India regarded the US with suspicion and struggled during the 2008 nuclear deal. It has taken a lot of effort to overcome earlier assumptions and forge a mutual relationship with the US

Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar stated that the 2008 nuclear deal was a complex scenario for India. It had taken monumental efforts to overcome preconceived notions and establish the current mutually beneficial relationship with the US.

Jaishankar stated that despite the US offering a very evident advantage, they battled during the 2008 nuclear deal as India’s innate and deep-rooted distrust towards the US held it back. He stated that for about 50 years, India's stance toward the US was of great scepticism and caution.

"It was a very substantive relationship. But the overall foreign policy assessment of the US was a deep caution,” says Jaishankar. “When the world began to change, the tenability of that view came into question. The nuclear deal in 2005-2008 was a struggle.” He stated that it takes a pragmatic approach to reach common grounds in the diplomatic realm. He highly regarded Sushma Swaraj, his predecessor and former foreign minister, appreciating her wealth of political experience and level of realism and professionalism.

Jaishankar referred to the country's 75th anniversary as a suitable time for reflection. He reiterated that over time, the stakeholders of both nations had identified the positive and negative aspects that existed in their relationship due to presumption, and both countries are now actively supporting each other, leading to a much stronger and robust connection.