Putin is not capable of waging a larger war | John Bolton

my my response to Putin's remark as to earlier threats involving nuclear weapons is to say to him privately and publicly if Russia uses a nuclear weapon in Ukraine uh Vladimir Putin has signed his personal death warrant President Biden will host K starmer in Washington tomorrow for a series of talks focusing on Western support uh for Ukraine um the White House has said or times sources understand this evening that United States may allow Ukraine to use British and French missiles but not its own long range weapons inside Russia so yes to Western weapons yes to British and French missiles but none originating from the United States uh the overall use of Western weapons in uh in Russia by Ukraine is something that president zalinski has been calling for for some time he says Ukraine can't Prevail without them here's Anthony blinkin the US Secretary of State speaking to polish media today time and again the Ukrainian people supported by an extraordinary Coalition of more than 50 countries have demonstrated that they have the will and if we sustain it and we will the capacity uh to succeed so I have um I have no doubt about that let's speak to Ambassador John Bolton now former US ambassador to the UN and former National Security adviser good evening to you good evening glad to be with you Ambassador Bolton tell me what you make of what the times has been hearing this evening um from sources of two different governments so the governments of two different nations that is that the United States may allow Ukraine to use French and British missiles to attack inside Russia but won't allow it to use its own longer range weapons what do you make of that well that sounds consistent with the Biden administration's uh totally non-strategic approach after two and a half years to aiding Ukraine uh it's it's a policy that uh reflects the US and NATO therefore being deterred by Russia consistently uh by this threat of a wider war that Russia is not capable of waging so even though we failed to deter the Russian attack uh in February of 2022 the Russians have deterred us from aiding Ukraine in a careful systematic strategic fashion that could have this war in a very different place than it is now so look the Americans fear escalation is the moot point here okay well let's let's take that point uh uh on the conventional side uh where is the Russian army that's going to fight a wider war and by the way if they've got an army that can do that why isn't in Ukraine now making up for their pitiful performance over the past two and a half years I I don't think Putin has the capability over a year and a half ago the Biden Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the Russians were feeding their army into a wood CH chipper and it's just continued since then second on the threat of a potential use of nuclear weapons we've had testimony an open session of Congress from the intelligence community that said whenever Putin has rattled the nuclear saber there's been zero evidence that any nuclear forces have redeployed or moved into a higher state of alert I think Putin's been bluffing and we've fallen for the bluff well um just this afternoon Vladimir Putin has said lifting Ukraine missile restrictions would put NATO at war with Russia uh so that is his warning this afternoon um it's hardly surprising I mean he's taken a bit of time for him to say it uh in this particular round of discussions uh obviously we we've been you know running this story following this story very closely for around a week now um John look well can I address that because this is an important Point go if if you're if you're worried about what Putin said uh then then and and we react accordingly you're going to give him what we what he wants uh at absolutely no cost to him my my response to Putin's remark as to earlier threats involving nuclear weapons is to say to him privately and publicly if Russia uses a nuclear weapon in Ukraine uh Vladimir Putin has signed his personal death warrant hopefully that will have a deterrent effect um what should the United States do should they allow the use of long range missiles us longrange missiles should they allow their use by Ukraine uh inside Russian territory and should they go further still well I think there's a lot of things we could do further and should have done further much earlier in the war I think it's reasonable to have some uh us and NATO uh control over uh weapons that that could implicate uh uh Russia in a larger struggle uh particularly if they're aimed well behind uh the current lines and the and the current theater of operations uh but Ukraine has already done a substantial amount without a Russian response for example a significant portion of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Now lies at the bottom of the Black Sea and there's been no Russian retaliation uh I think there are other things we could do such as collapsing the Kurt straight Bridge uh entirely which would cut off a major Russia resupply route into the Kremlin look it's the position of every NATO member that we favor the full restoration of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial Integrity now do we mean that or do we not mean that look to pick you up on an earlier Point Putin doesn't have the capability to follow out his threats it's not going well for Russia in this war at the moment yet they've just taken delivery of a bunch of long rrange missiles from Iran surely via their via their Associates via their relationships with Iran China and Beyond surely we'd be naive to think that they don't have the capability to escalate this war significantly and we have the capability to obliterate them if they do if you don't believe in deterrence if you're frightened by everything your adversary does why bother to have a military in the first place it is a fact that there is a growing Chinese Russia axis with outliers like North Korea which is also supplying Russia like Iran which is supplying Russia like Syria like belus like Cuba Nicaragua and Venezuela uh you know we're still adjusting in the United States many people do not appreciate the full nature of this threat I think it's even more acute in Europe not understanding the threat posed by China uh we're we're living in an increasingly dangerous world and we have to adjust to it but one principle that NATO has always stood for when NATO members are threatened Ukraine obviously not not a NATO member but as the victim twice now in the last 10 years of unprovoked aggression if NATO doesn't defeat that aggression our adversaries all around the world will draw the appropriate conclusion one final one for you is what you made of what Donald Trump had to say about Ukraine in that US presidential debate him and carela Harris the other night he called for an end to the war he didn't say Ukraine should win the war that the US should support Ukraine to win the war he just said he wanted an end to the war that was notable what did you make of it well he was directly asked twice if he wouldn't say he favored Ukraine winning the war which as you rightly say declined to do I think that tells everybody all they need to know about how Trump approaches this he said he'd get zinsky and Putin in a room together and they'd resolve it in 24 hours that's obviously ridiculous somebody will be to blame for that failure won't be Donald Trump probably be zalinski uh and Putin and and Trump will resolve the war to Russia's satisfaction that's what's coming if he wins look really good to speak to you thank you Ambassador John Bolton a former US ambassador to the UN and former National Security adviser thanks for being with us on times radio