Last Updated:January 06, 2025, 18:01 IST
US NSA Jake Sullivan said the India-US partnership was the most consequential of the 21st century, underscoring the need for a step-by-step process to build trust.
Jake Sullivan, on his last visit to India as US NSA, met EAM Jaishankar earlier today. (S Jaishankar/X)
Outgoing US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan once again shone the spotlight on the increasing bilateral cooperation between India and the United States, emphasising the need to work step-by-step to build trust and describing the ties between the two countries as the most consequential of the 21st century.
In a major announcement, Sullivan announced that Indian companies would be removed from the list of entities that restricts them access to nuclear tech. Sullivan said it had been two decades since former PM Manmohan Singh signed the Civil Nuclear Deal with then-US President George Bush, but the two countries are yet to realise civil nuclear cooperation.
Hence, the US is finalising the necessary steps to avoid any obstructions, including the removal of Indian companies from the sanctions list. The paperwork for this step is still pending, Sullivan said at an event at IIT Delhi.
A few companies who have been restricted access to nuclear tech by the US include:
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC)Indira Gandhi Atomic Research Centre (IGCAR)Abhar Technologies and Services Private LimitedRMZ LatitudeAgrim Aviation Private LimitedAnalog Technology Limited
With their removal from the entities’ list, these Indian companies can now work with American companies and gain access to nuclear tech for a multitude of purposes including defence.
“This is likely the last trip overseas that I will lead as NSA and I cannot think of a better way to end my tenure in the White House, than visiting India on my final overseas trip to mark the advances that we have made together over the past four years. This is a shared and historic achievement,” he said, expressing hope that America and India will make big strides in technologies and space exploration.
Sullivan On India-US Ties
Lauding India-US ties, Sullivan also highlighted former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s visit to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US to see innovations and businesses in America, which inspired the creation of IIT institutes. He said the US is deeply invested in India’s success.
The outgoing NSA highlighted that the US welcomes more students from India than any other country and is also on course to launch Indian astronauts into space. He also highlighted the iCET initiative between India and the US.
“Over the last four years, we’ve (US and India) joined hands to help halt a pandemic, to bring vaccines to the world. We’ve launched initiatives on jet engines, semiconductors and clean energy and in a few months time we’ll come together to put an Indian astronaut in space. These are remarkable achievements and we made them by harnessing the remarkable innovation of the American and Indian people,” he said.
Sullivan also said the US is boosting cooperation with India in defence and space, by preparing defence systems here and providing support for future Indian missions to the Moon. He exemplified this by pointing that a quarter of iPhones would soon be made in India and Micron’s partnership with Indian companies for semiconductor manufacturing.
‘We Launched IMEC, Got Disrupted By Oct 7 Attack’: US NSA
Sullivan also turned the focus towards the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, an initiative launched during the G20 Summit hosted by India in 2023 that aims to improve connectivity and economic integration between Asia, the Gulf and Europe.
He said the IMEC was launched with the help of India and the United States, but was disrupted due to the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Sullivan said he spoke to the incoming Trump administration and apprised them of the significance of the IMEC initiative and to offer it as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Sullivan On ‘Deep’ Relationship With Ajit Doval
Sullivan lauded the efforts of his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval, whom he met today, saying it was in part his vision that technology and particularly advanced technologies of the future would be a propellant for the US-India relationship. The US NSA also said he shared a “deep and personal relationship” with Doval over the past four years.
“Through this initiative and through so many other things that Ajit and I have had to deal with over the course of the past four years, he and I have developed a deep personal and professional relationship that has played a critical role in ensuring that the US-India partnership has reached that new high level that I talked about before,” he said.
Sullivan also held talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, broadly reviewing the trajectory of India-US global strategic partnership in the last four years under the Biden administration.
