'Putin saw Trump doing a lot of work for him,' according to John Bolton, which is why he waited to attack Ukraine.

Former President Trump's senior national security adviser believes that the one - term president has done "significant damage" to relations between the United States and Ukraine and encouraged Russian President Vladimir Putin during his tenure.

Trump's refusal to provide military assistance to Ukraine in 2019, while pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for information about then-presidential rival Joe Biden, according to former National Security Adviser John Bolton, showed Putin how little Trump cares about Ukraine.

"He clearly felt that Trump was despising Ukrainians. Bolton told the deputy news on Tuesday.

Bolton: Political Activist :

• Bolton, a prominent hawk in Republican foreign policy who earlier served as President George W. Bush's ambassador to the United Nations, worked hard within the Trump administration to secure the military aid that Trump ultimately refrained from providing, despite Trump's protests, and then left it. He claimed he did not regret not testifying during Trump's first trial, which considered Trump's attempts to trade Ukraine, but the broader probe "may have led to intolerable crimes."

• Bolton spoke to the news agency about his experiences in the Trump administration, including how Trump pushed Zelensky, influencing Ukraine's ability to dissuade or fight the invasion, and his thoughts on Trump's recent description of Putin as a "genius."

When asked whether he thought that Trump's counter-attempts might have been a cause for Putin's excitement in his attempts to take over Ukraine ? Bolton replied:

"He clearly felt that Trump was despising Ukrainians. I think that's had an impact. Just after Zelensky's election, but before his inauguration, there was a phone conversation between Trump and Putin."What do you know about him?  Trump enquired." Putin's retort was somewhat ironic. He said: "We in Russia know a lot about him" because they saw him on his comedy show on Russian television. The impression was "We think the guy's lightweight." Obviously, Trump didn't dispute that. But it was clear that Putin was waiting to see if there was any defense of Zelensky [from Trump], and certainly not there. "

"I believe Putin could have moved away from that conversation," Bolton continued, "which was reinforced in the view that Trump had no warm feelings for Zielinski."

When asked how he thought Trump's withholding of assistance to Ukraine played a role in the current situation, he said that "Ukraine's interference in the 2019 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections has had a significant negative impact on US - Ukrainian relations, certainly as long as Trump is in the White House. A lot of people ask, "How do I know if I'm doing something right?"

"Why did Putin wait until Biden became president?

Why didn't he go after Trump when he was in office? 

which is frequently used by Trump supporters to demonstrate how cruel or insane Trump was perceived to be, and that Putin awaited Biden. However, during the election campaign, things continued to deteriorate for Ukraine. And maybe Putin, like a lot of other people, thought Trump would win, and he'd just wait. But once the election was over, and Biden clearly won, a lot of damage was done. "

Wrap up his response. In the United States, there are still people who believe the DNC server exists, that Hunter Biden makes billions of dollars there, and so on." It all stems from this Trump obsession, based on his political future, which has made a really sensible conversation about bilateral issues between the United States and Ukraine very difficult. As far as there was an abnormal environment, it made it easier for Putin. I don't think it was an act, but it was a factor, that's for sure. "