Former White House national security adviser John Bolton has ruled out President Trump's recent threat of imposing sanctions on Russia over the ongoing strike in Ukraine, while peace talks are underway.
In his appearance on CNN on Friday, Bolton was asked about the weight of the issue and how he will change the story after Trump appears to have approached Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Criticizing the latest spat with Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky in his oval office and criticism of his lavishing on the war-torn country and its leaders, former Trump officials portrayed the president's threat to Russia as “hollow.”
“He did that to try and show some sort of balance given what he said about Zelensky and the Ukrainians,” Bolton told host Anderson Cooper on CNN's AC360.
“I think Putin fully understood that the threat was completely blank,” he added.
Trump on Friday signaled that he was weighing additional sanctions against Russia and tariffs to take Moscow to the negotiation table to end a three-year war in Eastern Europe. In his warning, the president argued that Putin's troops were “pounding” Ukraine on the battlefield.
In response, he said massive bank sanctions and tariffs could be imposed until a ceasefire is reached.
“We'll be at the table in Russia and Ukraine right now before it's too late,” Trump said. I wrote it A true society.
Bolton, who previously served as the UN ambassador, questioned the strength of the sanctions and tax proposals, saying, “I don't understand that.”
“Last year, the only year we have full statistics was under $3 billion, which is trivial compared to the total amount of US trade with other parts of the world,” he said in an interview.
“And in fact, in 2021, in other words, in the last year before Russia's invasion in 2022, they were about $30 billion,” Bolton continued.
He added, “So tariffs are practically meaningless. If there are bank sanctions that are not imposed on Russia, why would you like to know why?
Trump administration officials also confirmed Wednesday that the White House suspended information sharing with Ukraine as part of a broader review of its support for the frozen Kiev.
When asked how Ukraine would work without such support, Bolton called the move “despicable” and said Zelensky probably had to ask other NATO members for support.
“This is all part of the way Trump does business. It's all personal. I know it's hard to understand that people think there are some policies behind it, but [there’s] “Trump believes that relations with the United States with other countries are embodied in personal relations with foreign heads of state,” he added.
“He thinks Vladimir Putin is his friend. He hasn't liked Zelensky since the famous full phone call in 2019. This is what you're getting,” Bolton continued, calling it a “big mistake” for the US.
He also argued that the suspension did not want Russia to be more enthusiastic, and placed him responsible for Trump's policies that he abandoned Ukraine and said he was on Russia's side.
Bolton retorted, “When Trump gives them everything they want, why do they need to negotiate?”
The threat of Trump's sanctions comes just days before members of his administration meet with Saudi Ukrainian officials to discuss the way to end the war. The same government officials met with their Russian counterparts in Riyadh last month.
The mineral contract between the US and Ukraine, including the exchange of critical minerals for security assurances against Russia, is still in scope after the White House exchange tested earlier this month. Zelensky and Trump have shown that an agreement is still possible.
