- Ex-US NSA John Bolton had criticised US tariffs on India over its Russian oil imports under Trump
- Bolton said Trump lost the bigger strategic picture by sanctioning India and not Russia
- Bolton called Trump an aberration and noted his circle of yes men and women
John Bolton, who became a vocal critic of President Donald Trump after serving as his national security advisor, has doubled down on his criticism of US tariffs on India over its import of Russian oil. The former US official, who served under Trump during his first term as president, said that by 'sanctioning' India, the US President lost the "bigger strategic picture."
"All Trump wanted to do was talk about trade. The bigger strategic picture was lost. I think he's just done it again by sanctioning India for purchasing Russian oil and gas. He didn't sanction Russia. But sanctioned India. He didn't sanction China, which has significantly greater purchases of oil and gas than India did," he said while speaking at an event on Monday.
Bolton, a staunch conservative, accused Trump of being "fascinated" by China. He said the president had surrounded himself in his second term with "yes men and yes women" to accomplish his goals.
"I think it's important to understand that Trump is an aberration in American politics," Bolton said. "There has never been anything like this before, and hopefully there never will be again."
Earlier, Bolton had asserted that the US President's tariffs had "shredded" decades of Washington's efforts to align New Delhi away from its Cold War ties with Moscow and address the growing threat from Beijing.
He had also laid out the "best way" to deal with "somebody like Trump". "If you take the bait and get into a public back-and-forth with him, it's not going to make things any easier," Bolton said, referring to India's restrained approach on tariff disputes during Trump's presidency.
The remarks came as the Donald Trump administration in the US slapped 50 per cent tariffs on Indian imports – among the highest globally – 25 per cent of which are tied to New Delhi's Russian oil trade. US President Donald Trump has accused New Delhi of "fuelling Russia's deadly attacks on Ukraine" through its discounted crude purchases.
