Sergio Gor, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to India, told US Senators on September 11, 2025, that stopping India’s purchases of Russian oil would be a top priority if he is confirmed. At the same time, Gor cast New Delhi as a “cornerstone of regional stability” and “one of the most important relationships our nation has in the world,” framing the partnership as essential to American strategy in the Indo-Pacific.

“President Trump has been crystal clear on this. They must stop buying Russian oil,” Gor said at his Senate Foreign Relations Committee nomination hearing. 

He pointed to a bill co-sponsored by nearly every member of the committee that would impose a 500 percent  tariff on secondary purchases and resale of Russian crude, contrasting it with Trump’s current 25 percent levy. “Our tariffs work if our partners around the world are on the same page. If we’re unilaterally putting tariffs on someone, but they’re able to buy the same oil and resell it through China, through India, through Brazil, that’s a problem.”

Defense and Security

Beyond sanctions, Gor said his first priority would be deepening defense cooperation. He promised to expand joint exercises, finalize defense sales, and push for co-development of advanced systems. Pointing to the Quad grouping of the U.S., India, Japan, and Australia, he said, “Our relationship is much stronger [than the tariff dispute], built on many more decades. I will do everything in my power, should I be confirmed, to enhance that.”

Trade and Market Access

Gor endorsed Trump’s “Mission 500” plan to double bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030, while insisting that commerce must be “fair, reciprocal, and beneficial.” He criticized Indian protectionism and regulatory barriers that have long frustrated U.S. exporters. Pressed by senators on farm goods, Gor said reducing India’s tariffs on U.S. agriculture “100%” should be part of any finalized trade agreement.

Technology and Energy

Gor said technology cooperation will be key to outcompeting China, highlighting the U.S.-India Technology Trust Initiative on AI, semiconductors, and quantum computing. “I will advance this administration’s AI action plan, which will ensure the dominance of American AI technology in India and globally,” he said.

On energy, he stressed the need to narrow the $45 billion U.S. trade deficit with India by boosting exports of LNG, crude oil, and petroleum products. “It is very important that we do have reciprocal open trade. For far too long, it has been one-sided all over the world,” he told senators.

Trump–Modi Ties and Global Conflicts

Lawmakers pressed Gor on whether Trump’s personal rapport with Prime Minister Narendra Modi could be leveraged to shift India closer to U.S. positions, particularly on Ukraine. Gor replied that the relationship is “unique” and could prove decisive. “They have an incredible relationship. I’ve been with him in the same room,” Gor said, adding that “bringing peace around the world is a top priority” for Trump.

Asked about India’s ties with Pakistan, Gor declined to go into specifics but stressed Trump’s hands-on approach to diplomacy. “I am here as nominee to be ambassador to India,” he said. “With that said, this president is heavily engaged in bringing peace around the world. No matter where that is, whether Africa, Europe, or the Middle East, he feels an obligation. If he can bring peace anywhere around the world, that is what he wants to do.”

Shared Values and Strategic Stakes

Gor emphasized that the U.S. and India share democratic values and strategic interests that distinguish them from Russia and China. “Being the largest democracy at 1.4 billion, we share a lot more in common with the Indians. If confirmed, I will make it a top priority to ensure they are pulled in our direction, not away from us,” he said.

Committee members appeared receptive, with several praising Gor’s Capitol Hill experience and close ties to Trump. 

In his opening remarks, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who spoke right after the Senate committee chair, strongly endorsed Gor’s nomination. He highlighted Gor’s record-setting pace in staffing nearly 4,000 positions across government, including more than 1,000 on day one of the Trump administration. 

Beyond his résumé, Secretary Rubio said, Gor had earned something rarer: the complete trust of President Trump. “Sergio is one of the absolute go-to people for President Trump,” Rubio said, calling him a loyal and indispensable advisor who helped shape key strategies and ensure the America First agenda was delivered. The president himself has described Gor as “a great friend and someone I trust completely to deliver for the American people.”

Secretary Rubio tied that trust directly to the importance of India at this moment. “In the 21st century, the story is going to be written in the Indo-Pacific. In fact, it is so important that we’ve actually changed the name of the combatant command to the Indo-Pacific. India is at the core of that,” he said. Calling India “one of the top relationships the United States has in the world today,” Rubio described Washington as being in a period of “extraordinary transition” with New Delhi. 

With trade, technology, defense, and regional stability all at the forefront of the relationship, he argued that the United States needs an envoy in New Delhi who can act with conviction and speak with the authority of the president. 

“When Sergio Gor speaks, New Delhi will know that he speaks not just for the State Department, but for the president himself,” Rubio said. He urged senators to support the nomination, then left immediately after his remarks without speaking about the other three nominees before the committee, a move that reflected the weight the Trump administration places on Gor’s appointment.

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