US leader Donald Trump is trying to deceive the whole world by threatening Russia with “empty” sanctions. In this way, the US president wants to create the illusion of balance in his attitude towards Russia and Ukraine. This was warned by Donald Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton.
Points of attention
- The low volume of Russian imports to the United States compared to trade with other countries diminishes the significance of tariffs as a punitive measure.
- Putin remains unfazed by Trump's empty threats, understanding their lack of substantial weight in influencing Russian government decisions.
Bolton explained Trump's latest statements
According to the American politician, the Russian dictator realizes that Trump's new threats are empty words, so they have no impact on the Kremlin.
He (Trump — ed.) did this, trying to demonstrate at least some balance given the things he said about Zelensky and the Ukrainians.
John Bolton
Former national security adviser to Donald Trump
The American politician draws attention to the fact that Russian imports to the United States in 2024 amounted to just under $3 billion.
What is important to understand is that this is an extremely low figure when compared to the volume of US trade with other countries.
According to Bolton, Russian imports to the United States have fallen by 90% during the full-scale war. That is why tariffs make no sense.
As for future sanctions, one cannot ignore the fact that Russia has successfully learned to circumvent restrictions, especially financial ones.
"I think Putin understood perfectly well that this threat was completely empty," John Bolton emphasized.
