BURSTFormer national security adviser John Bolton raised his eyebrows at the prospect of a meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, casting doubt at the chance of a ceasefire.
“I think Putin’s going to try to take advantage of this one-on-one summit with Trump to advance his agenda, to put out a Russian peace plan, or ceasefire plan, in order to have Trump take it to [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky] and see if Zelensky rejects it,” Bolton said in an appearance on NewsNation's "On Balance."
“It’s posturing to see who can look like they’re more interested in peace," he told host Leland Vittert. "I still think the parties are a long way apart."
Trump has become increasingly frustrated with Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and has threatened to increase sanctions on Moscow and allies who buy its oil, including India, if a deal is not reached between the Eastern European nations. While the president originally gave Putin a 50-day deadline to agree to a ceasefire, he later shortened the timeframe to Friday.
The president has often raised the prospect of meeting with Putin, although it’s unclear when or where such a summit would take place. Whether Zelensky would attend is also an open question.
Bolton on Thursday argued the Russian leader wanted the meeting to project an image of international legitimacy and to pull Trump back into his orbit. But he cast doubt on whether the president saw the full intricacies of the situation.
“Trump is getting into something he doesn’t understand the gravity of. He’s precipitating this meeting because it will be great press," he said. "I don’t know where the meeting will be, but it will be surrounded by cameras and reporters."
Putin and Trump met six times during the president’s first term.
Bolton said Trump’s view was that he would be able to resolve tricky diplomatic situations so long as he had good personal relations with leaders of other countries.
“I think Trump is obviously displeased with Putin, but he’s also been careful to say that he’s not done with him yet — that he still hopes somehow, that their friendship can be recreated, and like two good friends, they can resolve the war in Ukraine,” the former Trump official told NewsNation.
“He still believes that fundamentally, international relations are the personal relations between heads of state," Bolton continued. "And if he has a good personal relationship with a foreign leader, U.S. relations with that state are good."
He added, “And that is a gross simplification."