(Zero Hedge)—Somewhat to be expected, among the first to mount a full-on attack of President Trump’s planned Alaska summit with Russia’s President Putin set for next Friday is none other than former National Security Adviser John Bolton, who served in the first Trump admin.
Also to be expected is that he railed against the summit toward finding peace in Ukraine as playing into the Kremlin’s hands. He told CNN’s Kailtin Collins on “The Source” in a Friday interview: “Well, it’s very gracious of Putin to come to former Russian America for this summit. This is not quite as bad as Trump inviting the Taliban to Camp David to talk about the peace negotiations in Afghanistan, but it certainly reminds one of that.”
“The only better place for Putin than Alaska would be if the summit were being held in Moscow,” Bolton said. “So, the initial setup, I think, is a great victory for Putin.”
And of course, ultra-hawk Bolton invoked axis of evil type language in destribing Putin: “He’s a rogue leader of a pariah state, and he’s going to be welcomed into the United States,” Bolton added.
“I don’t think anybody would have objected, frankly,” the former adviser said. “I have a feeling this is sliding very quickly in Russia’s direction” – he described of Putin’s seeking to “take advantage” of Trump.
“We’re not quite back at February the 28th, in the Oval Office, when Trump told [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, ‘You don’t have any cards.’ But what’s happening is that Russia and the United States are discussing what terms they’re going to present to Zelenskyy, and it may well be that Zelenskyy has no choice here,” he also said. “Surrendering is always one way to get a peace deal.”
So there it is… the two leaders are still nearly a week out from their history-setting Alaska meeting and the narrative from both Republican and Democrat hawks is going to be ‘appeasement!’.
This is the same old playbook and talking-point.
But the reality remains is that Washington will have to bring the pressure on Zelensky to cede territory in Eastern Ukraine (and certainly give up Crimea, for starters) if real progress toward a final settlement is to be made.
Bolton dutifully gives CNN the type of simplisitc never Trump commentary its audience wants to here…
Bolton: This is not quite as bad, as Trump inviting the Taliban to Camp David to talk about the peace negotiations in Afghanistan, but it certainly reminds one of that. The only better place for Putin than Alaska would be if the summit were being held in Moscow. So the initial… pic.twitter.com/yUSn8Fyj5v
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 9, 2025
Yet this is the very thing Zelensky is vowing to never do. He said in a Saturday video address that “Ukrainians will not gift their land to the occupier.”
“Any decisions made against us, any decisions made without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace.” He then clarified Ukriane’s position further, “They will bring nothing. These are dead decisions; they will never work.”
Current and former officials like Bolton will now seek to highlight Zelensky’s words, and rush to his defense amid Trump pressure to make serious compromises.
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