By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-16 01:11:34 | Updated at 2025-03-18 03:48:29
2 days ago
John Bolton has revealed that Vladimir Putin likely wants to negotiate peace in Ukraine directly with president Trump so he can manipulate him.
The former national security advisor for Trump during his first term gave his analysis on peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on DailyMail's Welcome to MAGAland podcast.
'I think that what Putin wants is a conversation directly with Trump rather than having it worked out by subordinates,' Bolton told DailyMail's Welcome to MAGAland podcast.
'I think the reason for that is that Putin thinks he can get more from Trump directly. By manipulating him, which he's pretty good at, than by allowing subordinates to work the issue through.'
However, Bolton added that 'even a 30 day ceasefire is a complicated operational thing to carry out, because you've got troops that are engaged in combat.'
'I think that phone conversation has to happen,' Bolton added. Putin has said publicly he agrees in principle but he's got some specifics he wants to talk about.'
John Bolton has revealed that Vladimir Putin likely wants to negotiate peace in Ukraine directly with president Trump so he can manipulate him
Bolton said Putin believes in his ability to manipulate Trump and get a better deal than he would with intermediaries
Trump has repeatedly said he is ready to speak with Putin about peace in Ukraine
Putin said Thursday that he agrees in principle with a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but he emphasized that the terms are yet to be worked out and added that any truce should pave the way to lasting peace.
'The idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it,' Putin told a news conference in Moscow. 'But there are issues that we need to discuss, and I think that we need to talk about it with our American colleagues and partners and, perhaps, have a call with President Trump and discuss it with him.'
Putin, who launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, noted the need to control possible breaches of the truce and signaled that Russia would seek guarantees that Ukraine would not use the break in hostilities to rearm and continue mobilization.
'We agree with the proposals to halt the fighting, but we proceed from the assumption that the ceasefire should lead to lasting peace and remove the root causes of the crisis,' Putin said.
Trump has said there have been 'good signals' coming out of Russia and offered guarded optimism about Putin’s statement. He reiterated that he’s ready to speak with Putin and underscored that it was time to end the war.
While Bolton worked for Trump during his first term, the two have since had a fallout over their views on foreign policy.
He's described the ex-president as unfit for office and accused him of only caring about his own self-interests.
As one of his first actions during his second term, Trump removed Bolton's Secret Service protection - even though Bolton has credible threats against his life from the Iranian regime.
Bolton, who was fired during the president’s first term in 2019, later wrote a book whose publication the Trump administration unsuccessfully sought to block on grounds that it disclosed national security information.
Bolton previously said he wrote in Dick Cheney went he cast his ballot in 2020 and 2024.
To listen to the full interview and get all the latest news from the Trump administration, search for Welcome to MAGAland wherever you get your podcasts now.
