US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is set to visit India next week as the Joe Biden administration wraps up its four-year term and prepares for the handover of power to the Donald Trump 2.0 administration.
Sullivan has been one of the most influential and key officials in the outgoing US administration. He has played a critical role in managing conflicts across the world — the Russia-Ukraine war, Israel’s war in Gaza and tensions with Iran, and the growing assertiveness of China.
Indian Express (IE) reported that Sullivan is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar besides holding talks with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Monday.
During his visit to Washington DC last week, Jaishankar met Sullivan as well as his likely successor, US Congressman Michael Waltz. This was the first high-level contact with the incoming Trump administration.
Part of Sullivan’s visit will be to ringfence one of the key initiatives launched by the Biden administration, the iCET (US-India initiative for Critical and Emerging Technologies), that has got Doval and Sullivan to lead the conversation cutting across tech and strategic domains, from AI to quantum computing, semiconductors to space. Waltz will likely take over from Sullivan, and the US NSA’s visit is an important step towards strengthening that initiative.
With Beijing making rapid inroads in these sectors, India would want the US to strengthen this initiative — New Delhi wants to be part of the whole supply-chain ecosystem.
Referring to sources IE reported that this will also be Sullivan’s farewell call to PM Modi, and will be an important gesture from the Biden team towards New Delhi about the bipartisan nature of the partnership. (IE)
