New Delhi, Dec. 10 -- A US trade delegation reached India this week with the aim of concluding a long-anticipated trade agreement. Coming close on the heels of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to New Delhi that resulted in a five-year India-Russia economic programme to diversify trade and strengthen an energy partnership, an obvious question arises: How would ties with Moscow impact India's US engagement?

At last week's HT Leadership Summit, foreign minister S. Jaishankar exuded confidence in a firm assertion of India's "strategic autonomy" and "freedom of choice" in its global partnerships. Similar steadfastness will be needed to avoid the pitfalls of what the US is likely to push for.

To be sure, any deal with the Donald Trump...