By Khabar Rojana 
John Bolton remarked that Trump’s handling of India had undone years of bipartisan US efforts aimed at drawing New Delhi closer to Washington and positioning it against China. “That progress has now been reversed. It can still be corrected, but at present, this is a troubling phase,” he cautioned.
New York:
Former United States National Security Adviser (NSA) John Bolton has claimed that the once-strong personal relationship between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now faded. Speaking in an interview with British media, Bolton warned that while Trump often views international relations through the prism of personal rapport, such ties “won’t protect” world leaders from deeper policy setbacks.
Strained phase in India-US relations
Bolton’s remarks come at a time when India-US ties are reportedly experiencing one of their worst phases in two decades, strained by Trump’s tariff policies and his administration’s frequent criticism of New Delhi. In a social media post linked to his interview, Bolton accused the Trump White House of “setting US-India relations back decades” by pushing Modi closer to Russia and China, while Beijing portrays itself as a viable alternative to American leadership.
Concerns over strategic shifts
Bolton argued that Trump’s treatment of India undermined years of bipartisan US efforts to align New Delhi more closely with Washington against China. “That has been reversed. I think it can be reversed again, but it’s a very bad moment,” he observed.
He further said that tariffs imposed on India over its import of Russian oil amounted to an “unforced error”, driving New Delhi closer to the Beijing-Moscow axis.
Bolton’s criticism of Trump and the ongoing probe
A sharp critic of Trump since leaving the administration, Bolton has frequently raised alarms about the former president’s approach to foreign relations. His latest remarks coincide with Trump’s scheduled UK visit from September 17 to 19.
Bolton himself is under scrutiny, as his Maryland home and Washington office were recently searched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in connection with a probe into alleged mishandling of classified documents.
Raveena Kumari