Bolton: Putin Will Try To ‘Persuade Obama To Support the Assad Regime’

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:

CARSON: "Mr. Ambassador, let's go back to Putin and Obama meeting today. The way we talked about it was the smack down before the sit-down. According to your analysis, you only think that maybe Putin did the smack down. So what are we to gain from this? Kevin Corke told us earlier very little potentially to come out of this meeting. What do you think?"

BOLTON: “Well, I think this meeting between Putin and Obama is going to be like a hot knife through butter. I think if question escape without making major confessions we should consider it a victory.

CARSON: "And why?”

BOLTON: “Because Putin knows what he wants out of this meeting. He's going to try again to persuade Obama to support the Assad regime. You know, the Obama Administration for 6 1/2 years has consistently said that Russia would partner with the United States to ease Assad out of power. That's been wrong from the beginning. It's wrong today. I think, though, that Putin's real ambition is relief from those Ukraine sanctions. He raised that with Obama when Obama called him after the Vienna deal on Iran was signed. I think that's his real aim. And I'm worried that, given the weakness and fecklessness of Obama's policy on Ukraine from the get-go, that Putin might make some progress on the Ukraine sanctions front.

CARSON: "Wow. Could be a very important meeting, then, even if little is accomplished. Mr. Ambassador, always great to get your insights. Thank you."