Relationship dossier
India
United States
Relationship assessment
A substantial strategic partnership, tempered by differences over defense ties, trade, and policy priorities.
India toward United States
+45India has pursued civil nuclear cooperation with the United States and signed defense agreements including LEMOA, COMCASA, and BECA. It also cooperates with the United States through the Quad and other security initiatives, while maintaining an independent foreign policy and defense ties with Russia.
United States toward India
+50The United States has supported civil nuclear cooperation with India and concluded major defense agreements, including LEMOA, COMCASA, and BECA. It has expanded defense and security cooperation with India, while raising concerns about India’s Russian arms purchases and periodically imposing trade measures or criticizing Indian policies.
Overall relationship
+45The bilateral relationship is a durable strategic partnership built on civil nuclear cooperation, defense agreements, and growing security coordination. It is not a formal alliance, and disagreements over trade, India’s ties with Russia, and policy priorities limit its closeness.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
India and the United States have developed a substantial strategic partnership, including civil nuclear cooperation, defense agreements, and expanding security coordination. Their governments also maintain important differences over India’s defense ties with Russia, trade policy, and aspects of human-rights policy. Cooperation is durable but does not amount to a formal alliance, and India continues to emphasize strategic autonomy.
Areas of tension
- India’s purchase of Russian defense systems and broader defense relationship with Russia
- Trade disputes, including tariffs and market-access disagreements
- Differences over human-rights concerns and domestic policy
- Different approaches to strategic autonomy and alignment
Key developments
The United States and India signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement.
The countries signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).
The countries signed the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA).
The countries signed the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) for geospatial cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The long-term scope of defense technology sharing and implementation of bilateral agreements may evolve.
- The effects of disagreements over trade, human-rights policy, and India’s ties with Russia on future cooperation remain uncertain.