Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton has said that the tariffs imposed on India by President Donald Trump have resulted in the “worst outcome” for Washington, pushing New Delhi further away and undermining decades of American efforts to pull it from Russia and China.
He said the move has backfired, straining ties with India while sparing China, and weakening a key US goal. Bolton pointed to the hefty tariffs on New Delhi for buying Russian oil and accused Trump of favouring China over India, calling it a potentially “enormous mistake.”
Trump engaged in a brief trade war with China in April but has since avoided further escalation, pending a deal, while hitting India with tariffs exceeding 50 per cent, including a 25 per cent secondary tariff for what he claimed was funding Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Speaking to CNN, Bolton said it was ironic that the secondary tariff, intended to hurt Russia, could instead push India closer to Russia and China, and perhaps lead them to negotiate together against the US.
“Trump’s leniency on the Chinese and heavy-handed tariffs on India jeopardize decades of American efforts to bring India away from Russia and China,” he said.
In an Op-Ed for The Hill, Bolton said Trump’s softer stance towards Beijing could be seen as sacrificing US strategic interests in his “zeal for a deal” with President Xi Jinping.
“The White House seems headed toward more lenient treatment for Beijing on tariff rates and other metrics than it imposed on New Delhi. If so, it will be a potentially enormous mistake,” he wrote.
Trump’s additional tariff has so far failed to persuade India to stop buying Russian oil. Instead, India has defended its imports as “unfair and unreasonable.”
Moscow has backed New Delhi and accused Washington of exerting illegal trade pressure, just a week before Trump is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The meeting, Bolton said, would give Putin an opportunity to advance his agenda and possibly use the India tariffs as part of a larger strategy.
