India Should See Trump As 'One-Time Proposition': Ex-US NSA John Bolton Flags 'Number Of Concerns On Indian Side'

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Former United States National Security Advisor (NSA) John Bolton remarked that while India-US relations remain largely unchanged, and New Delhi“should look at Donald Trump as a one-time proposition and deal with it”.

Bolton further slammed US President, saying,“Trump doesn't have an overall national security strategy,” and alleged that he is“transactional”

Bolton, who has also served as US Ambassador to the United Nations, criticised Trump's "erratic behaviour" of imposing tariffs on India for its Russian oil purchases, while questioning why similar actions were not taken against countries like China, Turkey, and Pakistan for the same practice.

“I think much of the tension between India and the US has been because of Trump's very erratic style. Although there are a number of concerns on the Indian side, the biggest is the 25% tariff for Indian companies' purchases of Russian oil and gas over the past several years. This shows how erratic Trump can be because he has not sanctioned or tariffed Russia for violating the sanctions, nor has he sanctioned or tariffed China for violating the sanctions. China is a much bigger purchaser than India is and there are many other purchasers, Turkey, Pakistan, and others,” he added.

Trump has imposed an additional 25% tariff on imports from India, aiming to pressure New Delhi into stopping its purchases of discounted Russian crude oil. This move has raised the total punitive duties on Indian goods to 50%, further straining ongoing trade talks between the two democracies.

However, Trump has not imposed similar tariffs on Chinese imports, despite China's continued buying of Russian oil, a decision likely influenced by his administration's efforts to maintain a fragile trade truce with Beijing.

In a Fox News interview on Friday, Trump said his patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin was wearing thin, though he stopped short of announcing new sanctions.

Trump voiced frustration over Putin's continued prosecution of the war, noting that sanctions targeting Russian banks and oil remain on the table as possible pressure tactics. However, he emphasised that any such measures would require coordinated action with European allies.

“We're going to have to come down very, very strong,” Trump warned.

(With inputs from agencies)

Key Takeaways

MENAFN13092025007365015876ID1110056018