Former Trump Aide John Bolton Flags Big Cost Of India Tariffs

President Donald Trump has jeopardised decades of American efforts to bring India away from Russia and China, his former aide John Bolton has said, pointing to the hefty tariffs that the US has imposed on India for buying Russian oil. The former National Security Advisor also called out Trump's bias towards China over India and said it could be an "enormous mistake".

Trump engaged in a brief trade war with China in April but has since held back any further escalation - pending a deal, while he has hit India with over 50% tariff, including a 25% secondary tariff for what he said was funding the Russian war machine in Ukraine.

The tariffs have led to the "worst outcome" for the US, as India reacted "very negatively" to what was expected, partly because it saw that China was not being tariffed, Bolton said.

Read: "Trump Destroying Himself": Top US Economist To NDTV On Tariff War With India

Speaking to CNN, he called it ironic that the secondary tariff, which was intended to hurt Russia, could push India closer to Russia and China, and perhaps make them 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," the former aide of the President asserted.

US foreign policy expert Christopher Padilla, a former US trade official, has also warned that the tariffs could pose a risk of long-term damage to India-US ties. It could raise questions later whether the US is a reliable partner, as the tariffs would remain in memory, he feared.

Flagging the biased tariffs in an Op-Ed for The Hill, Bolton had earlier said that Trump's leniency towards Beijing could be seen as sacrificing the US's strategic interests in this "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," his opinion piece read.

Read: US At Risk Of Losing India As Strategic Partner: Ex-Official Amid Trump Tariff Row

Trump's additional tariff has failed to convince India to stop buying oil from India, thus far. Rather, it has defended its oil imports and called the tariffs "unfair and unreasonable". Moscow has backed New Delhi and accused the US of exerting illegal trade pressure on India - a week before Trump would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The meeting would give Putin an opportunity to advance his agenda on a number of fronts, and he may even play a larger game over the India tariffs, Bolton said.