Business News: US President Donald Trump's strict tariff policy against India is now becoming a bone of contention for him. Deep resentment is emerging in America over this decision. Trump is now being criticized by people of his own country, a prominent name among them is former National Security Advisor John Bolton. He has described the sanctions imposed on India as "excessive and meaningless".
Bolton clearly says that India neither violated any international rule nor broke any sanctions. Still, the way the Trump administration targeted the entire Indian trade can prove to be dangerous and counterproductive for America's foreign policy.
Bolton calls Trump's policy a 'failure'
In an interview to Times Radio, John Bolton said that America is also responsible for the circumstances that forced India to buy Russian oil. When sanctions were imposed on Iran, America gave concessions to its allies and also suggested alternative sources. But no such initiative was taken in the case of India.
He said, we could have prevented India from being dependent on Russian energy, but we lost that opportunity. Bolton admitted that Trump's policy has pushed India closer to Russia. This has damaged the strategic relationship between America and India built over years of hard work. He said, Trump has hurt our own interests by imposing sanctions on the entire Indian economy.
India’s Russian Energy Purchases Justified
Bolton clarified that India did not violate any international rules in purchasing Russian oil and gas. He said that Indian companies buy Russian oil at a price lower than the limit set by the European Union, refine it and sell it in the global market and this is completely legal. He said that it was the weakness of America and European countries that they wanted to reduce the sale of Russian oil in a balanced manner, so that prices do not increase in the international market. This strategy gave India an opportunity to take advantage, but it was not an illegal step.
US policies may cost money
Bolton warned that America may have to bear the brunt of Trump's wrong strategy in the future. He said that it is very important for India to maintain a balance between the growing alliance of Russia and China. If India leans more towards Russia, it can harm America's long-term strategic interests. He bluntly said that we missed the opportunity to convince India and now the same India has become more dependent on Russian energy. We may have to pay a big price for this mistake in the coming years.
Now Trump calls India a 'good friend'
Amidst India's strong reaction and the rising opposition in America, Donald Trump's stance also seems to be changing. Stepping back from his earlier strictness, Trump has described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a good friend. He said that talks are going on between India and America regarding the trade agreement, and he himself is keen to meet Modi.
Trump also said that both the countries are moving forward towards removing mutual trade barriers. It is clear from his changed tone that the growing criticism within America and the harsh responses received from India have forced Trump to soften his stance.
