Former White House national security adviser John Bolton dismissed President Trump’s latest threat to impose sanctions on Russia, calling it a “totally hollow” attempt to appear balanced on the ongoing war in Ukraine.
During a CNN appearance on Friday, Bolton was asked about Trump’s shift in tone after previously signaling a closer relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He pointed to Trump’s recent tensions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, including heated exchanges in the Oval Office and public criticism of Ukraine’s leadership, as evidence that Trump’s tough talk on Russia was merely for show.
“He did it simply to try and show some kind of balance, given the things he had said about Zelensky and the Ukrainians,” Bolton told Anderson Cooper during CNN’s AC360. “I think Putin completely understood that that threat was totally hollow.”
Trump suggested on Friday that he was considering new sanctions and tariffs on Russia as a way to pressure Moscow into peace negotiations and bring an end to the three-year war in Eastern Europe. He claimed that Putin’s military was “pounding” Ukraine on the battlefield and that economic pressure could force him to negotiate.
As part of his warning, Trump floated the idea of imposing large-scale banking sanctions and trade tariffs on Russia until a ceasefire is reached. However, critics like Bolton argue that Trump’s rhetoric does not match his actions, and that Putin is unlikely to take the threat seriously given Trump’s previous soft stance on Russia.
With the war dragging on and international pressure mounting, Trump’s latest position is facing skepticism from both foreign policy experts and political opponents, who question whether the administration has a clear strategy for addressing Russia’s aggression.