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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know Cover Story News India Times (February 7, 2026 - February 13, 2026) February 13, 2026 7 buys. On Monday, officials in New Delhi were taken by surprise when Trump posted about the deal on social media. Many senior bureaucrats in the foreign and commerce ministries, even those who had been directly involved in the trade negotiations, were oblivious that a call had been scheduled between the leaders that day. Some were unable to confirm key details related to the tariff announcement when contacted by reporters late in the day. Behind the scenes, though, New Delhi had been working to get rela- tions gradually back on track. Doval’s meeting with Rubio in September was a signal toWashing- ton that it sees the US as a long-term strategic part- ner and couldn’t afford to allow ties to deteriorate further. The prevailing view in New Delhi was that India needed US capital, technology and military cooperation to deter China and meet Modi’s goals of making the South Asian nation a developed economy by 2047. Trump was just a blip over that time frame, officials in New Delhi said, and India needs to stay focused on do- ing what’s best over the long term. “New Delhi was never going to sever relations withWashington follow- ing last year’s downturn in bilateral relations,” said Chietigj Bajpaee, a senior research fellow for South Asia at Chatham House. “India-US relations remain ‘sticky’ given the plethora of institutionalized and people-to-people linkages between both countries.” “That being said,” he added, “the irrational exuberance that marked New Delhi’s earlier assessments of the bilat- eral relationship have faded.” Relations had spiraled downward ever since Trump claimed credit in May for resolving a four-day clash between India and neighboring Pakistan, a boast that Modi vehemently rejected. In a tense call between the two leaders in June, Modi declined Trump’s request to come to theWhite House, where the US president was hosting Pakistan’s army chief at the time. In October, Modi skipped a summit in Malaysia to avoid a possibly awkward meeting with Trump. The arrival of new US Ambassador Sergio Gor to New Delhi in Decem- ber appeared to kick off more serious efforts to get relations back on an even keel. Gor, a former seniorWhite House official and longtime member of Trump’s inner circle who is also close to Rubio, has repeatedly underscored the importance of US-India ties. In his first public speech in his new role, Gor cast the tensions between the two countries as disagreements among “real friends,” which he said both sides were sure to resolve. He also announced India would be invited to join a US-led alliance, called Pax Silica, to strengthen supply chains. A further thaw in ties was evident during a meeting between Gor and Ex- ternal Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar last week, according to peo- ple familiar with the matter. Gor said in a social-media post that the two sides discussed “everything from defense, trade, critical minerals, and working toward our common interests,” adding: “Stay tuned for much more!” Jaishankar is currently in the US, where he’s held talks with Rubio on trade and supply chains. “This appears to conclude a difficult six-month period for US-India rela- tions,” said Alexander Slater, former India head of the US-India Business Council. “It also adds to recent signals about where India’s economic future is likely headed” and “removes a key impediment to what had been India’s gradual but steady alignment with the West.” Despite the rapprochement, India has reason to proceed cautiously with Trump, and is keen to assert its stra- tegic autonomy. Modi’s viral moment with Xi and Putin, clasping hands and chuckling together, was meant to show Trump that it has other options, offi- cials in New Delhi said. Modi rolled out the red carpet for Putin in December, showcasing ties with a country that re- mains an important source of weapons and diplomatic support dating back to the ColdWar. Last week, Modi clinched a free trade pact with the European Union after almost two decades of talks, com- ing just months after India’s trade deal with the UK – deals that showed India was serious about diversifying its trade relationships in the face of the impasse with the US, accord- ing to an official aware of the details. Later this month, Modi will host Canada’s Mark Car- ney and Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in New Delhi, further using Trump’s new world order to forge closer economic and political ties with so-called “middle power” countries. Still, the US remains a crucial partner for India, both as a market and as a source of invest- ment. The nation ships about a fifth of its exports to the US, a large share of which are mobile phones and electronic goods, sectors that are key to Modi’s manufacturing ambitions. US compa- nies lined up big investment pledges in India in recent months, especially in AI, including a combined pledge of $52 billion by Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp. in December. Alphabet Inc.’s Google announced $15 billion of investment in data centers in October. India is also becoming more im- portant for the US financial industry. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. has its biggest office outside of NewYork in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru, where it provides sophisticated IT and financial technology support to clients around the world. “The larger geopolitical factors or strategic factors that bind Indian and the US together are still in place,” said Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endow- ment for International Peace. “India requires a great amount of capital, of investment, of technology transfer, investments. So the US is critical.” (This article appeared in TheWashington Post/Bloomberg syndicated service Feb. 5, 2026). Modi Adopted Strong Line To Clinch US Trade Deal; Sent Message Of India’s Resilience Through Doval Emerging US-India Trade Deal Gets Positive Feedback. Ambassador Gor Sees “Limitless Potential!” President had threatened another rate rise. New Delhi has over the last year been reduc- ing its purchases of Russian oil, particularly after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions on such purchases by different coun- tries. “Recently India has begun to slow its purchas- es from Russia, the Reuters report said, noting, “In January, they were around 1.2 million barrels per day, and are projected to decline to about 1 million bpd in February and 800,000 bpd in March.” Reactions “This agreement is a great relief for India and good news for the United States. The reduction of tariffs to 18 percent is most welcome relief to India and its economy. And at the same time, US can see its exports with India increase,” said Padma Shri recipient Dr. Sudhir Parikh, chairman of ParikhWorldwide Media/ITV Gold. “Hopefully the Ts will be crossed and the Is will be dotted soon between these two great democracies with the arrival of India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar,” he added. “It’s a big breakthrough. It happened because the two leaders spoke. But also, a lot of credit must go to newly appointed Ambassador Sergio Gor to India. He has the ear of the President, and this agreement comes within a month of his reaching India,” said M.R. Rangaswami, founder of IndiaSpora, an advocacy organization based in California. “We are very excited that everything seems to be back to normal and we can move forward.” The US India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) welcomed the agreement, saying, “The reduction of India’s reciprocal tariff from 25% to 18%marks an important and positive first step. While the agreement’s specifics are pending, to- day’s announcement signals strong political will on both sides to move toward a comprehensive U.S.–India Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) that addresses tariffs, market access, non-tariff barri- ers, and other trade-related issues across a wide range of sectors.” Describing it as a “constructive” momentum the USISPF expressed optimism about the future, and committed to helping expand bilateral trade to the $500 billion target. Wendy Cutler, senior vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute, called the announcement of the trade deal, as still “light on details.” “|The announcement is certainly a relief to our Indian partners, who have faced some of the highest tariff rates of any partner,” said Cutler who is the former Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative. “It will help clear the pathway for the U.S. and India to work cooperatively on other pressing matters concerning critical miner- als, technology cooperation, and supply chain resiliency.” Reducing the U.S. reciprocal tariff for India to 18%, gives Indian exporters “a slight edge in the U.S. market over its ASEAN competitors who have secured 19-20% tariffs,” Cutler pointed out. PHOTO:PRAKASH SINGH/BLOOMBERG Narendra Modi with the European Council’s Antonio Costa and the European Commission’s Ursula von der Leyen in New Delhi on Jan. 27. - Continued From Page 6 - Continued From Page 6