Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton on Thursday (local time) lambasted US
President Donald Trump for pushing Prime Minister Narendra Modi closer to Russia and
China in the backdrop of 50% tariffs imposed on India, ruining decades of hard work by
the previous US administration.
In a post on X, Bolton stated, “The White House has set US-India relations back
decades, pushing Modi closer to Russia and China. Beijing has cast itself as an
alternative to the US and Donald Trump.”
He slammed Trump’s tariff policy, asserting that it has “shredded” decades of Western
efforts to align India away from its Cold War ties with the then Soviet Union (Russia) and
address the growing threat from China.
In a series of posts on X on Monday (local time), Bolton accused Trump of jeopardising
strategic gains with his economic approach, while also suggesting that the policy has
handed Chinese President Xi Jinping an opportunity to reshape the geopolitical
landscape in the East.
“The West has spent decades trying to wean India away from its Cold War attachment to
the Soviet Union/ Russia, and cautioning India on the threat posed by China. Donald
Trump has shredded decades of efforts with his disastrous tariff policy,” Bolton stated in
one of his posts.
“Donald Trump’s unwillingness to consider diplomatic moves in a larger strategic context
has given Xi Jinping an opportunity to reset the East,” another post read.
John Bolton is a former American government official who served as national security
adviser (2018-19) to Donald Trump in his first stint as US President. He later resigned
from his position over differences with Trump on the administration’s foreign policy at that
time.
His remarks come at a time when New Delhi is facing global uncertainties due to
heightened economic tensions following the US imposition of a 50 per cent tariff on
Indian imports, which was supplemented by an additional 25 per cent due to New Delhi’s
purchase of Russian crude oil.
The comments also followed the conclusion of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) Heads of State Council summit in Tianjin, China, during which Prime
Minister Modi held bilateral engagements with Russian President Vladimir Putin and
Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit.