US Ambassador Sergio Gor has his task cut out

US Ambassador-designate to India, Sergio Gor, whose tenure starts tomorrow, faces a long list of challenges on how to get the India-US relationship back on track to resume cooperation in defence, technology, artificial intelligence, semi-conductors, pharmaceutical and critical minerals.

Gor, who will also function as Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs, faces a challenging period.

In October last year, Gor, after being okayed by the US Senate, had travelled to India. He had then said he was “optimistic” about US-India ties and had added the US “values” its relationship with India. However, India-US ties have taken a turn for the worst in the past three months.

Last week, US President Donald Trump approved Bill to impose 500 % tariff on countries buying crude oil from Russia. Even the existing tariff on Indian goods entering the US is challenge for Gor. Trump administration imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods in August 2025, including 25 per cent duty, specifically targeting India’s purchases of Russian crude oil.

Also the India-US face stalled trade deal and repeated claims of Trump having intervened to stop the India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025, have left the diplomatic corps in Delhi flustered. Diplomatic friction was accentuated when US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick recently claimed that the trade agreement could not be finalised because Prime Minister Narendra Modi failed to contact Trump.

The Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal encountered this saying Modi and Trump have spoken eight times over the past year. India’s continued purchase of discounted Russian crude oil remain a flashpoint in bilateral relations. At its peak, Russian oil accounted for nearly 45 per cent of India’s crude imports, this share has declined amid US pressure of sanctions on two Russian oil companies.

The Trump administration’s overhaul of the H-1B visa programme presents another diplomatic challenge. A hefty $ 1,00,000 ( Rs 88 lakh) fee imposed for obtaining an H-1B work visa, is a literal road-block to restrict entry of Indians into the US. It has a cascading effect on students, growth of IT sector and cast a shadow on ties.

The one-time fee H-1B visa fee, announced in Sept last year signifies a US foreign policy re-set, from strategic cooperation to transactional engagement, said an analyst. A hiked visa fee would mean fewer people getting jobs in the US, which in turn would have a negative impact on the $ 38 billion annual remittance, the money Indians earn in the US and send to their families back home.

As many as 4.42 lakh Indians are enrolled as students in the US. Their transition from academics to having a career depends on securing H-1B visas. Trump, has to cater to his MAGA – Make America Great Again — vote-base that’s against any immigration. Gor’s role as Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs creates a fundamental structural challenge. This position gives the image of US “hyphenation” of India and Pakistan — a position Delhi strongly resists.

Trump administration’s warming of relations with Pakistan post-Operation Sindoor has raised red-flags in Delhi.