Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to put his top general in direct control of the war in Ukraine signals that Moscow is doubling down on its invasion and is unlikely to seek peace talks, Donald Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton said on Thursday.
Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu this week named Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov as overall commander for its “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Mr Bolton, 74, who served under former president Trump from 2018-2019, told The National the move amounted to Mr Putin further raising the stakes in Ukraine instead of signalling any interest in de-escalating.
“The decision to nominate Valery Gerasimov, the chairman of their Joint Chiefs of Staff, is a signal to me that Putin is pushing his chips in towards the centre of the table,” Mr Bolton said.
“This is his guy that he put in charge overall of Russian military forces. Now he's saying, you go in and fix this mess in Ukraine.
“So there's no way Putin can now lay this off on anybody else. As they say, he's got it all on the table right now. And that's another piece of evidence we're not going to have negotiations for him to back away from that.”
Experts have warned that the arrival of Gen Gerasimov in Ukraine's war theatre raises the likelihood of even more aggressive battlefield tactics. He will replace Army Gen Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed “General Armageddon”, who will become his deputy.
Mr Bolton, whom Mr Trump derided as a warmonger that would have started “World War Six” if he'd had his way, famously fell out with his former boss after he was unceremoniously fired via tweet.
They clashed on numerous issues, including Mr Trump's desire to invite the Taliban to Camp David for peace talks and the former president's friendly outreach to North Korea's Kim Jong-un.
Mr Bolton described Mr Trump's criticism of him as “juvenile”. Such is his disdain for the former president that he is weighing running against him in the 2024 presidential elections.
“I'm considering running. And I was prompted to do so because of the comments that Trump made about terminating the constitution so that he could be declared the winner of the 2020 election,” Mr Bolton said, playing down comments made in the British press that he had definitively decided to run.
Mr Trump, who announced his own candidacy in November, last month called for parts of the US Constitution to be “terminated” so he could claim victory in the election that he lost to Joe Biden by seven million votes.
The overall Republican response to the proposal to shred America's founding document amounted to a collective shrug of the shoulders.
“There hasn't been enough of a clear rejection of that among many of the potential Republican candidates,” Mr Bolton said.
He also lashed out at Mr Trump for failing to do enough to support Ukraine before the Russian invasion, referring to his efforts to withhold lethal military aid to Kyiv unless it investigated Mr Biden and his son Hunter, who previously worked for a Ukrainian gas company.
Mr Trump was “consumed with the idea that Ukraine was a corrupt state that was trying to bring him down in the 2020 election”, Mr Bolton said.
“All of this is utterly unrelated to the strategic interests the United States has had since 1945.”
The saga led to the first of two efforts to unseat Mr Trump through impeachment.
Bombing Iran
Mr Bolton, who detailed his time with Mr Trump in his book The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, was a staunch proponent for military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He continues to advocate regime change in countries with interests seen as hostile to the US and has long pushed for military action against Iran to stop it from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“The other way to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons is to overthrow the regime,” Mr Bolton said.
“I think, and have thought for 20 years, it should be declared American policy that we want a new government, hopefully one that's elected by the people.”
An ongoing, nationwide protest movement across Iran began in September following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22 year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman who died in morality police custody after wearing her hijab “inappropriately”.
“The ayatollahs are in their weakest position since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. When you put it on top of the widespread economic dissatisfaction, this is now not in dispute about a dress code,” Mr Bolton said.
“This is a direct ideological attack on the legitimacy of the Ayatollah … I'm not saying the regime is going to fall tomorrow, but I think it's gravely weakened at this point.”
Asked if he still thought the US or Israel should bomb Iran to prevent it from getting a nuclear weapon, Mr Bolton said they should if there were no alternative.
“If they're getting close [to building a nuclear bomb] and there's no other alternative, for the safety of innocent American citizens, innocent civilians all around the world, yes, I would I would use military force against their nuclear weapons programme.”
In Washington, the doctrine of “regime change” that was the guiding star for the George W Bush administration has been dropped in most policy circles after the costly conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mr Bolton, though, is unrepentant.
“Not for me,” he said when asked if he thought the concept of regime change had fallen from favour.
As Iraq prepares to mark 20 years since the US-led invasion, Mr Bolton insisted toppling Saddam Hussein was “fundamentally” valid.
“I acknowledge that the developments after that didn't go particularly well, and in every respect,” he said.
Mr Bolton last year raised eyebrows when he said he helped to plan coups. Asked which ones, exactly, he said only that the US should have done more to support the opposition to Venezuela's former president Hugo Chavez and his successor Nicolas Maduro.
“That was something that I felt was one of our greatest failures,” he said.
“I don't think we did nearly enough to help the opposition in Venezuela and it's one reason why I hope we don't miss the opportunity to help the opposition in Iran.
SOUTH%20KOREA%20SQUAD
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RESULT
Bayern Munich 3 Chelsea 2
Bayern: Rafinha (6'), Muller (12', 27')
Chelsea: Alonso (45' 3), Batshuayi (85')
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Results
Men's finals
45kg:Duc Le Hoang (VIE) beat Zolfi Amirhossein (IRI) points 29-28. 48kg: Naruephon Chittra (THA) beat Joseph Vanlalhruaia (IND) TKO round 2.
51kg: Sakchai Chamchit (THA) beat Salam Al Suwaid (IRQ) TKO round 1. 54kg: Veerasak Senanue (THA) beat Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) 30-25.
57kg: Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) RSC round 3. 60kg: Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 30-27.
63.5kg: Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE) 29-28. 67kg: Narin Wonglakhon (THA) beat Mohammed Mardi (UAE) 29-28.
71kg: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) w/o Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ). 75kg: Youssef Abboud (LBN) w/o Ayoob Saki (IRI).
81kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Khaled Tarraf (LBN) 29-28. 86kg: Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Emil Umayev (KAZ) 30-27.
91kg: Hamid Reza Kordabadi (IRI) beat Mohamad Osaily (LBN) RSC round 1. 91-plus kg: Mohammadrezapoor Shirmohammad (IRI) beat Abdulla Hasan (IRQ) 30-27.
Women's finals
45kg: Somruethai Siripathum (THA) beat Ha Huu Huynh (VIE) 30-27. 48kg: Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Colleen Saddi (PHI) 30-27.
51kg: Wansawang Srila Or (THA) beat Thuy Phuong Trieu (VIE) 29-28. 54kg: Ruchira Wongsriwo (THA) beat Zeinab Khatoun (LBN) 30-26.
57kg: Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Zahra Nasiri Bargh (IRI) 30-27. 60kg: Kaewrudee Kamtakrapoom (THA) beat Sedigheh Hajivand (IRI) TKO round 2.
63.5kg: Nadiya Moghaddam (IRI) w/o Reem Al Issa (JOR).
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Race card for Super Saturday
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$250,000 (Dh918,125) (Dirt) 1,900m.
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,200m.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Conditions $200,000 (Turf) 1,200m.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,600m.
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $300,000 (T) 1,800m.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 $400,000 (D) 2,000m.
7.30pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 $250,000 (T) 2,410m.
Results:
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m | Winner: AF Al Montaqem, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m | Winner: Daber W’Rsan, Connor Beasley, Jaci Wickham
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m | Winner: Bainoona, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: AF Makerah, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 | Winner: AF Motaghatres, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,600m | Winner: Tafakhor, Ronan Whelan, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Brief scores:
Toss: Rajputs, elected to field first
Sindhis 94-6 (10 ov)
Watson 42; Munaf 3-20
Rajputs 96-0 (4 ov)
Shahzad 74 not out
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Company%20Profile
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Racecard
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Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Law%2041.9.4%20of%20men%E2%80%99s%20T20I%20playing%20conditions
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Company%20Profile
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The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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