New Delhi, Sept. 6 -- US President Donald Trump sudden shift in his tone towards its ties with India has sparked renewed interest, and some confusion, in the geopolitical landscape, but for former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri, the answer may lie not in the politics of the situation but in a fundamental of Trump's misunderstanding of India's strategic doctrine.

During an interview with ANI on Saturday, Sikri offered a measured response to Trump's characterisation of the India-US ties as a "very special relationship" days after he claimed that Washington had "lost Russia and India to deepest, darkest China."

She noted the US President has not fully understood India's longstanding policy of strategic autonomy, which lies at the core of its ...