John Bolton, former national security adviser under President Donald Trump, warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be “overplaying his hand” during ongoing peace negotiations with Ukraine.
In an interview with John Catsimatidis on the “Cats Roundtable” show on WABC 770 AM in New York, Bolton expressed concern that Putin’s continuing military engagement might backfire. “But as this war drags on, I think his position does get weaker,” Bolton said.
He pointed to the uncertain outcome of diplomatic efforts. “The real question is whether, between the efforts of the United States, the efforts of Europe to get a Ukraine-Russia ceasefire, it’s going to happen,” he noted.
Bolton emphasized that prolonged negotiations pose increased risks for Russia. “Putin has already gotten a lot of concessions for what he wants. He wants to hold on to the territory Russia’s seized in Ukraine.”
However, he cautioned that time may not be on Putin’s side. “I think at this point, he may be at risk of overplaying his hand with Trump.”
In a statement made just over a week earlier, Bolton appeared to adopt a more skeptical tone. “A ceasefire or peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is not happening in the near term. Although the White House sees the war as ‘senseless,’ it’s not senseless to Ukraine or Russia, albeit for very different reasons.”
Meanwhile, Turkey has expressed willingness to host another round of talks aimed at brokering peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has maintained that he will not proceed with negotiations unless a ceasefire is first established.
