On 20 August 2025, I was on CNN-News18 in India with Zakka Jacob, a top-notch interviewer who I have spoken with on a number of occasions in the past. We talked about the recent dealings surrounding the Ukraine war and how it relates to US policy toward India. I argued that the Trump administration’s hostile policy toward India — slapping 50% tariffs on India — for importing Russian oil is strategically foolish. Not only is it going to fail to get India to stop importing Russian oil, but it is going to push India closer to Russia and China, and poison India-US relations, which have improved greatly over the past 25 years.
From John’s Substack.
