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Former US National Security Advisor Lt Gen HR McMaster (Retd) on Friday urged Washington to deploy legislative "tariff guns" against major buyers of Russian energy while simultaneously admitting to stark Western inconsistencies, calling continued US reliance on Russian nuclear fuel "nuts".
Speaking to ANI in the wake of the US House of Representatives passing the bipartisan Lindsey O Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 by 262159 votes, McMaster called for aggressive economic measures to restore global deterrence. He, however, said Washington must balance enforcement with geopolitical empathy for India, noting New Delhi's delicate security reality between hostile neighbours. McMaster strongly backed the congressional measure, which gives President Donald Trump discretionary authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries continuing to import Russian oil and gas, calling it an imperative step to halt Moscow's shadow war across Europe. "Hey, I think we should fire that gun. I mean, I really, I think that the only way that peace is restored... is to convince Vladimir Putin that he can no longer continue these wars at an acceptable cost," McMaster stated, pointing to recent drone incursions in Bulgaria and Denmark, infrastructure sabotage, and attacks near Leipzig airport," said ex-US NSA. When pressed on Western policy contradictions, such as Washington's ongoing imports of Russian uranium hexafluoride and Europe's persistent energy vulnerabilities, McMaster acknowledged systemic flaws in Western supply chains. "It turns out it's a really bad idea to give a hostile authoritarian regime coercive power over your economy... It is crazy that we're buying uranium from Russia. I think it's nuts, you know," said McMaster on US Uranium imports. He indicated that practical supply chain constraints mean "there'll probably be waivers" for certain critical dependencies, even as broader sanctions ramp up on policy realities. Despite backing tough global tariff measures, McMaster cautioned against penalising India without considering its immediate security matrix. On India's geopolitical environment, surrounded by two hostile nuclear powers, Pakistan and China, he said, "Do you really want to alienate Russia? Probably not at the moment." Referring to India's historical reliance on Russian defence platforms and energy imports, McMaster said, "I've got sympathy for my Indian friends... you have to look at these sort of complex challenges from India's perspective." On cross-border terrorism and long-standing security concerns over regional double-dealing, he added, "One of my biggest frustrations has been our reluctance to recognise the degree to which the Pakistanis double-deal... that should push India and the US closer together." Addressing Indias balancing act between a "fear of abandonment" and a "fear of entanglement," McMaster expressed long-term confidence in the bilateral trajectory, citing Beijing's aggressive regional posture as the ultimate binding force between the two democracies. "China wants a servile relationship with India, and I think all countries in the Indo-Pacific. And so the choice isn't between Beijing and Washington, it's between servitude and sovereignty. And the US is on the side of sovereignty," he asserted, advising Indian leadership to "have faith in America" and trust in the shared future of representative governance. "Yeah. I would say have faith in America, you know... have faith in the long-term model of representative government, free market economics... And that doesn't mean that, you know, the U.S. should pressure, you know, India to take sides. Hey, I want you to take sides against Russia right now, right? Don't go to BRICS. Don't meet with, I mean, I think we should not worry about that as much and have faith that really the long-term future is in favour of the India-US relationship," Trump's former NSA said. The developments come at a sensitive juncture, with India's Ministry of External Affairs closely monitoring the tariff legislation while reiterating its commitment to protecting national energy security through diversified sourcing. High-level trade negotiations between Washington and New Delhi are set to continue during the upcoming G20 Trade Ministers meeting in Wisconsin later this month on September 30-October 1. (ANI)
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