VLADIMIR Putin is trying to manipulate Donald Trump to get what he wants, his former White House adviser has warned.
John Bolton, who worked with Trump during his first term, believes Vlad is trying to get his malicious hooks into the US President.
Fresh into his second term, Trump has started to thaw three years of isolation by the West by picking up the phone to Putin last month.
Following that was a 90-minute discussion, which helped to thaw the strained relationship between Moscow and Washington for the first time since Putin deployed his troops into Ukraine three years earlier.
Described by the American side as “lengthy and productive”, Trump announced immediate negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.
Even though Trump initiated a reconnection with Russia, he also fiercely criticized Zelensky and temporarily halted US military assistance to Ukraine following a heated argument with the wartime president.
Initially, some accused Don of being too accommodating towards Russia. However, he has now adopted a more rigid stance, warning of implementing a fresh set of sanctions and duties on Vlad unless he ceases the aggressive actions against Ukraine.
Trump did however say he finds Russia easier to deal with than Ukraine – saying he thinks they are doing “very well” in talks with the Kremlin.
Bolton, 76, who served as Trump’s National Security Advisor from 2018 to 2019 before a very public falling out, warned ex-KGB agent Putin will be trying to manipulate Donald as they get to the table.
He said sinister Putin will be using his sly tactics to try and “get what he wants” from the US president.
He told The Sun: “Trump thinks he and Putin are friends. That’s not what Putin thinks.”
Bolton – who worked at the very heart of Trump’s White House – has since been derided by Trump as him a “very dumb person” and a “warmonger”.
Trump has previously said he knows Putin “very well” and said they “get along great”.
But he has also repeatedly threatened Russia with tougher sanctions over the conflict – and said he is doing Putin a “very big favor” by trying to end the “ridculous war”.
Our interview with Bolton came as today Putin appeared to ignore Trump’s threat – and once again struck Ukraine, killing at least 14 people.
Bolton said he believes Trump admires figures like Putin, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un for their strength and “rule without contradiction”.
He told The Sun: “They’re kind of big guys – and Trump would like to be a big guy too.”
Trump vowed to end the war in 100 days – and has set about attempting to finally freeze the three-year conflict that has turned the fields on Ukraine into a blood-soaked meat grinder.
His adminstration believes they can bring Russia to the table and that Putin wants to end the war, while fearing the Ukrainian government will not “settle”.
Trump thinks he and Putin are friends. That’s not what Putin thinks.
John Bolton
Trump’s team are currently working to get Ukraine to sign a deal that would give them a stake in the country’s minerals – and open the door for further talks with Russia.
Ukraine however are calling for more security gurantees – with Europe offering to step up and help backstop them against Russia.
US and Ukrainian officials will meet this week in Saudi Arabia to continue discussions after the fierce meeting with Zelensky in the White House and talks in Kyiv, which featured the Ukrainian leader reportedly screaming at one of Trump’s envoys.
Bolton told The Sun “you don’t call your friends dictators” – noting Trump’s jibe at Zelensky.
He previously told The Sun how Putin has long been pouring poison in Trump’s ear – and used a phone call years ago to sway his view on Zelensky.
The former White House chief listened in to a bombshell call between them after Zelensky took office in 2019.
And he believes Putin’s twisted words may have sown the seeds for Trump’s blistering attack last week – in which he derided Ukraine’s hero leader as a “dictator” and a “modestly successful comedian”.
He claimed much of what Putin said appeared to reflect in Trump’s stunning blast last week.
Putin’s poisonous phone call
Exclusive by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital)
VLADIMIR Putin poured poison in Donald Trump’s ear about Volodymyr Zelensky the moment the Ukrainian president was sworn in, his ex-aide told The Sun.
White House chief John Bolton listened in to a bombshell call between the US and Russian leaders after Zelensky took office in 2019.
And he believes Putin’s twisted words may have sown the seeds for Trump’s blistering attack last week – in which he derided Ukraine’s hero leader as a “dictator” and a “modestly successful comedian”.
Bolton, who served as Trump’s National Security Advisor from April 2018 to September 2019, said Putin “belittled” Zelensky on the call.
He claimed much of what Putin said appeared to reflect in Trump’s stunning blast.
Bolton told The Sun: “Shortly after Zelensky was sworn in, Putin belittled him to Trump in a phone conversation in ways that I think really affected Trump.
“Putin said well we know this guy’s comedy shows on Russian television, and he’s okay as a comedian, and just implying he wasn’t up to the job of being President.”
He believes Trump’s scalding remarks could be traced back to the call he had with Putin six year ago.
Bolton said: “The business about being a dictator, that Zelensky is a mediocre comedian – I was on the phone, I heard Putin basically say exactly that.”
In the days after his tirade, Trump refrained from calling Putin a dictator when asked – despite his main opponent dying in jail a few weeks before Vlad won a rigged election last year.
He also said he trusts Putin and claims he wants peace after three years of bloodshed.
Trump and Zelensky’s tumultuous relations then came to a head last week as their White House meeting ended in a showdown.
Western leaders were left reeling as it appeared to bring an end to Washington’s united front against Moscow and unwavering support for Ukraine alongside them.
And this week Trump suspended shipments of military aid to Kyiv until Zelensky’s government shows a commitment to peace negotiations, a White House official said.
It is one of the most dramatic US foreign policy shifts of recent years and has raised eyebrows as almost taking Moscow’s side.
Trump repeatedly insisted he could quickly end the war in Ukraine while on the campaign trail – and has been pushing Zelensky to get on board with negotiations despite not allowing him into talks.
Zelensky and leaders of Western allied nations hit out after being left out of initial peace talks.
But Bolton believes Trump is being manipulated by a pally-acting Putin.
He added: “Putin would love nothing better than to sign the [Ukraine peace] deal with Trump, because he thinks he can get what he wants from Trump.
“He’s already gotten a large part of it. Trump has retreated from a full restoration of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. No Ukraine membership in Nato.
“So that’s fine with the Kremlin.”
