Russian President Vladimir Putin needs a face-saving way out of his invasion of Ukraine, Fred Fleitz, former National Security Council chief of staff under President Donald Trump, told Newsmax on Thursday.
"I think we have to deal with the possibility that Putin may fear that if he ends this war and he perceives that Russia lost, he could be overthrown," Fleitz told "American Agenda."
Finding a negotiated option that makes it look like Putin gets a win even if he didn't, said Fleitz, may be the key to ending the conflict.
"So I think we're going to have to talk about ways to end the war, so ... the Russian people will not perceive of a peace settlement to be a loss for Russia," he said.
"There's something going on here, because Russia's not going to be able to continue this war indefinitely. It's going to take major hits from these sanctions."
Trump has warned of secondary sanctions against any country involved in importing from or exporting to Russia in a move many analysts say would cripple Russia's economy. Russia has said that would amount to a declaration of war.
Trump this week shortened the deadline for the sanctions if there is no peace agreement to less than two weeks.
Fleitz said the time to get something on the table and agreed to is right now, and the threat of sanctions may not be enough.
"We have to make some kind of a change, and it simply isn't the sanctions. I think it's going to have to be a different approach to negotiating with Putin," he said.
Also on Thursday, Matthew Whitaker, U.S. ambassador to NATO, told Newsmax that the secondary sanctions would seriously hurt China's trade with Russia, but he's not concerned that sanctions might bring those two nations closer.
"We hold all the cards as the United States of America. And most importantly, Donald Trump holds all the cards," he said.
"This isn't the last option that he has. If China and Russia want to join the world that follows the rules, does not invade other countries, does not kill and wreak havoc, then they're more than welcome to."
As time runs out on Trump's sanction deadline, no new negotiations have been announced.
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Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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