- By Surarika Das
- Sat, 07 Mar 2026 03:27 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, on Saturday, said that US President Donald Trump had committed one of the biggest mistakes in the way he handled his relations with India. Abbott further listed three particular actions of Trump that had strained the India-US relations in recent times.
In an interview, Abbott said, "I am not an universal admirer of the Trumpian foreign policy. And one of the biggest mistakes that President Trump made up till now has been gratuitously alienating India."
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Abbott further said that the tariff hikes by the Trump administration had alienated the two nations at first. "Secondly, Trump's reiterating the claim that he had negotiated with both nations to end the war during Operation Sindoor," he said. Abbott also raised the meeting of Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir with Donald Trump at the White House and said that it further worsened the ties between the two nations.
"I suppose, with the hosting of the Pakistani armed forces chief (Asim Munir) in the White House, given that Pakistan undoubtedly has sponsored terrorism against India and has been doing so intermittently for a long time," Abbot said.
Trump's Reciprocal Tariffs
In September 2025, the US imposed reciprocal tariffs of 25 per cent on almost all Indian products, along with an additional 25 per cent levy tied to India's continued purchase of Russian oil. However, Trump then vowed to ease the tariffs against India, given that it would stop buying oil from Moscow. The move was initiated to what Washington argued was funding the war, which Trump attempted to end.
The deal was presented by Trump as evidence of his strong personal rapport with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he has often referred to as "one of my greatest friends."
Abbott On The Middle East Conflict
Tony Abbott also mentioned that there are no possible hints of when the US-Israel-Iran conflict will see an end. "We can't say for sure whether there will be a regime change. And we shouldn't underestimate the hold that the regime has over significant sections of the Iranian population. Nevertheless, I suppose the worst outcome that we could have from this is a defanged Islamist theocracy, because plainly, whatever government survives or emerges in Tehran will lack the means of aggression that it previously had," Abbot added.