Focus on India-US relations following midterm election results in America

The Republican Party of Donald Trump has suffered a heavy defeat by the Democrats in the US midterm elections. These results were as expected, although the margin of victory for the Democrats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate was higher than predicted. According to a report by Hindustan Times, New Delhi will now be watching the future relations and direction between the world's two largest democracies.

Recently, India had closely monitored White House tariffs, Pakistan, and MAGA policies. President Trump had sided with Pakistan's Field Marshal Asim Munir and claimed credit for the 'Operation Sindoor' ceasefire between New Delhi and Islamabad. Trump had once called India a "dead economy", although he had praised India's growth story during a TV interview earlier this year.

The Trump administration had threatened India with heavy tariffs for purchasing Russian oil, but before the midterm elections, America itself had entered into a deal to purchase diesel from Russia. Additionally, continuous pressure on H1B visas and Indian student visas had increased the distance between New Delhi and Washington.

The claim of the Operation Sindoor ceasefire became a major cause of friction between the two countries. On May 10, 2025, after 5.30 pm Indian Standard Time, President Trump took credit for this ceasefire via social media. He claimed that he had prevented the war from escalating to a nuclear level. Pakistan praised Trump for this and recommended him for the Nobel Peace Prize, while India maintained that Islamabad had requested a ceasefire amidst Indian attacks.

Facts show that on May 10, 2025, at 9.30 am, Pakistan's DGMO called his Indian counterpart and stated that if the Indian Navy attacked the Karachi port, a retaliatory strike would be launched. Subsequently, on the same day at 3.35 pm, the DGMO requested a ceasefire. After agreeing to the ceasefire, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar instructed Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri to make the announcement immediately after informing the Indian Army Chief. The Army Chief requested time until 5 pm to inform his troops on the battlefield.

During this time, Pakistan had informed Washington about the ceasefire, and President Trump had shared this information on social media before India's announcement. It is noteworthy that during this action taken by India in retaliation for the killing of 26 civilians, primarily Hindu pilgrims, in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, a nuclear dimension never emerged.

Despite calling Prime Minister Modi his "friend", Trump remained in favor of Field Marshal Munir and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and used Islamabad as a mediator for talks with Iran. Furthermore, Washington publicly supported Pakistan's allegation that terrorism against them is spreading from Afghanistan. It was clear for New Delhi that Trump's relations with the Field Marshal were detrimental to Indian interests, as it would lead to the upgradation of American-made aerial platforms of the Pakistani military.

America has helped Pakistan reduce its economic crisis, while reiterating the anti-terrorism line with India. The Quad Summit to be hosted by India in 2025 has not yet taken place. India was held responsible for the Ukraine war for purchasing Russian oil, although New Delhi clarified that it would always act in the interest of its citizens.

India wants both the Ukraine and Iran wars to end and has no desire to be happy about Trump's election defeat. According to the report by Hindustan Times, amidst America's changing political landscape, the responsibility to bring India-US relations back on the right track now lies with Washington.