'Bad News For The West’: Trump Critic On Modi's Visit To China, Putin's Presence At SCO Summit

Last Updated:September 01, 2025, 19:51 IST

Former NSA John Bolton said the Trump administration has "shredded decades of efforts" to "wean India away from its Cold War attachment" to Russia

Former US NSA John Bolton has criticised the Trump administration's tariffs on India. (Image: AFP/File)

One of the US President Donald Trump’s fiercest critics, former national security adviser John Bolton on Monday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China for the SCO summit is “bad news" for the West.

Asked what he makes of Modi’s attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin, which is also being attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Bolton said it is “a lot of bad news and very little good news". He said Washington DC has spent “decades" in trying to “wean India away from its Cold War attachment" to Russia, especially with security initiatives such as the Quad that has Japan, Australia, US, and India.  

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“There’s a lot of bad news here and very little good news… The West has spent decades, in particular, in trying to wean India away from its Cold War attachment to Soviet Union/Russia, buying sophisticated weapons from them…and cautioning India on the danger posed by China, which is symbolised by what’s called the Asian security quad with Japan, India, Australia and the United States… A lot of effort…a lot of effort to make India more amenable to cooperation with these countries," Bolton said during a television interview.

He said the Trump administration, amid the tariff tussle and worsening ties with New Delhi, has “shredded decades of efforts" to separate India and Russia and, while they can be fixed, it will take a lot of work that he does not see starting in the near future.

“Now, Trump, in the past weeks, has essentially abandoned that and for a variety of reasons…sending India back towards Russia, to grow closer to China…shredding these decades of efforts to try and change that… I’m not saying it can’t be fixed but it’s going to take a lot of work and I don’t see it starting anytime soon," he said.

Bolton has described Trump’s tariffs on India as an “enormous mistake" and has consistently criticised how the President has handled relations with New Delhi. In fact, days after his remarks on the situation, he faced raids by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at his home and office last week in an investigation linked to classified documents.

Responding to the raids, Trump had said he is “not a fan" of his former aide while the FBI declined to comment on the raids. Bolton served as the national security advisor (NSA) in the first term and later angered the administration with the publication of a highly critical book, The Room Where it Happened.

He has since become a highly visible and pugnacious Trump critic, frequently appearing on television news shows and in print to condemn the man he has called “unfit to be president".

(With agency inputs)

Oindrila Mukherjee

Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st...Read More

Oindrila Mukherjee is a senior sub-editor who works for the rewrite and breaking news desks. Her nine years of experience in print and digital journalism range from editing and reporting to writing impactful st...

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First Published:

September 01, 2025, 19:51 IST

News world 'Bad News For The West’: Trump Critic On Modi's Visit To China, Putin's Presence At SCO Summit

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