Former US NSA Jake Sullivan has strongly condemned Donald Trump's management of relations with India and said that losing the relationship with India does "huge strategic harm" to the United States itself.
Talking to the MeidasTouch YouTube channel, the previous National Security Advisor was queried regarding America's trade war with India, along with Trump's frequent assertions of easing tensions between India and Pakistan in the wake of April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. The host also alluded to the Trump family's cryptocurrency businesses with Pakistan and Apple's manufacturing expansion in India.
"I think this is one of the more under-reported stories in Trump's foreign policy, and I'm really glad that you raised it," Sullivan said.
He clarified that Washington has traditionally invested in deepening ties with New Delhi, calling India "the world's largest democracy" and an important partner for tech, economic, and security cooperation, especially against the rise of China. These bipartisan actions had drawn the two countries closer than ever, Sullivan maintained.
"And now, in no small part, I think because of Pakistan's willingness to do business deals with the Trump family, he has thrown the India relationship over the side. That is a huge strategic harm in its own right because a strong US-India relationship serves our interests," Sullivan added. He emphasised that due to this, every other country in the world, Germany, Japan or Canada, will look at the situation and say "that could be us tomorrow".
"And that just reinforces your belief that you've got to hedge against the United States," he cautioned, noting that global faith in America's commitment is weakening.
Sullivan also emphasized the long-term implications: "Our word should be our bond. We should be good for what we say. Our friends should be able to count on us, and that has always been our strength. And what's going on with India today has enormous direct effects. But it also has this reverberating effect to all of our relationships and partnerships around the world."
The criticism follows Trump's increasing relationship with Pakistan's crypto industry. In April, World Liberty Finance (WLF) — a decentralized finance project funded by Trump — entered into deals with the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC) to increase blockchain growth and investment. Trump and his allies are said to own a 60 percent stake in WLF, which was founded in 2024.
A U.S. delegation was in attendance for the signing, among them being Trump's envoy son Zachary Witkoff and WLF co-chairman Steve Witkoff. Two months down the line, it was revealed by the Pakistan army that Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir had also met with Trump in the White House to negotiate trade, economic opportunities, and cryptocurrencies.
President Trump also showed deep interest in establishing a trade relationship of mutual interest with Pakistan based on long-term strategic convergence and common interests," the army added in a statement.
In July, Trump rolled out a trade deal with Islamabad alongside threatening 25 percent tariffs on Indian products. Declaring the deal, he posted on Truth Social: "We have just made a deal with the country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will cooperate on building their huge oil reserves."
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also welcomed the news, thanking Trump for what he termed a "historic" deal and expressing hope that it would increase cooperation between the two countries.
"Our word should be our bond. We should be good for what we say. Our friends should be able to rely on us, and that has always been our strength. And what's happening with India right now has huge direct impacts. But it also has this reverberating impact across all our relationships and partnerships in the world," Sullivan noted.
Read also| 'It's Getting Late': Trump Claims India Has 'Offered To Cut Tariffs To Nothing'
Read also| Putin Wanted to Travel with PM Modi Post-SCO, Spoke for 45 Minutes in Car
