Former US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan lashed out at the Trump administration for its tariff move against India, stating that U.S. allies are shifting toward China. He said the “trade offensive” has risked undoing years of work to bring India closer to Washington.
“The American brand globally is in the toilet. Look at India. Trump has executed a massive trade offensive against them. Now, India is thinking, ‘Shit, we have to go sit down with China to hedge against America,’” said Sullivan on the Bulwark podcast.
Meanwhile, Former diplomat Vikas Swarup said that the Trump administration is trying to put all kinds of pressure on the Indian government, but India has always followed the principle of strategic autonomy and will not be “dictated” by anyone.
Swarup, who also served as the official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs during his stint, was commenting on the remarks made by White House trade advisor Peter Navarro.
Swarup said, “The current relationship is not in good shape. We all thought that, given the personal relationship that PM Modi has developed with President Trump and the fact that President Trump really respects PM Modi, we thought that an India-US Trade Deal would come quite early. But unfortunately, that has not happened.”
“US officials are trying to put all kinds of pressure on India. But India is a very proud nation, India is a country which has always followed the principle of strategic autonomy. We will not be dictated by anyone,” he added.
At the same time, Swarup expressed hope for progress, saying, “I think the time is still there for the two sides to find a mutually acceptable solution.” He, however, underlined that “certainly, these current comments coming from the Trump administration are not helping the cause”.
