Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton said that the West is splitting from within, facilitating the strategic goals of Russia and China. In an interview with Nova TV, he emphasized that Vladimir Putin perceives Donald Trump as a figure who can be manipulated.
During the talks in Saudi Arabia, it was announced that an agreement on a ceasefire in the Black Sea had been reached, but according to Bolton, this was not final. Russia is demanding guarantees in order to resume its participation in international grain markets. He noted that even if such an agreement were reached, it would hardly lead to a complete ceasefire in Ukraine.
Bolton warned that Ukraine should prepare for a new Russian attack. According to him, Moscow has not yet achieved the goals set back in 2005, when Putin declared his intentions to restore the Russian Empire. He pointed out that NATO's failure to admit Ukraine and Georgia in 2008 led to the invasion of Georgia and later Ukraine.
Bolton expressed serious concerns about the possibility of Trump withdrawing the United States from NATO. He criticized European leaders, who he said were complicating the situation with their reactions to the American president. "As difficult as it is now with Trump, it would be a mistake for Europe to worsen its relations with him," he said.
Bolton criticized Trump's trade policies, including tariffs on cars, calling them "economic illiteracy". According to him, the last thing the world needs is another trade war when the real threat comes from China.
Bolton stressed that Trump sees Putin as his friend, but does not realize that the Russian president sees him as an easy target for manipulation thanks to his training in the KGB.
According to him, Trump is naive about international relations and that his supporters voted for him for domestic political reasons, not foreign policy.
Regarding the Signal leak scandal, Bolton said that this reflects Trump's chaotic style of governance. According to him, the future of the United States depends on how severe the political damage will be for the Trump administration.
Bolton was considered one of the closest people in the Trump administration to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to Israeli Ambassador to Washington Ron Dermer.
In May 2019, the "New York Times" published quotes from a longtime Bolton aide who claimed that "deep down" Bolton "thinks the president is a moron".
In September 2019, Trump fired John Bolton, stating categorically that he disagreed with many of his proposals.