Donald Trump. (White House)
A former Pentagon official has made an unusual claim about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s high-profile visit to India, saying that US President Donald Trump, and not Moscow, should get credit for the warm reception in New Delhi. Michael Rubin, a noted American analyst and former Pentagon adviser, told ANI that Trump deserves a “Nobel Prize” for indirectly bringing India and Russia closer.
Rubin said Russia views Putin’s India trip as a major success because New Delhi offered honours and respect that the Russian leader “can hardly get anywhere else in the world.” But he added that the bigger story lies in what pushed India and Russia into this moment.
According to him, some of the cooperation agreements signed during the visit may not fully materialise. Rubin argued that certain decisions could be driven less by shared long-term interests and more by a reaction to how Trump treated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India during his presidency.
Rubin said the US is reading Putin’s India visit in two very different ways. “If you’re Donald Trump, it’s being seen as ‘I told you so’,” he said, adding that Trump will likely use India-Russia cooperation as proof of his worldview. But he added that for the majority of Americans, “the 65% who dislike Donald Trump,” the situation is viewed as a consequence of Trump’s “gross incompetence” in handling India relations.
He also made controversial remarks about Trump’s approach to Pakistan, suggesting that “flattery” or even possible “bribery” by Pakistan or its partners in Turkey and Qatar may have influenced Trump’s decisions. Rubin called it a strategic mistake that the US will struggle with “for decades.”
Rubin also noted that Americans often misunderstand India’s priorities. He stressed that India’s elected leadership is focused on ensuring the country’s energy security as it becomes the world’s third-largest economy.
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Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
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