Trump drove India and Russia closer, 'deserves Nobel', claims ex-Pentagon official
Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin also commented on how the US looks at Putin's India visit.
A former Pentagon official has offered an unusual assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s India visit, arguing that Donald Trump and not Moscow deserves credit for the warm reception in New Delhi, calling it “Nobel Prize” worthy.
“From Russia's perspective, the visit is extremely positive, and India has bestowed honours on Vladimir Putin that he can hardly get anywhere else in the world. I would actually argue that Donald Trump deserves a Nobel Prize for bringing India and Russia together the way he did,” Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin told ANI on Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India.
He further said, “How many of these agreements (MoUs) are actually gonna come to fruition? How many of the decisions being made now are motivated by a true melding of interests? How many are being motivated by animosity towards the way in which President Donald Trump has treated Prime Minister Modi and India more broadly?”
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Rubin on Trump's perception and Pakistan's ‘flattery’
Rubin also commented on how the US looks at Putin's India visit.
“It is being perceived in two different ways. If you're Donald Trump, it's being perceived through the lens of 'I told you so' that this embrace of India towards Russia is affirming what Donald Trump wants his spin to be. Because Donald Trump isn't going to admit that he is the one at fault,” he said.
“If you're the 65 % of Americans who dislike Donald Trump, according to the recent polls, then what we are seeing now is the result of Donald Trump's gross incompetence...A lot of us are still flabbergasted at how Donald Trump has reversed US-India ties. Many people question what motivates Donald Trump”.
“Perhaps it was the flattery of the Pakistanis. More likely, it was bribery on the part of the Pakistanis or their backers in Turkey and Qatar towards Donald Trump...This is one disastrous bribe that is going to saddle America with a strategic deficit for decades to come,” he added.
Rubin also told ANI, “What Americans don't understand is that Indians elected Prime Minister Modi to represent Indian interests. India is the most populous country. It's soon going to become the World's third-largest economy and for that, it needs energy”.
“The US is being hypocritical because we purchase from Russia. We purchase goods and materials for which we don't have alternative markets. We are being hypocritical when we lecture India. At the same time, if we do not want India to purchase Russian fuel, what are we going to do to provide fuel to India at a cheaper price and in the quantities India needs? If we don't have an answer for that, our best approach is simply to shut up because India needs to take care of Indian security first,” he added.
