Karina Bovsunovskaya14:31, 08.03.25

Trump’s former adviser also noted that Russia has successfully learned to circumvent restrictions.

Former US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton said that the American leader’s threats of sanctions against Russia are empty. According to him, Trump is trying to show “balance” in relation to Ukraine and Russia. He said this on CNN .

Bolton stressed that both Trump and Putin understand that the US president’s threats regarding sanctions and tariffs against Russia are “absolutely empty.”

“He (Trump – UNIAN) did this in an attempt to demonstrate at least some balance, given the things he said about Zelensky and the Ukrainians,” the politician added.

Commenting on the US President’s threats, Bolton noted that Russia’s imports to America in 2024 amounted to less than $3 billion, which is a paltry sum compared to the volume of US trade with other countries of the world.

According to him, during the full-scale war in Ukraine, the volume of Russian imports to the United States has fallen by 90%, so “tariffs make no sense.”

Speaking about potential new sanctions, Trump’s former adviser believes that Russia has successfully learned to circumvent restrictions, including financial ones.

“I think Putin knew full well that this was a completely empty threat,” Bolton added.

(C)UNIAN 2025