'Inappropriate' Trump taking credit for India-Pakistan peace, imposing tariffs: US ex-NSA John Bolton

Washington [US], September 13 (ANI): Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton has called President Donald Trump's attempt to take credit for resolving the conflict between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack and imposing tariffs on New Delhi "inappropriate," adding that there was concern in Washington over Trump's actions.

In an interview with ANI, Bolton, who has also served as US Ambassador to the United Nations, criticised Trump's "erratic behaviour" of imposing tariffs on India for its Russian oil purchases, while questioning why similar actions were not taken against countries like China, Turkey, and Pakistan for the same practice.

"I think there was a lot of concern in Washington that the two tariff issues, combined with Trump taking credit for bringing peace to India and Pakistan after the last terrorist attack in Kashmir, were inappropriate," he said, while maintaining that India should focus on long-term ties with the US, as Trump is only there for 3.5 more years.

Trump has repeated his claims that he brokered peace between India and Pakistan during a recent conflict in May. However, India has maintained that the ceasefire was reached following direct talks between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two militaries.

Last month, the Trump administration levied 25 per cent reciprocal tariffs on India, with another 25 per cent levy stacked on top of it for New Delhi's purchase of oil and weapons from Moscow.

"The sanctions are not part of normal trade conversation, and it's part of Trump's approach to Russia's unprovoked aggression against Ukraine. This connection shows how erratic Trump could be because he has not sanctioned or tariffed Russia or violated the sanctions, nor has he sanctioned or tariffed China for violating the sanctions, and China is a much bigger purchaser than India is, and there are many other purchasers, Turkey, Pakistan, and others," Bolton said when asked how he sees the current tariff.

Acknowledging that it would be frustrating for India to deal with Trump's actions, John Bolton noted the need to find ways to resolve the issues."Government of India should look at Trump as a one-time proposition and deal with it and take whatever steps they believe are in Indian's national interest, but to understand it as peculiar to Trump and not reflecting some larger American view."

He also appreciated the Indian government's approach to the entire tariff situation with the US.

When asked how he viewed India largely maintaining silence and relying on back-channel diplomacy, Bolton noted: "Well, I think that's 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 further argued that Trump's style of pressuring even close partners like India was not strategic but theatrical. "I wouldn't call it a strategy... he does it more for the theatrical performance aspect of it for the domestic political reaction than because of a strategic approach to relations between India and the United States," he said, adding that such behaviour has eroded global confidence in America's reliability.

Bolton stressed that India should take a long view of ties with the US, keeping in mind that Trump's presidency will last only a few more years.

"The objective should be to continue to try and make progress, minimise the damage done, and then work to fix it once his term is over. A long-term perspective and a willingness to put up with conduct you don't appreciate very much, but which is unique to one person and not to the entire American people, would be worth keeping in mind," Bolton added. (ANI)

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