with Xi. I may be discussing it, but you know China, you probably saw it today. China's cutting back very substantially on the purchase of Russian oil, Trump said. Trump is set to meet Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea. The US president and his administration have been claiming for the past few days that India has assured that it will significantly reduce its oil imports from Russia. However,
Strategic experts on Friday discussed the contours of the current India-US relationship, with some saying that it was a moment where the ties are being "tested", while others said one should not get swayed by words like "transactional" being used by many to describe it. The online panel discussion saw participation from members of some of the think-tanks based in Delhi and Washington. The topic was 'Negotiating a Transactional Relationship: India and the US', and the discussion was hosted by Delhi-based Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS). Elizabeth Threlkeld, a Senior Fellow and Director of the South Asia Program at the Stimson Center in Washington, emphasised the broader "momentum and continuity in the relationship" between India and the US. The online event was held nearly a month after the cessation of firing and military action between India and Pakistan after a four-day military conflict. While the US has claimed that it played a role in this cessation, India has asserted
India and the US are planning to negotiate a trade agreement and both countries will focus on increasing market access, reducing import duty and non-tariff barriers, and enhancing supply chain integration, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada said that as on date, reciprocal tariffs have not been imposed by the US on India. "Both countries plan to negotiate a mutually beneficial, multi-sector Bilateral Trade Agreement. Both countries would focus on increasing market access, reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers, and enhancing supply chain integration," he said. The US issued Memorandum on Reciprocal Trade and Tariffs on February 13, wherein the Secretary of Commerce and United States Trade Representative are to take necessary actions to investigate harm to America from any non-reciprocal trade arrangements adopted by trading partners and provide a report with detailed proposed remedies fo