Trump would not be 'capable' of holding Ukraine-Russia peace talks, says his former national security adviser John Bolton

Business Insider ^ | 3/27/22 | Joshua Zitser

[Its All Over Except ...]

Former President Donald Trump would not be "capable" of holding peace talks in Moscow between Ukraine and Russia to stop the ongoing war, said John Bolton on Saturday.

Bolton, who served as Trump's national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, said that such statesmanship would be out of Trump's character.

"He's not capable of it," Bolton told The Palm Beach Post. "This would require thinking through a policy and considering the pluses and minuses, the risks and costs involved. That's just not what he does."

Last Saturday, Trump said his personality kept the US out of war and added that Russian President Vladimir Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if he were still in office. 

The former president has repeatedly asserted that the ongoing war would not be happening if he was still in charge, Insider Lauren Frias and Sonam Sheth reported.

Bolton previously told The Washington Post that the only reason Putin didn't invade Ukraine during Trump's presidency is that he would've withdrawn the United States from the NATO alliance in his second term. 

"In a second Trump term, I think he may well have withdrawn from NATO," Bolton said, per the newspaper. "And I think Putin was waiting for that."

In his interview with The Palm Beach Post, Bolton reiterated his belief that Trump's objective was to "withdraw the U.S. from NATO or substantially limit" Washington's support for the defensive alliance.

"He was very negative on the institution," Bolton added. 

Bolton also told the local newspaper that Trump would have gifted Russia Ukraine had had won a second term as president.

Speaking to British radio station LBC last week, Bolton offered a negative assessment of how his former boss would have fared in this conflict. "If Trump had been re-elected, Putin would be in Kyiv already," he said.

[Dr. Franklin]

"He was very negative on the institution," Bolton added.

Er, Gee, has NATO demanded that Russia return the wreckage of Polish presidential Air Force jet they shot down after inviting President Kaczynski and other Polish legislators, cabinet members and other dignitaries to attend? It's only been twelve years now. By now it will probably have sold for scrap in retaliation for Poland's assistance to Ukraine. How hard is to figure out what happened there? NATO is worthless since the Germans in particular have sold out their neighbors for cheap Russian oil and gas.

Bolton, of course, is a war monger who shouldn't criticize his former boss's negotiating skills. Russia invaded no country when Trump was CIC.

[AnthonySoprano]

.
Bolton is just a Liar.

Biden is not capable of changing his depends, and everyone knows it.

He got lost at the G20 summit.

.

[traderrob6]

“Bolton’s an a**. I actually approved of him at one time.”

As did I......Hard for me to comprehend how I could be so monumentally wrong about him.

[hardspunned]

John, is that a wrench in your pocket, or are you just glad to see blood and mayhem all over Eastern Europe?

[Allegra]

There was a time way back when that I actually respected ol’ “Milk Mustache” Bolton, but now I see he’s just another assistant Democrat scumbag.

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

So what. There wouldn’t be a war if DJT was re-elected.

Let someone else run the fools errand.

[Its All Over Except ...]

Read post #6 by Robert Delong and then my response to him in post #20.

He is clearly an anti-Trump, Biden supporter.

[rockrr]

"He's not capable of it," Bolton told The Palm Beach Post. "This would require thinking through a policy and considering the pluses and minuses, the risks and costs involved. That's just not what he does."

That's exactly what Trump does you dolt. And he does it better than you.

[Williams]

Russia keeps seizing countries under democrats. Didn’t dare under Trump.

[grobdriver]

This would require thinking through a policy and considering the pluses and minuses, the risks and costs involved

Seems like the basic framework of any good business dealing.

I bet Trump would excel at it - without exacerbating the matter like a certain clueless lame-brain we know...

[AnthonySoprano]

[TChad]

Bolton’s an a**. I actually approved of him at one time.

So did I.

I suspect that Trump disapproved of Bolton's aggressive approach to foreign policy, and Bolton couldn't handle that.

[OpusatFR]

Bolton is mind-reading a reaction to a false scenario. He is making a fallacious argument about a situation that never happened during Trump’s presidency.

[mass55th]

If Trump was in office, there wouldn’t have been a need for Ukraine-Russia peace talks.

[BenLurkin]

“This would require thinking through a policy...”

What policy?

It’s peace talks.

The arbitrator doesn’t have a policy other than for the parties to arrive at a peace treaty.

[Skywise]

Like Bolton would be able to either!

[Ann Archy]

Bolton turned into a complete ASSWIPE! Trump has a special way of having people OUT THEMSELVES!

[Ann Archy]

BINGO!!!! GREAT POINT!

[TalBlack]

Of course the lying sack of shite Bolton understands that no president, especially in the modern age, could call all the shots and handle all the aspects of the job without the Cabinet.

[AnthonySoprano]