Former CIA chief: Vladimir Putin can't be trusted, he only understands force

Russian President Vladimir Putin can't be trusted. He only understands force. US President Donald Trump should focus on strengthening NATO, not on friendship with the Russian president, former Pentagon and CIA chief Leon Panetta said in an interview with Foreign Policy.

The former US Secretary of Defense is convinced that NATO allies can continue to work together and develop both resources and weapons with or without the US. On the other hand, Trump is publicly convinced that America needs Greenland.

"Instead of President Trump seeking Greenland, it would make much more sense for our national security if he resolutely supported the NATO alliance. He would be much more important to our security, especially when it comes to the threat from Russia,” he said.

Panetta said he had seen intelligence on Putin when he was secretary of defense and director of the CIA. “The moment he came to power, he was in the role of secretary of defense,” he said:

“The bottom line is that Putin can never be trusted — he never has been trusted. Putin’s primary goal is to undermine the United States of America and to undermine democracies around the world. He is not a man who will say, ‘Please.’ The only thing Putin really understands is power. President Trump will eventually figure this out, as will any president who has dealt with Putin.“

Panetta also said there is a lot of confusion and uncertainty about exactly what Trump’s national security strategy is. He has argued that tariffs will improve the economy and that his relationship with Putin can somehow lead to peace. So far, none of that has worked — not even his negotiations with Iran.

Since taking office in January, Trump has sought to quickly end the war in Ukraine, but that has not happened. His recent comments about Putin reflect his growing frustration with the lack of progress on a ceasefire. "If I and the Russian Federation cannot reach an agreement to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I believe that this is Russia's fault ... I will impose secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming from the Russian Federation," he said.

Trump added that he was very angry after the Russian president criticized the authority of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump later reiterated his disappointment with Putin, but added: "I'm not happy, but: "I think we're making progress, step by step".