India, June 23 -- As Trump's transactional approach to foreign policy reshapes Washington's priorities, New Delhi finds itself walking a diplomatic tightrope: preserving a vital partnership with the United States while safeguarding its own strategic autonomy and regional interests

Anticipation ran high ahead of the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the recent G-7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains, France. The encounter marked their first bilateral engagement since February 2025 - a 16-month hiatus that underscored the growing friction in India-US ties.

While New Delhi subsequently sought to dismiss the prolonged gap as "nothing unusual", the reality is quite different. Following the meet...