Washington DC [US], January 7 : Former US National Security Advisor John Bolton has expressed that while the Russian "invasion" of Ukraine would have come about irrespective of the Presidency in the United States, as of now, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been able to "stonewall" Trump; as Putin has "repeatedly refused to agree to a peace deal". Bolton also expressed his views about the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the role of the United States as a mediator under President Trump.
When asked whether he agrees with the US President's claims that the war would not have happened under a Trump presidency, Former National Security Advisor of the United States, John Bolton, told ANI on Tuesday, "I think the crisis would have come about at that point whether Trump was President still, or whether, as it turned out, Biden got elected. What Putin has been able to do now is stonewall Trump. He has repeatedly refused to agree to a peace deal, despite Trump basing part of his campaign for the Nobel Peace Prize on reaching an agreement between the two countries. I'm sceptical that anything will come of it... Overall, Trump's activities are focused on what it takes to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He has a short attention span and moves from one thing to another very quickly."
Talking about whether the western strategy towards the Russia-Ukraine has been effective, he added, "Russia's first invasion was in 2014, and they were getting ready for a second invasion. They had a lot to do to try to beef up their forces. They were unsuccessful, as we can see and after the 2022 invasion."
His remarks come as Zelenskyy met several leaders from the 'Coalition of Willing' during his visit to France.
Zelenskyy shared in a post on X that military officials from France, UK and the Ukraine worked in detail on force deployment, numbers, specific types of weapons, and the components of the Armed Forces required and able to operate effectively.
He also noted that discussions were held with the American side to ensure there are "no violations of peace".
Speaking to ANI, when asked if he was advising the White House today and what would be the priorities in 2026, Bolton said, "I would worry about the threat from China. I think that's the top priority really for the rest of the world in the 21st century. We've seen continued growth in Chinese military power. It poses a clear threat to peace and security in the South China Sea, around Taiwan and along the line of actual control with India. So China tops the list. Russia conducting an aggressive war in Ukraine would be the second. Iran and North Korea would tie for third place because of their continuing threats, in Iran's case to develop nuclear weapons and in North Korea's case to improve and expand its arsenal."
He underlined that in the wake of several threats to international peace and security, New Delhi and Washington DC should deepen working together.
"It's a very dangerous world out there- a lot is going on, a lot of threats to international peace and security that I think should require India and the US to work much more closely together".