John Bolton’s Explosive Claim: Trump–Modi ‘Deep Friendship’ Over, US Policies Pushed India Closer to Russia and China

New Delhi(The Uttam Hindu): Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton has made a startling claim, stating that the once “deep personal friendship” between former US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now ended. Speaking in an interview with British media outlet LBC, Bolton remarked that Trump evaluates international relations solely through the prism of his personal ties with world leaders.

“Trump assumes that if he shares a good friendship with leaders like Vladimir Putin, it automatically translates into stronger ties between the two countries. But that is far from reality,” Bolton said. “The same pattern was visible in his relations with Modi—the friendship was once strong, but it is now over.”

Bolton further argued that Trump’s policies severely damaged decades of progress in US-India ties. In particular, Washington’s tariffs on India over its Russian oil purchases, he said, were a “big mistake.” According to him, this policy move pushed New Delhi closer to Moscow and Beijing, undermining America’s long-standing strategic goal of encouraging India to distance itself from Russia and treat China as its primary security threat.

Warning of the broader consequences, Bolton noted that personal friendships cannot shield world leaders from the negative impacts of Trump’s foreign policy. “The current situation is extremely difficult for US-India relations, and China is exploiting this vacuum by positioning itself as a viable alternative to Washington,” he said.

Experts believe that Bolton’s sharp remarks underline the fragility of global diplomacy when shaped by personality-driven politics, and highlight the challenges ahead for Washington and New Delhi in recalibrating their partnership in an increasingly polarized world.