Republican 2024 presidential aspirant Nikki Haley's comments on India's relationship with the US created quite a flutter. While she underlined India's willingness to partner, an alarm bell on the lack of trust in American leadership was also sounded.

Speaking on Fox Business News, Haley stressed that the trust deficit is visible in India's recent strategic moves, especially the military partnership with Russia. While she made it clear that India has more of an appetite for ties with the US in comparison to Russia, she said that perceived weakness in American leadership might be pushing them into closer ties with Moscow.

In response, Haley expressed that the United States needs to take strong leadership to rebuild trust and can't do so if it looks weak. She said the United States would like to strengthen its alliances with partners in the Indo-Pacific area, such as Japan, India, Australia, Israel, and South Korea. It has also helped in bringing a collective front against Chinese dominance, in which these countries, including India, have invested a lot in reducing dependencies on China.

Such events only further underscore the urgency of potential challenges to China's economy and increasing military capabilities, which are being perceived as potential threats to the US. It would underscore such importance: "proactive alliance building and preparedness.".

In a nutshell, if India seeks partnership with the US, the comments by Nikki Haley reflect that trust in American leadership is on a concerning decline. To fix this, and also the complex geography, she insists on the need for restored, invigorated leadership and robust alliances.