US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's four-day visit to India last week took place amid lingering tensions stemming from Washington's "America First" approach under President Donald Trump.
Trade frictions between Washington and New Delhi, including tariffs on Indian exports and intense pressure over India's purchase of discounted Russian oil, have contributed to deep economic and political unease in India.
Analysts say these developments have shifted the bilateral relationship from a broadly upward trajectory over the past two decades to a more transactional and contested phase.
Trust is 'deep in the red'
Navtej Sarna, a former Indian ambassador to the US and a retired diplomat, cautioned that a single diplomatic tour cannot paper over a fundamental erosion of trust.
