The Republic of India and the United States established diplomatic relations in 1947 following Indian independence. Relations between the two countries have developed in areas including defense, trade, technology, education and energy. The two countries have also cooperated on regional and international issues, while differences have remained over trade, energy policy and other matters.
In early 2026, energy policy became a significant issue in India–United States relations. The United States sought changes to India's purchases of Russian oil, while India considered the economic and logistical implications of changing its sources of crude oil.
The United States and India announced a trade agreement in February 2026. President Donald Trump said that India had agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil and increase imports from the United States and potentially Venezuela, alongside reductions in tariffs on Indian goods. Indian officials said that energy security and diversification remained priorities and that refiners would require time to complete previously arranged Russian oil shipments.
Reuters reported that India's imports of Russian oil had declined in January 2026 amid the trade negotiations, while Indian energy officials indicated that the country was broadening its sources of crude oil.
Background Early engagement and Cold War context India and the United States began engaging with one another soon after India’s independence in 1947, with early cooperation in areas such as food security, education, and institution-building. However, the broader geopolitical dynamics of the Cold War shaped the trajectory of the relationship. In 1955, Pakistan joined the Baghdad Pact, later renamed the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), in which the United States held observer status, resulting in a limited strategic alignment between Washington and Islamabad.
India, prioritizing strategic autonomy and decolonization-era sovereignty, pursued an independent foreign policy and was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961, seeking to avoid formal alignment with either bloc during the Cold War. While India also developed close ties with the Soviet Union during this period, engagement with the United States continued in parallel through diplomacy, development assistance, and people-to-people exchanges. Differences over regional security, including U.S. support for Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, led to periods of strain, but did not sever bilateral ties.
The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked a turning point. India’s economic liberalization and the emergence of a unipolar world created new opportunities for convergence, leading both countries to reassess the relationship in light of shared democratic values and complementary interests.
Expansion into a comprehensive partnership In the twenty-first century, India’s foreign policy has emphasized strategic autonomy while actively engaging major global powers to advance national development and regional stability. This approach aligned with growing U.S. recognition of India as a key partner in Asia and beyond.
Under the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, bilateral relations deepened substantially, with Washington acknowledging India’s core interests and supporting its rise as a responsible global power. Landmark developments included the expansion of bilateral trade and investment, enhanced cooperation on counterterrorism and global security, and U.S. support for India’s greater role in global governance institutions. India’s admission into major multilateral export control regimes, along with U.S. backing for its entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, further underscored growing trust and strategic alignment.
Since 2014, strategic cooperation has accelerated across defense, technology, and regional security. The United States designated India a "Major Defense Partner," reflecting a high degree of confidence and long-term commitment in defense collaboration. Cooperation has also expanded within multilateral and minilateral frameworks such as the Quad and the I2U2 Group, reflecting shared interests in a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific and in addressing global challenges through partnership.
History
Age of Exploration The term "Indian", which has been used as an alternative for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, originated with Christopher Columbus, who, in his search for India, thought that he had arrived in the East Indies. This historical misnomer has persisted over the centuries, shaping cultural perceptions and narratives surrounding Native American identity.
American Revolution, the East India Company, and early America context Prior to the 1770s, Americans admired the expansion of the British Empire, feeling proud to be part of an expansion of British influence around the world. Some Indians (from places such as Bombay and Bengal) were sent to the latter for slavery or indentured servitude. Today, descendants of such East Indian slaves may have a small percent of DNA from Asian ancestors but it likely falls below the detectable levels for today's DNA tests. The American Founding Fathers maintained awareness and admiration of affairs in Mysore in its resistance to London. The American Continental Congress, unable to send a full expedition to the subcontinent, instead encouraged its pirate navy to attack East India Company ships.
The flag of the East India Company is said to have inspired the Continental Union Flag of 1775, ultimately inspiring the current flag of the United States, as both flags were of the same design. Mysorean rockets were also used in the Battle of Baltimore, and are mentioned in "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the United States: And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air.
Under British Raj (1858–1947)
Religious connections
The relationships between India in the days of the British Raj and the United States were thick.Holden Furber, "Historical and Cultural Aspects of Indo-American Relations," Journal of the University of Bombay (1965), Vol. 34 Issue 67/68, pp 95-116. Swami Vivekananda promoted Yoga and Vedanta in the United States at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago, during the World's Fair in 1893. Mark Twain visited India in 1896 and described it in his travelogue Following the Equator with both revulsion and attraction before concluding that India was the only foreign land he dreamed about or longed to see again. Regarding India, Americans learned more from English writer Rudyard Kipling.Isaacs, Scratches on Our Minds: American Views of China and India (1980) p 241 Mahatma Gandhi had an important influence on the philosophy of non-violence promoted by American civil rights movement leader Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1950s.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt In the 1930s and early-1940s, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt voiced strong support to the Indian independence movement despite being allies with Britain.Foster Rhea Dulles, and Gerald E. Ridinger. "The Anti-Colonial Policies of Franklin D. Roosevelt." Political Science Quarterly (1955): 1–18. Kenton J. Clymer, Quest for Freedom: The United States and India's Independence (2013). The first significant immigration from India before 1965 involved Sikh farmers going to California in the early-twentieth century.
Case of Bhagat Singh Thind
United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind was a landmark legal case in the United States that reverberated through issues of immigration, citizenship, and race. In 1920, Bhagat Singh Thind, an Indian Sikh man, applied for naturalization under the Naturalization Act of 1906, which permitted naturalization only for "free white persons" and "persons of African nativity or descent." Thind contended that his high-caste Indian heritage aligned with the scientific definition of "Caucasian," thereby qualifying him for citizenship."Chi, S. & Robinson, E.M. (2012). Voices of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Experience (vol. 1). pp. 341. USA: Greenwood.
The case reached the Supreme Court of the United States in 1923. However, the Court unanimously ruled against Thind, asserting that while he might indeed meet the scientific classification of "Caucasian," the term "white person" in the naturalization laws was construed to apply exclusively to individuals of European descent. This pivotal decision had far-reaching implications, not only for Thind but for countless other South Asians aspiring for US citizenship. It set a legal precedent that explicitly excluded South Asians from being considered "white" for naturalization purposes, effectively prohibiting their path to citizenship.
During World War II
During World War II, India became the main base for the American China Burma India Theater (CBI) in the war against Japan. Tens of thousands of American servicemen arrived, bringing all sorts of advanced technology, and currency; they left in 1945. Serious tension erupted over American demands, led by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, that India be given independence, a proposition Churchill vehemently rejected. For years, Roosevelt encouraged British disengagement from India. The American position was based on an opposition to Europeans having colonies and a practical concern for the outcome of the war, and the expectation of a large American role in a post-independence era. Churchill threatened to resign if Roosevelt continued to push his case, causing Roosevelt to back down. Meanwhile, India became the main American staging base to fly aid to China. During World War II, the Panagarh Airport in Bengal Province of India was used as a supply transport airfield from 1942 to 1945 by the United States Army Air Forces Tenth Air Force and as a repair and maintenance depot for B-24 Liberator heavy bombers by Air Technical Service Command.Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. .
After Independence (1947–1997)
Nehru era The United States under the Truman administration leaned towards favouring India in the late-1940s as a consequence of most US planners seeing India more valuable diplomatically than neighboring Pakistan. However, during the Cold War, Jawaharlal Nehru's policy of neutrality was cumbersome to many American observers. American Ambassador Henry F. Grady told the State Department in December 1947 that he had informed Nehru "that this is a question that cannot be straddled and that India should get on the democratic side immediately". In 1948, Nehru rejected American suggestions for resolving the Kashmir crisis via third party mediation.
Nehru chose United States as the first country to visit abroad as Prime Minister. However, this 1949 tour of the United States was "an undiplomatic disaster" that left bad feelings on both sides.H.W. Brands, Inside the Cold War (1991) p 202–05, quote p 204 Nehru and his top aide V. K. Krishna Menon discussed whether India should "align with United States 'somewhat' and build up our economic and military strength."Sarvepalli Gopal, Jawaharlal Nehru: A Biography. 1947-1956. Volume Two (1979) 2: 59. The Truman administration was quite favorable and indicated it would give Nehru anything he asked for. Nehru refused, and thereby forfeited the chance for a gift of one million tons of wheat. The American Secretary of State Dean Acheson recognized Nehru's potential world role but added that he was "one of the most difficult men with whom I have ever had to deal."Gopal, Nehru 2:60. The American visit had some benefits in that Nehru gained widespread understanding and support for his nation, and he himself gained a much deeper understanding of the American outlook.Rudra Chaudhuri, Forged in crisis: India and the United States since 1947 (2014) pp 25-47.