Trump's tariffs may have pushed Delhi further into Beijing-Moscow axis: Former White House official

New York: Tariffs imposed on India by US President Donald Trump for purchases of Russian oil may have pushed New Delhi further into the Beijing-Moscow axis and this lack of focus by Washington is an “unforced error”, a former top White House official has said.

National security adviser during the first Trump administration John Bolton made the comments a day before the “high-stakes” summit meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Anchorage, Alaska on Friday.

“When Trump slapped tariffs on India for buying Russian oil, but not China which also purchases Russia oil, it may have pushed India further into the Beijing-Moscow axis. This lack of focus by the Trump Admin is an unforced error,” Bolton said in a post on X on Thursday.

Trump has slapped additional 25 per cent tariffs on India for its purchases of Russian oil, bringing the total levies imposed on India to 50 per cent.

Experts have pointed out that Washington has not imposed similar duties on China, which buys significantly more Russian energy than Delhi.

In an interview to CNN, Bolton, who was present for the first summit between Trump and Putin in Helsinki in 2018, noted that the White House has imposed secondary tariffs on countries like India for buying oil and gas from Russia.

“They have slapped the 25 per cent tariff on India, although it hasn't gone into effect yet. I can tell you the reaction in India to that, particularly with no tariff slapped on China, which bought an awful lot more oil and gas from Russia, is the Indians are incandescent about this,” Bolton said.

Bolton referred to the possible visit by Putin to India later this year and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to China for the first time since 2018.

“Obviously both Moscow and Beijing are going to try to bring India closer to them. I mean, this could have negative consequences (for the US), because it wasn't well thought through,” Bolton said.

Last week, when Modi had a telephone conversation with Putin, he invited the Russian leader to India later this year for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit.

Modi is expected to travel to China later this month, after a gap of over seven years, to attend the Tianjin Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to be held from August 31 to September 1.