INDIA PERSPECTIVE

Indian coverage of the budget is indirect but revealing. NDTV doesn't headline the $1.5 trillion but extensively covers the war's consequences on oil prices and Indian energy costs. The Times of India mentions the budget within broader war coverage. India watches US military spending with calculated strategic interest: New Delhi is increasing its own defense budget by 13% in 2026 and sees in the American increase a validation. But Indian non-alignment complicates the reading: India buys Russian and Iranian oil at discount while maintaining the Quad partnership with the US. Every additional billion spent by Washington in Iran is a billion less for the Quad and the Indo-Pacific posture -- the same calculation Tokyo and Singapore make. The difference is that India doesn't depend on American protection: it coldly calculates which arrangement best serves its interests.