WASHINGTON, DC – Mounting tariffs, immigration frictions, and narrative distortions are eroding the India-US relationship at a time of shared geopolitical challenges, Mark Warner, Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus, said.

In an interview, the Democrat from VA, said that the partnership remained central to Washington’s global strategy but had fallen short of expectations. “There is no more important geopolitical relationship that the United States has in the 21st century,” he said, adding that “the state of the US-India relationship at this point is not as good as it should be.”

Warner said India’s geopolitical profile had fundamentally shifted. “For years, people would say, India’s on the verge. On the verge. Well, I think India has arrived now,” he said, noting its significance vis-a-vis China and its evolving strategic autonomy. He credited successive US administrations from Bill Clinton to Donald Trump’s first term for seeking to draw India away from reliance on Russian defense platforms and position it as a counterbalance to Beijing.

However, Warner argued that recent trade actions were reversing gains. He criticized the 50 per cent tariff imposed on India, saying it appeared driven by “Mr. Trump’s ego more than any reason,” and questioned why other nations purchasing Russian oil were not treated similarly. He said such measures risked undermining bipartisan support for the relationship and coincided with attacks on the H-1B visa programme and a lack of progress on a trade agreement with New Delhi, even as India pursued a major deal with the European Union.

Warner warned that punitive actions failed to recognize India’s strategic options. “India has other options,” he said, cautioning that pressure could push New Delhi toward Moscow and Beijing.

At the same time, Warner said inflated US claims about defusing recent India-Pakistan hostilities had aggravated trust issues. He disputed assertions that Washington personally settled the crisis. “Everything that I heard and read from members of the Indian government, from the intelligence community, the American Intelligence Committee… was that this was settled between Pakistan and India,” he said. While acknowledging possible US support, he rejected depictions of direct presidential intervention, calling them “an ego reaction.”

Asked about the severity of the escalation, Warner said it was serious but consistent with past crises triggered by terrorist incidents, noting that communication channels between New Delhi and Islamabad are used for such situations. He warned that overstating America’s role distorted diplomatic reality and contributed to frustration in India. He linked this to the tariff dispute, calling resentment over perceived lack of credit “the only logical explanation.”

Warner also criticized Pakistan’s fixation on India, saying the country “uses India as the reason why Pakistan itself has not succeeded as a nation economically,” whereas India had “moved beyond that competition” as it transitioned into what he described as a first-world power aligned generationally toward the United States.

Despite strains, Warner highlighted stabilizing factors. He pointed to the Senate India Caucus, calling it “the largest bilateral caucus in the Congress,” and said diaspora communities in Virginia and the Washington region remained strong pillars of the relationship. He noted that even Indian Americans who previously supported Trump were now questioning current policy. “Even folks who were supportive of Mr. Trump are now saying, ‘Why does India seem to be picked on more than other nations?’” he said.

Warner concluded with a caution that repairing confidence would take sustained effort. “Trust is broken very easily, and it’s very hard to repair,” he said, stressing the need to prevent short-term disputes from eroding long-term strategic cooperation spanning defense, intelligence, technology and people-to-people ties. (IANS)