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Former national security adviser to United States President Donald Trump, John Bolton, expressed his concern about the Republican's approach to ending Russia's war against Ukraine.
In a comment to Sospilny, Bolton said that, judging by Trump's rhetoric, he prefers a quick resolution to the war that Russia unleashed. At the same time, he does not pay attention to the conditions of such a path to settlement.
According to the former adviser, Trump could set hard deadlines for negotiations. If he did, it would likely play into Russia's hands. Moreover, such an approach could lead to a scenario in which Russia would retain control over the occupied territories of Ukraine.
“Keith Kellogg wrote before the election about how to negotiate, threatening Ukraine with the end of military support from the United States if it does not negotiate. Threatened with additional sanctions against Russia if it does not negotiate. I worry that this also plays into Russia’s hands. I think Putin would welcome a ceasefire that would allow Russia to continue to control 10 percent of Ukraine,” he explained.
In addition, as Bolton says, such favors could negatively affect Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic aspirations. According to the former Trump adviser, the US president has a tendency to build international relations based on personal contacts with leaders of other countries, and this could pose a threat, because "Putin is cold-blooded."
“Trump is the man behind whom the main decisions are made. Everyone knows that he initially said that he would resolve the war in 24 hours by getting Zelensky and Putin in the same room. Obviously, that is not going to happen and it is not going to work in any case. It will take much more than 24 hours, as Trump himself now admits. But it is very important to emphasize to Keith Kellogg, Trump and everyone in the administration that there can be no deal behind Ukraine’s back. In fact, there can be no deal behind Russia’s back either,” Bolton continued.
Proposals that would freeze the conflict on the current front line or establish new borders without taking into account Ukrainian interests also cause concern for Bolton. In his opinion, if Trump accepts Vance's idea, this decision will not benefit Ukraine.
The former Trump advisor stressed the importance of conveying to the new US president the need to support Ukraine. He also made a recommendation:
“My recommendation would be to constantly explain to Trump why the very fact of Russia’s invasion is a demonstration that security guarantees are needed, no matter what the territorial settlement looks like.”
War in Ukraine: Trump's latest statements
New US President Donald Trump has threatened Russia with severe sanctions if Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin does not agree to quickly end the war it has waged against Ukraine. The American leader stressed that if a deal is not reached soon, he will “have no choice” but to impose high taxes, tariffs and sanctions on everything Russia sells to the US and other countries.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office after his inauguration on January 20, Donald Trump also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “destroying” Russia by refusing to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in turn, wants to make a peace treaty.
