DID Press: Former US national security adviser John Bolton criticized Donald Trump’s approach to Russia, saying Trump believes Vladimir Putin is his friend and assumes that good personal relations with the Russian president will automatically translate into improved ties between Washington and Moscow—an assumption Bolton described as a major oversimplification.
Bolton said Putin does not view Trump in the same way, but rather sees him as someone who can be influenced and manipulated, drawing on his background and training in the KGB to advance Russia’s political objectives.