'US must respect India's right to defend itself'

The United States must respect India's right to defend itself and maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorism, former US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Saturday.

Describing Washington's ties with India and Pakistan as "fundamentally different", he said the relationship with New Delhi was global in nature, while engagement with Islamabad was largely regional.

Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2026 in New Delhi, Blinken said India was a major global force and shared broad strategic interests with the US.

"India is a global force," he said, adding that the relationship and shared interests between Washington and New Delhi were "really global in nature".

In contrast, he described the US relationship with Pakistan as "regional", while noting that cooperation with Islamabad remained important in certain areas, particularly counter-terrorism.

"The relations with Pakistan are regional, and there are still going to be important areas where we need to do things with them, particularly, for example, when it comes to counter-terrorism, but these are fundamentally different relationships," he said, PTI reported.

"We have to have a zero-tolerance policy for terrorism. Period. And that means that we have to have respect for India's right to defend itself," he added.

Blinken said Washington's approach should include support for India's efforts to respond to attacks, alongside diplomatic efforts to prevent tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad from escalating.

He said preventing a wider confrontation was particularly important because both countries possess nuclear weapons, which could have devastating consequences if used.

Reflecting on the US's past engagement with Pakistan, Blinken said Washington's strategic interests during the Cold War and the war in Afghanistan may have made successive administrations less critical of Pakistan's civil-military establishment.

"And there's certainly an opportunity for the United States to do more," he added.

On India-US relations, Blinken described the transformation in ties over the past few decades as a shift from estrangement to a strategic partnership. He said the relationship was built on shared strategic interests and strong people-to-people connections.

"We moved from estrangement to a genuine and, in some ways, unique partnership, built on a convergence of strategic interests. Of course, it is also underpinned by the profound people-to-people connections between our societies," he said.

He identified emerging technologies as a key area for future cooperation, pointing to opportunities in space, quantum technology and artificial intelligence.

"The next step is tech cooperation, our ability to work in space, tech, quantum, and artificial intelligence," he said.

On India's relationship with Russia, Blinken acknowledged the deep historical links between the two countries and said Washington did not expect New Delhi to end that partnership.

"There will be places where we don't have the same perspectives. For Russia, we understand there is deep history between India and Russia. So, we don't want them to end it," he said.

Blinken also spoke about the changing global order and its implications for the United States, including how domestic political developments and the midterm elections could shape Washington's international engagement.

He discussed the Donald Trump administration's approach to global affairs and the wider impact of shifts in US politics on its relationships with allies and partners.

The conversation also covered conflicts in West Asia, including the ongoing confrontation involving the US, Israel and Iran, and the risks it poses to regional stability and international security.

Blinken discussed the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global energy supplies, and the consequences of any disruption to shipping through the waterway. 

He stressed the need to prevent a wider regional conflict and highlighted the role of diplomacy in easing tensions.

Blinken served as the 71st US secretary of state from 2021 to 2025 under former president Joe Biden.