(Jan 12): US and India are close partners and will resolve their differences, including over a long delayed trade deal, said Sergio Gor, the new US ambassador to India appointed by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Officials from the two nations are scheduled to talk about the deal in a call on Tuesday, he added. India was among the first countries expected to sign a pact with Washington last year but both sides have yet to agree on outstanding issues.
“Real friends can disagree but always resolve their differences in the end,” Gor said in an address to mark his first day in office on Monday at the US Embassy in New Delhi. “Both sides continue to actively engage. In fact, the next call on trade will occur tomorrow. Remember India is the world’s largest nation so it’s not an easy task to get this across the finish line but we are determined to get there.”
The remarks come as the US and India navigate a sharp downturn in relations during Trump’s second presidency. Washington has targeted India with tariffs of 50% — among the highest in the world — partly over its purchases of Russian oil. India remains one of the last major economies without a trade deal with the US despite months of negotiations and multiple phone calls between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Ties also soured following India’s clash with Pakistan last May. Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for brokering an end to the conflict, angering officials in New Delhi, who have denied the claim. New Delhi is also miffed by comments from US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s last week suggesting the trade deal failed to materialise as Modi did not call the president to seal the pact.
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“I can attest that his friendship with Prime Minister Modi is real,” Gor said in the speech which was delivered at the steps of the embassy before a large crowd of mission staff. “US and India are bound not just by shared interest but by relationship anchored at the highest levels.”
Gor’s arrival places a top Trump aide in charge of US affairs in India. Though he has limited experience of the country, he previously led the White House Presidential Personnel Office, overseeing the hiring of thousands of officials across the Trump administration.
The incoming envoy vowed to deepen engagement between the two countries. New Delhi will be invited to join Trump’s “Pax Silica,” an alliance including Japan, South Korea, UK and Israel, aimed at securing chip supply chains and cooperation on AI.
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“Today, I am pleased to announce that India will be invited to join this group of nations as a full member next month,” he said. “Pax Silica is a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure, prosperous and innovation driven silicon supply chain - from critical minerals, energy inputs to advanced manufacturing semiconductors, AI development and logistics.”
Team Trump has taken government equity stakes in raw materials companies and chip makers. It’s directing investments in rare earths projects and data centres around the world and has made national security a tradeable asset by using export licenses for chips as diplomatic carrots while demanding a share of the spoils. It’s also trying to make sure no US state can get in the way of Washington and regulate AI.
Gor succeeds former Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti, who was national co-chair of former President Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign.
Uploaded by Evelyn Chan
