Trump is aberrational, Bessent doesn’t have experience: Ex-US NSA says India was not wrong to buy Russian oil
John Bolton said India has been “singled out” and criticised Donald Trump for destroying decades of effort with India to build good faith and reliance.
- Aug 22, 2025,
- Updated Aug 22, 2025 10:20 AM IST
Former Trump national security adviser criticised Washington’s “confused” policy on India. He also said Donald Trump was an aberrational president, one who will take most of history with him when he leaves, and also that US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent isn’t the most experienced and that he might be failing to realise the China-Russia axis. The former NSA also said what India did, vis-a-vis the Russian oil purchases – the bone of contention for the Trump administration – is not exactly prohibited.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, John Bolton said India has been “singled out”. Stopping Russian oil purchases is in the best interests of India and the US, he added. “Leaving India hanging out to dry as the only country to which punitive action has been taken obviously leads a lot of people to conclude that the United States has given up on India, and I do worry that India is being driven closer to Russia and China,” said Bolton in the interview.
“Secretary Bessent isn’t very experienced in international affairs, and I don’t think he sees the growing axis between China and Russia,” he said. He said the complaint is that India bought gasoline from Russia that it perhaps refined and sold internationally, which is worth discussion. However the sanctions do not “preclude anyone, including India, from buying Russian oil at the capped price, or below $60/barrel, and then selling it elsewhere”, he added. “If that’s the complaint, the complaint lies with the sanctions, not so much with India’s behaviour. What India did isn’t prohibited,” said Bolton.
He also criticised Trump for destroying decades of effort with India to build good faith and reliance. “Trump is aberrational…Trump doesn’t have a philosophy, so there’s no legacy for his successors,” he said.
Bolton said in the interview that Trump’s China policy is confused. “If you want a trade war, we should have teamed up and had a trade war with China, because they’re the worst actor in international economics,” he said, adding that it is unclear why Trump is giving China so much leeway.
The White House recently said that Trump imposed sanctions on India to help end the war in Ukraine. It deemed the move a strategic effort to pressure Russia by targeting India, a major buyer of Russian oil. Tariffs on Indian goods are at the highest rate of 50 per cent.
Former Trump national security adviser criticised Washington’s “confused” policy on India. He also said Donald Trump was an aberrational president, one who will take most of history with him when he leaves, and also that US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent isn’t the most experienced and that he might be failing to realise the China-Russia axis. The former NSA also said what India did, vis-a-vis the Russian oil purchases – the bone of contention for the Trump administration – is not exactly prohibited.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, John Bolton said India has been “singled out”. Stopping Russian oil purchases is in the best interests of India and the US, he added. “Leaving India hanging out to dry as the only country to which punitive action has been taken obviously leads a lot of people to conclude that the United States has given up on India, and I do worry that India is being driven closer to Russia and China,” said Bolton in the interview.
“Secretary Bessent isn’t very experienced in international affairs, and I don’t think he sees the growing axis between China and Russia,” he said. He said the complaint is that India bought gasoline from Russia that it perhaps refined and sold internationally, which is worth discussion. However the sanctions do not “preclude anyone, including India, from buying Russian oil at the capped price, or below $60/barrel, and then selling it elsewhere”, he added. “If that’s the complaint, the complaint lies with the sanctions, not so much with India’s behaviour. What India did isn’t prohibited,” said Bolton.
He also criticised Trump for destroying decades of effort with India to build good faith and reliance. “Trump is aberrational…Trump doesn’t have a philosophy, so there’s no legacy for his successors,” he said.
Bolton said in the interview that Trump’s China policy is confused. “If you want a trade war, we should have teamed up and had a trade war with China, because they’re the worst actor in international economics,” he said, adding that it is unclear why Trump is giving China so much leeway.
The White House recently said that Trump imposed sanctions on India to help end the war in Ukraine. It deemed the move a strategic effort to pressure Russia by targeting India, a major buyer of Russian oil. Tariffs on Indian goods are at the highest rate of 50 per cent.