US President Donald Trump shared a very good personal relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but “that’s gone now", former National Security Adviser John Bolton said, while also sending across a word of caution that closer ties with the Republican “won’t protect" world leaders from the “worst".
Bolton’s remarks came as India-US ties have seen tough days in recent weeks due to Trump’s 50% tariffs and sporadic attacks from White House adviser Peter Navarro on New Delhi’s energy and defence ties with Moscow. Trump imposed 50% levies on Indian imports in the US, dubbing it a crackdown on Russia and Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
“I think Trump sees international relations through the prism of his personal relations with leaders. So if he has a good relationship with Vladimir Putin, the US has a good relationship with Russia. That’s obviously not the case," he said in an interview with British media portal LBC.
Bolton, Trump’s NSA in his first term, has lately been critical of the US President over his tariffs and his handling of ties with India, which he said has been strained, and New Delhi has been “pushed closer" to Russia and China.
Citing Trump’s recent episode with PM Modi, the ex-US official established that sharing a personal rapport with Trump won’t shield them from the “worst".
“Trump had a very good relationship personally with Modi. I think that’s gone now, and it’s a lesson to everybody, for example, (UK Prime Minister) Keir Starmer, that a good personal relationship may help at times, but it won’t protect you from the worst," he said.
His reference to Starmer comes as Trump is scheduled to visit the UK from September 17 to 19. Starmer had, in February this year, during his visit to the White House, handed over a letter from King Charles III who invited Trump to the UK.
Taking to X, Bolton said that 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 said that Trump’s treatment of India over the last few months has overtuned years of bipartisan efforts of the United States to wean New Delhi away from its Cold War alignment with Moscow and to make sure Indian leaders see China as their main security threat.
“That has been reversed. I think it can be reversed again, but it’s a very bad moment," he said.
Bolton’s Maryland residence and Washington office were raided recently by the FBI over a probe into the alleged mishandling of classified material.
Without naming Trump, PM Modi had said in the Parliament that “no world leader had asked India to stop Operation Sindoor", thus refuting the US President’s mediation claims, who said on several occasions that he stopped the India-Pakistan war in May.
A day after this, Trump imposed 25% tariffs on India and subsequent 25% levies as a “penalty" for India’s decision to continue buying Russian oil.
Source: ANI
