US ties with India, Pakistan different in nature: Antony Blinken at HTLS 2026

Antony Blinken's remarks came against the backdrop of perceived closeness between President Donald Trump's administration and the Pakistani leadership

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Washington's relations with New Delhi and Islamabad are fundamentally different, former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday, calling India a "global force".

Speaking at the 24th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS), Blinken also acknowledged India's right to self-defence in the face of threats by terrorists, while backing diplomatic efforts in the event of an escalation. Follow HT Leadership Summit 2026 LIVE updates

"Our relationship, our interests, the things that we are working on together...the places where we sometimes have differences are really global in nature," he said, in conversation with Amb. Jawed Ashraf, Chairman, ITPO (Indian Trade Promotion Organisation).

At the same time, he said, America's ties with Pakistan is regional. "There are still going to be, you know, important areas where we need to do things with them---for example when it comes to counterterrorism," Blinken, who was the top US diplomatic under President Joe Biden, said.

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His remarks came against the backdrop of perceived closeness between President Donald Trump's administration and the Pakistani leadership. After Trump claimed he brokered a ceasefire between India and Pakistan after four days of fighting in May 2025, Islamabad backed Trump for the Nobel peace prize. New Delhi maintained Islamabad requested the ceasefire, overwhelmed by an Indian offensive.