Former US National Security Adviser John Bolton has strongly criticized former President Donald Trump for undermining US-India relations and inadvertently pushing Prime Minister Narendra Modi toward closer engagement with Russia and China. His remarks came amid escalating tensions following Washington’s decision to impose a 50% tariff on Indian imports, along with an additional 25% linked to India’s purchase of Russian crude oil.
In a series of posts on X, Bolton accused Trump of destroying decades of carefully built diplomatic progress. He argued that the White House’s approach “has set US-India relations back by decades,” providing Beijing and Moscow with opportunities to strengthen ties with New Delhi. “The West spent years trying to move India away from its Cold War reliance on the Soviet Union and warning against China’s growing influence. Donald Trump has shredded these efforts with a disastrous tariff policy,” he wrote.
Bolton also suggested that Chinese President Xi Jinping has been the biggest beneficiary of Washington’s missteps. According to him, Trump’s failure to consider diplomacy within a broader strategic framework has opened the door for Beijing to reshape the geopolitical balance in the East. “Trump’s unwillingness to think beyond immediate economic gains has given Xi Jinping an opportunity to reset the region,” Bolton noted.
The criticism comes as India navigates a period of global uncertainty. At the recently concluded 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, Prime Minister Modi held bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Both interactions underscored India’s effort to balance its relationships with major powers at a time of economic and geopolitical strain.
During his discussions with Putin, Modi reaffirmed the long-standing strength of India-Russia ties, highlighting their cooperation as vital for global peace, stability, and prosperity. Putin, in turn, emphasized the significance of 2025 as the 15th anniversary of the India-Russia “Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership.” Meanwhile, Modi and Xi Jinping acknowledged the crucial role of their respective economies in stabilizing global trade.
Bolton’s remarks underline growing concerns in Washington that Trump’s tariff-heavy economic policies may have weakened America’s strategic influence in Asia, while simultaneously reinforcing India’s alignment with Russia and China.
