Edited excerpts:Amit Baruah: Atul, where do our relations with the United States stand today? One consequence is that there’s a lack of interest in the United States in balancing China, especially in Asia and across the Indo-Pacific. The US thinks that by trying to withdraw from India, India is losing leverage against the traditional enemy, China, because China shares about 3,500 km of border with India, and it’s a very hostile border. Amit Baruah: India put all its eggs in Trump’s basket, but we always had a foothold in BRICS, in SCO. To manage that relationship with China, we needed the United States to provide us with legroom, strategic space, and a backstop.