Russian President Vladimir Putin “does not want to negotiate a real peace deal” and he’s “not ready for concessions,” former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and Uzbekistan John Herbst told Newsmax Saturday.
Herbst said the Kremlin’s insistence on having veto power over any Western security guarantees following the Alaska Summit between President Donald Trump and Putin is evidence that Russia isn’t interested in real negotiation.
When asked if he could see the veto power happening, Herbst said, “No, because we’re not idiots.
“Putin started this war of aggression, breaking his own treaty commitment to Ukraine, which he signed personally in 2003, recognizing Ukraine’s borders. So this is just impossible.
“The idea of those security guarantees is to protect Ukraine from future Russian aggression. Putin’s insisting not only that he must be part of it, but he and China must be part of it … so this is just preposterous,” he told “Saturday Agenda.”
Herbst said Putin is “happy” that the United States didn’t heavily sanction him after the Aug. 8 deadline passed “for him to stop shooting.”
“And he thinks he has President Trump’s ear to talk about negotiations, but not actually to negotiate … He has refused to deal with Zelenskyy since pre-COVID, and he has no desire to see him now,” he said.
When asked what he believes Russia’s endgame is, Herbst said he agrees with Trump.
“I think President Trump was right when he said Putin wants to take all of Ukraine. And I think President Trump’s view is he wants to create a stable peace … for a secure, independent, and economically viable Ukraine. And so to achieve that, Putin needs to be persuaded. He cannot win this war right now,” he said.
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