New Delhi: Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton said that Donald Trump’s lost of “very good” friendship with Prime Minister Modi shows that “personal relationship” cannot protect leaders from political rifts. He advised other leaders, specifically naming UK PM Keir Starmer, that such a relationship may not shield you from “the worst”.
Bolton’s comment comes following PM Modi’s visit to China for the SCO summit, where he met the Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The commitment between India and China to strengthen economic ties with each other has sent ripples across the West.
“Trump had a very good relationship personally with Modi. I think that’s gone now. It’s a lesson to everybody, for example, Keir Starmer, that a good personal relationship may help at times, but it won’t protect you from the worst,” wrote John Bolton in a post on X.
John Bolton, who served as the National Security Advisor during Trump’s first term, has been a critic of his foreign policy. The criticism follows Trump’s imposition of a 50 per cent tariff on India for buying and reselling Russian oil. This, Trump’s representative, Peter Navarro, claimed, is funding Russia’s war on Ukraine. India, however, maintained that it is not the only country involved in trade with Russia and will not put its national interest at risk.