Sergio Gor, a close ally of President Trump, began his role as the United States ambassador to India on Monday, promising to help resolve differences that have badly strained ties between the two nations.
“Real friends can disagree, but always resolve their differences in the end,” Mr. Gor said in a speech to hundreds of embassy staff members, emphasizing Mr. Trump’s “great friendship” with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Such sentiments may have rung hollow to Indian officials, who in recent months have been trying to rebuild the bilateral relationship after a series of blows by Mr. Trump that has left them confused about American objectives. Mr. Modi, who enjoyed a close bond with Mr. Trump during the U.S. president’s first term, has been left reeling from punishingly high tariffs and constant public jabs from Mr. Trump and his aides.
India’s diplomats have struggled to find a working relationship with the new U.S. administration and negotiations over a bilateral trade deal that could bring New Delhi some relief have carried on without a resolution in sight. The tensions threaten to unravel two decades of painstaking diplomatic work across Democratic and Republican administrations to bring a skeptical India closer to the United States, in part as a counterweight to an aggressive China.
In an upbeat speech, his first since arriving in New Delhi, Mr. Gor said the trade negotiations were continuing and that the two sides were expected to have another meeting on Tuesday. He said India would be invited to join Pax Silica, a U.S. initiative to build supply chains for artificial intelligence and other advanced technology, and described the countries’ ties as “the most consequential global partnership of this century.”
