John Bolton, who used to be the national security advisor for President Donald Trump, shared his thoughts on the Trump administration’s recent stance regarding negotiations with Russia over Ukraine.
He strongly criticized the position, suggesting it was so favorable to Russia that it might as well have been created by the Russian government itself. Bolton expressed his belief that the outcome of these negotiations is already predictable, stating that President Trump has essentially given in to Russian President Vladimir Putin even before the talks have started.
Trump mentioned that he had a conversation with Putin, and they agreed to begin discussions on how to end the war that started when Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago. Following this, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth commented that Russia might be allowed to keep some of the Ukrainian land it has taken and that Ukraine should not join NATO. Bolton sees these statements as a significant shift from the previous U.S. stance and a clear win for Putin.
Bolton criticized the early concessions made by the U.S., calling them a major error in negotiation strategy. He explained that revealing what you are willing to accept before negotiations even start weakens your position. He also pointed out that Putin prefers negotiating with Trump over Ukraine’s President Zelensky because he believes he can gain more from Trump, a view Bolton agrees with.
Bolton didn’t just blame Trump for the situation; he also mentioned that President Joe Biden has made mistakes in handling the Ukraine crisis. However, he concluded that the final agreement, which he views as a surrender, will be associated with Trump.
This summary is based on an interview where Bolton discussed these issues in detail, expressing his concerns and criticisms of how the U.S. is approaching the negotiations with Russia over Ukraine.
