India, Aug. 9 -- Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton has said that the tariffs imposed on India by President Donald Trump have resulted in the "worst outcome" for Washington, pushing New Delhi further away and undermining decades of American efforts to pull it from Russia and China.

He said the move has backfired, straining ties with India while sparing China, and weakening a key US goal. Bolton pointed to the hefty tariffs on New Delhi for buying Russian oil and accused Trump of favouring China over India, calling it a potentially "enormous mistake."

Trump engaged in a brief trade war with China in April but has since avoided further escalation, pending a deal, while hitting India with tariffs exceeding 50 per cent, includi...