Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton has strongly criticized former President Donald Trump's tariff policy, arguing that it has "shredded" decades of Western efforts to align India away from Russia and address the strategic challenge posed by China. Bolton's criticism comes amid heightened economic tensions between New Delhi and Washington after the U.S. imposed a 50 percent tariff on Indian imports, later supplemented by an additional 25 percent duty in response to India's purchase of Russian crude oil.

In a series of posts on X, Bolton stated that Trump's economic approach has undermined long-standing U.S. and allied efforts to strengthen ties with India. He argued that Trump's "unwillingness to consider diplomatic moves in a larger strategic context" has provided Chinese President Xi Jinping an opening "to reset the East". According to Bolton, it was ironic that a tariff meant to hurt Russia could push India closer to Russia and China, and even unite them against the U.S.

Bolton pointed out that the hefty tariffs on New Delhi for buying Russian oil and accused Trump of favoring China over India, calling it a potentially "enormous mistake". He said the move has backfired, straining ties with India while sparing China, and weakening a key U.S. goal. Speaking to CNN, Bolton said that 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".

These remarks followed the conclusion of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, China, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi held bilateral meetings with both Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Modi and Xi acknowledged the importance of their countries' economies in stabilising global trade, according to India's Ministry of External Affairs. In his talks with Putin, Modi highlighted the enduring India-Russia relationship.

Christopher Padilla, a former U.S. trade official, has also warned that the tariffs could pose a risk of long-term damage to India-U.S. ties. Jake Sullivan, who was the National Security Advisor to former President Joe Biden, warned that Trump's tariffs are making China look "more responsible" than the U.S. Sullivan underscored the dangers of such tariffs, saying that it risks pushing New Delhi closer to Beijing, highlighting the strains in ties with India. "We were working to try to build a deeper, sustainable relationship with India, and the China challenge loomed large in that. President Trump executed a massive trade offensive against them, and the Indians are saying, I guess maybe we have to go show up in Beijing and sit with the Chinese because we've got a hedge against America," he said.

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.