Mounting sanctions, diplomatic isolation, and economic pressure from the Trump administration may be producing "cracks" inside the Kremlin, former National Security Council Chief of Staff Fred Fleitz said Sunday on Newsmax.
"It was generally thought that [Vladimir] Putin is not going to budge on the war in Ukraine, but I think it's possible that these efforts by Trump — sanctions, economic pressure, diplomatic isolation — are having an effect," Fleitz told Newsmax's "Sunday Report."
"It may mean there's some cracks," he added. "That may mean we can eventually make some pressure."
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is saying he's ready to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the Kremlin denied reports that the longtime official has fallen out of favor with Putin amid clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
Fleitz said Trump's cancellation of a Budapest, Hungary, summit may have angered Putin and fed tensions inside Russia's foreign policy ranks.
Lavrov's sudden willingness to meet with Rubio is also a potential sign that President Donald Trump's isolation strategy is working, said Fleitz.
Still, he said, that "doesn't mean Rubio wants to meet him."
Also on Sunday, Dan Rice, a former special adviser to the Ukrainian armed forces, agreed that Russia appears strained but emphasized the human toll of attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Rice, who is in Kyiv, said the Ukrainian capital is enduring heavy strikes that have left people adapting with backup batteries, generators, and other measures, and argued the way to pressure Moscow is to make Russia "feel the pain" on its own infrastructure.
Fleitz, meanwhile, framed sanctions and the possibility of wider international cooperation, including pressuring China to curb purchases of Russian energy, as central to pushing Moscow toward negotiations.
"If Chinese energy companies stop buying energy from Russia, this would be enormous," he said. "That would put enormous pressure on Russia."
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight’s special series and President Trump’s comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.