Ranjit ‘Ricky’ Singh Gill, Special Assistant to the US President Donald Trump, Who recently came into the limelight after he was awarded with the National Security Council’s (NSC) Distinguished Action Award for his role in brokering the India-Pakistan ceasefire deal.
Earlier this week, Ricky Gill, who is a NSC Senior Director for South and Central Asia, was conferred with the NSC Distinguished Action Award by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for his role in negotiating the India-Pakistan ceasefire deal following the May 2025 ‘Operation Sindoor’.
However, the details of his role in ‘negotiating’ the ceasefire deal have not been revealed by the Trump administration, a claim which New Delhi has continuously rejected.
The Award has though brought the Indian-American Lawyer turned Diplomat into attention. Gill, who currently serves as senior director for South and Central Asia at the National Security Council, is also a Special assistant to US President Donald Trump.
The NSC Distinguished Action Award, which acknowledges exceptional service in achieving US National Security objectives.
Former Assistant to the US President for National Security Affairs, Robert C. O’Brien, praised the Trump administration for their efforts in recognizing the contributions of his staff.
In a social media post of his X handle, Robert C. O’Brien wrote, “President Donald Trump is extraordinarily generous in recognizing the contributions of his staff & team to the success of his administration.”
In further praised Ricky Gill as a talented diplomat who served with him in the first Trump administration.
President @realDonaldTrump is extraordinarily generous in recognizing the contributions of his staff & team to the success of his administration. This fact is not widely reported by the mainstream media b/c it doesn’t fit their negative narrative. S is in the same mode. Good men! https://t.co/BCV6tt0BF2
— Robert C. O’Brien (@robertcobrien) December 25, 2025
Who is Ricky Gill?
Born to Punjabi Sikh Immigrants in New Jersey, he is a Lawyer by education and according to news outlet India Today, Gill is believed to be one of the three Indian-Americans who were on board in the second term of US President Trump for a key advisor’s role.
Gill has also served in Trump’s National Security Council as Director for Russia and European Energy Security in the first term. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, followed by a law degree from UC Berkeley. He has previously worked as a policy advisor for TC Energy.
In August this year, he visited India to discuss the long-delayed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) amid ongoing trade tensions and tariff disputes, wrote the News outlet Money Control.
Blurry Purpose of the Award
Foreign experts have questioned the broader purpose of the award, claiming it to be ‘puzzling’. Former Indian Foreign Secretary and former Indian Ambassador to Turkey, Egypt, France, and Russia, Kanwal Sibal, has raised questions around the award’s purpose. In a post on social media handle X, he wrote, “Can’t see any purpose being served except to irritate India in propagating such a fictitious claim when India has denied any US role in the ceasefire even at Trump’s level.”
Puzzling. Apparently the State Dept hasn’t announced this so far.
Is this taking away credit from Trump who has now said over 50 times that he coerced a ceasefire with trade threats?
Now, it is a middle level officer in the NSC who could knock together the Indian and… https://t.co/4DDwrmz9TB
— Kanwal Sibal (@KanwalSibal) December 26, 2025
He also wrote, “Is this taking away credit from Trump, who has now said over 50 times that he coerced a ceasefire with trade threats?”, making humorous comments on the US President’s continuous claims of Mediating ‘Ceasefire’ between India and Pakistan, a claim which India has denied.
With the NSC award, Gill has earned Washington’s recognition, even as the US role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire remains ambiguous.
Also Read: 9 Camps, 7 Successes, 1 Objective: How The Indian Army And IAF Decimated Cross-Border Terror In Operation Sindoor
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