U.S. President Donald Trump has said he may impose sanctions on Russia unless a ceasefire in Ukraine is reached—a threat that his former national security adviser has dismissed as empty rhetoric.
Commenting on Trump’s remarks, which the president made on social media, John Bolton told CNN that Trump was trying to demonstrate a balance with regard to Moscow and Kyiv and that Russian President Putin would not consider any such measures as serious.
Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment.
Why It Matters
In February, negotiations began between the U.S. and Russia to end the war in Ukraine. European leaders criticized the move, accusing Washington of sidelining Kyiv and making concessions to Moscow.
Bolton’s comments highlight concerns that Trump’s recent decisions, which include freezing aid and intelligence to Kyiv, have handed his Russian counterpart the upper hand.
What To Know
On Friday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was “strongly considering” banking sanctions and tariffs against Moscow unless Russia and Ukraine agreed to a deal to end the fighting.
He said that with Russia “pounding” Ukraine on the battlefield, he would impose the measures to get Moscow to the negotiating table.
Bolton, who worked in the first Trump administration from 2018 to 2019 and has become a vehement critic of the president, told CNN that Trump’s threats to impose sanctions and tariffs against Russia were “totally hollow.”
Analyzing Trump’s threats, Bolton said Russian exports to the U.S. last year were a relatively small $3 billion. He added that since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, the volume of U.S. imports from Russia had fallen by 90 percent, meaning tariffs would be “effectively meaningless.”
Regarding any new U.S. sanctions, Bolton said Moscow had already shown it could evade such measures, especially financial ones, so Putin would consider any such warning by the U.S. as empty.
On Saturday, Trump said in the Oval Office that Putin wanted peace in Ukraine and that Moscow was easier for him to “deal with” than Kyiv, which he said didn’t “have the cards.”
What People Are Saying
U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Based on the fact that Russia is absolutely ‘pounding’ Ukraine on the battlefield right now, I am strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions, and Tariffs on Russia until a Cease Fire and FINAL SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ON PEACE IS REACHED.”
John Bolton, a former national security adviser, said on CNN: “He [Trump] did it simply to try and show some kind of balance, given the things he said about Zelensky and the Ukrainians. … I think Putin completely understood the threat was totally hollow.”
What Happens Next
On Monday, Kyiv is set to send officials to Saudi Arabia to meet with their U.S. counterparts to discuss the conflict and moves toward peace.
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