Former national security adviser John Bolton believes that President Trump’s upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin is a victory for Moscow, rather than peace talks. Bolton suggests that Putin’s arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) could have been waived, and that Geneva or Austria could be better sites for a neutral meeting. Trump announced the meeting after threatening to impose increased sanctions on the Kremlin to deflate funds for the war in Ukraine and pressure the Russian leader to agree to a ceasefire. Bolton also suggested that Ukraine would need to cede land to end the war with the potential to grab territory in a proposed swap. Trump said he would be fair to both sides in an effort to bring an end to the more than three-year-long war, but Zelensky has since pushed back on the proposal and argued that Ukraine should have a seat at the negotiating table.
Bolton praised the Trump-Putin summit as a significant victory for Moscow.
