India has seized three sanctioned shipping tankers that were operating off its coast. They were part of the “shadow fleet” fueling Russia’s war against Ukraine. The seizure is a welcome break with India’s long-standing reliance on Russian oil and thus its contributions to Moscow’s war chest. It is a promising development as Washington and New Delhi repair and expand their critical relationship.
On Feb. 6, India’s Coast Guard intercepted and took custody of the three vessels 100 miles northwest of Mumbai, describing them as part of an “international oil-smuggling racket.” They are now docked and under investigation.
The real story should not, however, be merely about the three ships. It is that India is actively working to rebuild its relationship with the United States. This is a very good thing not only for Washington and New Delhi but for the rest of the world, too. Good relations between these two important nations are crucial to a more prosperous and secure 21st century.
The U.S. and India have much in common. Both are huge landmasses with vibrant democracies. Both were once possessions of the British Empire. Perhaps most importantly, both have deep concerns about a rising and aggressive China. In recent decades, U.S.-India ties, particularly in the areas of trade and tech, have grown.
Yet, a formal alliance has failed to develop as one would hope. A close working partnership has yet to emerge. Despite shared interests and objectives, the U.S. and India have often been like two ships passing each other in the night.
Tensions came to a head last summer when the Trump administration, upset that India continued to meet its energy needs by buying oil from Russia in defiance of sanctions, leveled steep tariffs against the subcontinent. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi responded by reaching out to Russia.
In September 2025, New Delhi called its relationship with Moscow “special and privileged.” In December, Modi praised Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “leadership and foresight.” He even called the India-Russian relationship his “North Star.”
This was a bitter development for those who hoped Trump’s second term would secure and better a partnership predicated on security as well as trade.
But India might be switching lodestars.
Trump announced this month that he’s reached an agreement with India and hailed Modi as a “great friend.” Trump announced that the U.S. would significantly reduce tariffs, and, in exchange, Modi had “agreed to stop buying Russian oil, and to buy much more from the United States.” This would “help end the war in Ukraine.”
India seems to be making good on its promise. This could have far-reaching ramifications.
Some have claimed that the seizure of the tankers is a “thaw” or a “reset” for U.S.-India relations, but it could be much more than that.
India’s warmth toward Moscow goes back to the days of the Soviet empire and India’s leadership of the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War. In practice, New Delhi was far closer to Moscow than to Washington.
TRUMP SHOULD STICK TO HIS GUNS ON TAIWAN
If India distances itself from Russia, it would be a real victory for American foreign policy, akin to when Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat left the Soviet sphere for America’s embrace in the 1970s. That victory was made possible by skillful diplomacy and a foreign leader who no longer wanted to be in the orbit of America’s enemies. It was a signal achievement in an otherwise gloomy decade for the West.
India’s seizure of “shadow fleet” tankers provides an opportunity for Washington and New Delhi to chart a new course together. “Prime Minister Modi and I,” Trump told followers on Truth Social in February, “are two people who get things done.” Let’s hope so.