Ex-UN Ambassador: 'Putin Has Been Encouraged By The Weakness He's Seen' In Pres. Obama
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Dom Giordano spoke with former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT about both the crisis in Ukraine following the downing of a Malaysian Airlines flight in a rocket attack and the Israeli invasion into Gaza.
Bolton is certain that the Russians are behind the attack that killed 298 people.
"I haven't heard any evidence that contradicts the conclusion that it was either the pro-Russian Ukrainian separatists or maybe even Russian individuals themselves who shot the plane down. I don't have any reason to think this was on orders from Moscow. I think it was a mistake. I think they believed it was a Ukrainian government cargo plane," he says.
He also feels that President Obama is to blame for allowing Russia to have such a strong influence over the affairs of Eastern Europe.
"I think he's got to do a 180 on the policies he's been pursuing since the beginning when he was pressing the famous reset button. I think Putin has been encouraged by the weakness that he's seen. I would make some major changes. I would begin to arm and train the Ukrainian military forces. I'd do what George Bush tried to do in 2008; I'd put them on a path to NATO. I would substantially ramp up the sanctions," Bolton commented.
Regarding the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Bolton explained why he believes the Israelis are justified in their actions.
"The biggest threat from Hamas in the Gaza Strip to Israel is that innocent Israeli civilians are constantly being subject to rocket attacks fired from Gaza by Hamas, and they're not just small rockets any longer. They have increasing range and accuracy, can really get almost to the North of Israel and of course, when you have Hezbollah with equally long range rockets on its side, all of Israel's civilian population is now covered," he said.