Ex-US NSA John Bolton slams Donald Trump again amid Tariff row: 'White House pushing PM Modi closer to Russia, China'

Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton on Thursday (local time) once again slammed US President Donald Trump for pushing Prime Minister Narendra Modi closer to Russia and China in the backdrop of 50 per cent tariffs imposed on India. President Trump has dragged India-US ties decades backwards, Bolton said.

"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," Bolton said in a post on X, sharing his recent interview with LBC.

Bolton's comments came amid strained ties between New Delhi and Washington over the Trump administration's newly imposed tariffs on Indian products.

‘Shredded’ decades of Western efforts: Bolton

The former NSA 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, 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 said in one of the posts.

India had a strong relationship with the US, based on years of diplomatic and economic cooperation. In 2024, India and the US conducted trade in goods and services worth $186 billion, with a surplus of $41 billion in India’s favour.

Trump has repeatedly called India a ‘good friend’, but his recent statements and subsequent tariffs have seemingly affected the relationship. The ties were impacted after new tariff measures were imposed by the US on Indian products that took effect on 27 August, raising the overall tariff burden on Indian goods to nearly 50 per cent.

‘Unwillingness to consider diplomatic moves’

Bolton said in one of the posts that Donald Trump's unwillingness to consider diplomatic moves in a larger strategic context has given Xi Jinping an opportunity to reset the East.

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.

Bolton's remarks come days after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO summit in Tianjin, China. Prime Minister Modi held bilateral engagements with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit.

PM Modi and Xi Jinping recognised the role of India and China's economies in stabilising global trade during their bilateral meeting on Sunday, according to a Ministry of External Affairs statement.

PM Narendra Modi, while meeting Putin, emphasised the strong relationship between India and Russia, stating that both nations have always stood shoulder to shoulder, even in the most challenging situations.

The Prime Minister affirmed that cooperation between New Delhi and Moscow is vital for global peace, stability and prosperity.

(With ANI inputs)