Gorokhovsky is a surname which would hang from one’s neck like a large rock in America’s topmost echelons of power. Especially if one is born in the former Soviet Union.

Gor, however, renders the rock somewhat invisible and much less weighty.

Which is why Sergio Gor, who was born in Tashkent of Soviet-ruled Uzbekistan in 1986 and grew up as a child in Malta, breathes in the rarefied air of US President Donald Trump’s innermost circle.

And which is why his appointment as the next ambassador to India — with the extra charge as special envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs — is so consequential.

Trump himself and a host of his most senior colleagues, from Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr., rushed to congratulate Gor. What was interesting to note was the tone of the messages, coming after Trump’s tariff tantrums, a fiery hiatus in India-US ties. It suddenly seemed no water had flown under the bridge.

“I am excited about the President’s decision to nominate @SergioGor to be our next Ambassador to India. He will be an excellent representative of America in one of the most important relationships our nation has in the world," Rubio posted on X.

I am excited about the Presidents decisions to nominate........

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