Former Pentagon official says Trump deserves Nobel for boosting India-Russia ties; decodes how US is reading Putin’s India tour

US President Donald Trump

A former Pentagon official has offered an unusual take -- crediting US President Donald Trump for giving a boost to India-Russia ties, a partnership rooted in a 2000 strategic pact and upgraded in 2010.

Michael Rubin, in conversation with ANI, said that President Trump deserves a Nobel Prize for bring Indian and Russia together.

His remarks came as Putin was on a two-day state visit to India on December 4-5.

“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,” said Rubin.

He further asked: “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?...”

#WATCH | Washington, DC, USA | "Donald Trump deserves a Nobel Prize for bringing India and Russia together the way he did", says Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin on Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India. He further says, "From Russia's perspective, the visit… pic.twitter.com/vYXcVTwP7M

— ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2025

Asked how US policy circles view Vladimir Putin’s visit to India, Rubin said the trip is being interpreted in two distinct ways.

“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.