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In an interview with WGIR’s Chris Ryan, former UN Ambassador and National Security Advisor, John Bolton discusses the Russian invasion of Ukraine; gives credit to the Ukrainians for their remarkable success in slowing Putin’s invasion and analyzes the Russian blunders in executing their attack; enumerates past mistakes made by the United States and the western powers which emboldened Putin to attempt this invasion; makes an assessment of Vladimir Putin’s mental state; suggests what should be done to assist the Ukrainians in their war effort; and answers how his old boss, Donald Trump, would handle the Ukraine crisis.
Ambassador Bolton is impressed by the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people which have held off an attack by the Russian army which has superior numbers and equipment. However, in his opinion, much of the Ukrainian success can be attributed to a series of mistakes by the Russians.
“They’ve attempted to attack far too many targets with inadequate resources. They are only now still getting the last of their 150,000 troops around Ukraine into the country, five days into the invasion.”
John Bolton points out a number of logistical problems which have slowed the Russian advance: an inability to concentrate their forces; tank columns have gotten lost and run out of gas; and a lack of a secure communications system.
Unfortunately for the brave Ukrainian resistance, Ambassador Bolton thinks that this will be a prolonged conflict with time on the side of the Russians.
Ambassador Bolton thinks that inadequate responses by the West to previous land grabs by Putin, America’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, threats of less than punitive sanctions, and a sense that the Western powers were not united gave Putin the belief that his invasion of Ukraine would go unchecked.
After numerous armchair psychologists have tried to get inside the mind of Vladimir Putin, Ambassador Bolton gives this assessment, “Maybe Putin is crazy, but I don’t think so. I think he made some mistakes here.”
The Ambassador goes on to explain that the negotiations which were held today were possibly a shrewd maneuver which gave the Russian army time to regroup and refuel their equipment. Also, the failed Russian helicopter raid on the airport outside Kyiv showed daring and creativity.
For Ukraine to continue in its war effort, Ambassador Bolton thinks that the following steps will be needed: war supplies to Ukraine need to be continued; despite opposition from the Biden Administration, the US needs to provide Ukraine with military intelligence; stop the sale of Russian oil to western Europe; impose a visa ban to the US and Europe for all Russian citizens; and possibly, expel any Russians who are currently travelling in the US and Europe.
In the last part of the interview, John Bolton answered how his old boss, Donald Trump, would have handled the Ukraine crisis.
“What Trump would have done is anybody’s guess. . .He did not have policies. He did not have a philosophy. He had one lodestar, what’s good for Donald Trump. . . I think the Russians would already be in Kyiv if Trump were still President.”