VLADIMIR Putin and his Kremlin stooges would rejoice over Donald Trump’s plan to end the conflict in Ukraine, former national security adviser John Bolton has claimed.
The president-elect, 78, has vowed to resolve the almost-three-year meatgrinder conflict within 24 hours, but how he will do that remains to be seen.
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Just months before Trump troops back into the White House, Joe Biden gave the green light for Ukraine to use US long-range ATACMS missiles for attacks inside Russia.
The move was met with fury inside Moscow, with the Kremlin claiming Biden had thrown oil on the fire.
Russia has claimed its territory was struck by one of the American missiles in a blitz. It has sparked fears that the world spirals toward a global conflict.
Ending the war in Ukraine is one of the top foreign policy challenges in Trump’s inbox, but the terms of any settlement are unknown.
Bolton, who served in the Trump administration between 2018 and 19, dismissed the idea that the incoming president could solve the war in a day.
Trump will not take responsibility for any failure, the diplomat added.
“It has to be either Zelensky or Putin’s fault.
“This idea that it’s pretty simple to solve the Ukraine conflict doesn’t bear up under reality. It’s very complicated.”
Bolton believes Trump will pinpoint blame on Zelensky should talks break down because of the tycoon’s apparent affinity toward authoritarian leaders.
Trump has yet to put meat on the bones when it comes to his Ukraine policy, but Bolton alluded to remarks made by JD Vance,
He warned of the risks should a settlement resembling anything like what Vance suggested come to pass.
During an episode of The Shawn Ryan Show, Vance touted the idea of Russia retaining the land it had seized and a demilitarized zone would be created.
Still, Ukraine’s border would be protected to prevent another invasion by Putin’s troops.
Vance also suggested Ukraine would still remain sovereign, but Russia would get guarantees Kyiv wouldn’t join Nato.
Bolton rubbished this idea of a settlement.
“If that’s their idea of a compromise, they’re popping the vodka in Moscow because that sounds pretty much what their objectives are at the moment,” he said.
Bolton, who served as US Ambassador to the United Nations between 2005 and 2006, believes Putin wants to rebuild the former Russian Empire but warns that the tyrant has a long way to go to achieve that feat.
The Republican doesn’t think Putin would target the Nato members in the Baltic region.
But, he fears Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Moldova could be “at risk” of an incursion.
Who is John Bolton?
Former national security adviser John Bolton has had an illustruous career, serving under four Republican presidents in a variety of roles.
Bolton was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated from Yale Law School in 1974.
Bolton served under President Ronald Reagan as an Assistant Administrator of the US Agency for International Development for Program and Policy Coordination between August 1982 and 1983.
He also worked within the Department of Justice in the Office of Legislative Affairs between December 1985 and 1986.
George H.W. Bush named Bolton Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs. He served in this role between May 1989 and January 1993.
Bolton served under George W. Bush as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs.
He was named the US Ambassador to the United Nations in August 2005. Bolton remained in post until December 2006.
Bolton was a foreign policy advisor to then-Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012.
Bolton was appointed national security adviser in April 2018 until September 2019.
In September 2019, Trump posted on X that Bolton’s services were no longer required. He claimed he asked Bolton to resign.
Bolton hit back at the former president and told his followers on X he offered to resign from his post.
He claimed Trump told him: “Let’s talk about it tomorrow.”
Bolton is also an author and wrote the book The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, which documents his time as Trump’s national security adviser.
Bolton also doesn’t think Putin will be deterred if his ambitions in Ukraine are curtailed.
“If he’s momentarily blocked in Ukraine, I do think he’ll turn somewhere else,” he said.
Bolton stressed that Russia’s most paramount objective after ending the war was to obtain relief from Western sanctions.
The conflict, which has been raging since February 2022, has reached a stalemate – but Zelensky thinks the war will end sooner under Trump.
But Biden has managed to irk those in Moscow and some Republican critics – just two months before he leaves office.
Donald Trump Jr accused Biden of trying to start World War 3 before the change in government.
“The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has a chance to create peace and save lives,” he raged.
This idea that it’s pretty simple to solve the Ukraine conflict doesn’t bear up under reality.
John Bolton
Firebrand GOP congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene also took aim at Biden.
“On his way out of office, Joe Biden is dangerously trying to start WWIII,” she said.
“The American people gave a mandate on Nov 5th against these exact America last decisions and do NOT want to fund or fight foreign wars.
“We want to fix our own problems. Enough of this, it must stop.”
Russian parliamentarians have also lashed out at Biden, accusing the outgoing president of trying to escalate the war.
“This is a very big step towards the beginning of the Third World War,” Putin loyalist Vladimir Dzhabarov, deputy chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the upper house, said.
MISSILES APPROVED
Biden finally caved after Zelensky had been pressuring Washington to give the green light on using the missiles, which have a range of up to 190 miles.
Kyiv has wasted no time, already using the missiles to launch strikes.
Biden’s decision means Ukraine will be able to hit targets in Kursk, striking Russian ammunition facilities and providing much-needed relief to troops.
In response, Putin claimed the move crossed a red line and has greenlighted a new nuclear doctrine that threatens to use the weapons against the West.
“The Russian Federation reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in case of aggression with the use of conventional weapons against it,” Putin loyalist Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Putin and his attack dogs have hurled nuclear threats at the West over the course of the war but haven’t carried them out.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that North Korean despot Kim Jong-un could send 100,000 troops to help the Russian war effort.
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