Charles Maines
Appearances
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Intel Hearing On Group Chat, Return To Office Mandate, Black Sea Deal
Morning, Michelle.
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Intel Hearing On Group Chat, Return To Office Mandate, Black Sea Deal
Well, I think it's important to look at it in a broader context. You know, Trump returned to office in January saying he wanted an end to the war in Ukraine. His efforts to craft a full ceasefire didn't work out. So the White House has really shifted tactics. It's pursuing smaller, limited ceasefires that work towards a wider peace.
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Intel Hearing On Group Chat, Return To Office Mandate, Black Sea Deal
So last week, it was that deal to end attacks on energy infrastructure, at least in theory. It hasn't quite held. And now the latest deal involves maritime passage through the Black Sea. Kiev and Moscow both promised to ensure safe passage to commercial vessels.
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Intel Hearing On Group Chat, Return To Office Mandate, Black Sea Deal
The catch, and it's a big one, is it's not clear when the partial ceasefire would begin or if conditions to put the deal in place could be met.
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Intel Hearing On Group Chat, Return To Office Mandate, Black Sea Deal
Well, they mostly come from the Russian side. The Kremlin issued a statement in which it made clear the deal would only come into force once the U.S. had lifted all sorts of sanctions-related entanglements to Russian maritime trade that were put in place because of Russia's invasion of its neighbor.
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Intel Hearing On Group Chat, Return To Office Mandate, Black Sea Deal
Things like plugging Russia's state agricultural bank back into the international payment system, giving access to Russian sea vessels in foreign ports, even just solving problems like getting Russian ships insured to haul cargo around the world. So, you know, in essence, Moscow is demanding the U.S.
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Intel Hearing On Group Chat, Return To Office Mandate, Black Sea Deal
resolve all sorts of complaints that had doomed an earlier United Nations-brokered deal that tried to get Russian and Ukrainian grain and fertilizer out to world markets in the first year of the war. That's when there were real concerns about global food shortages.
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Intel Hearing On Group Chat, Return To Office Mandate, Black Sea Deal
It is. But even for Trump, speaking yesterday, he sounded somewhat unsure the U.S. could meet all the Russian demands.
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Intel Hearing On Group Chat, Return To Office Mandate, Black Sea Deal
You know, the truth here is that the U.S. can't really remove all these barriers without European allies agreeing to do much the same. And Europe remains far more skeptical of Moscow and supportive of Kyiv. Meanwhile, Ukraine, you know, it's objected to what it sees as unilateral sanctions relief for Russia by the U.S.
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Intel Hearing On Group Chat, Return To Office Mandate, Black Sea Deal
Perhaps with that in mind, the White House also addressed Ukrainian demands, saying it would work towards the return of Ukrainian children and prisoners of war held by Russia. That's something that Kyiv has been asking Trump to press Moscow on. really ever since he came into office vowing to end the war.
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Intel Hearing On Group Chat, Return To Office Mandate, Black Sea Deal
You know, it does. Both Moscow and Kiev have accused one another of violating that energy infrastructure ceasefire, just as both have continued attacks on targets outside of that agreement. And because of all that, there's a lot of skepticism on both sides. This latest ceasefire deal will work.
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Intel Hearing On Group Chat, Return To Office Mandate, Black Sea Deal
In fact, sometimes it feels like the Trump administration is its own best cheerleader in this process, optimistic, whatever the truth on the ground.
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Trump Meets Syria's President, Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks, RFK Jr. On Capitol Hill
Yeah, sure. You know, to a degree, I think you can credit efforts by the Trump administration to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, even if at times those efforts skewed heavily in Russia's favor. Because this meeting, it comes amid wrangling between Moscow and Kiev to show President Trump they're the more serious party for peace, or at least the other is an obstacle to it.
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Trump Meets Syria's President, Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks, RFK Jr. On Capitol Hill
You know, it does seem that way. This latest maneuvering began after Russian President Vladimir Putin unilaterally called for a three-day ceasefire around events marking the Soviet victory in World War II. That was last week. Ukraine never agreed, but only because it said, why just three days? We could have a longer ceasefire.
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Trump Meets Syria's President, Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks, RFK Jr. On Capitol Hill
That idea got backing from Europe and the U.S., who, to give it some teeth, threatened new sanctions if Putin didn't commit to an immediate 30-day ceasefire. But instead, Putin made a counteroffer. He called for direct talks with Ukraine starting Thursday in Istanbul. Let's listen.
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Trump Meets Syria's President, Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks, RFK Jr. On Capitol Hill
So here Putin says military operations are ongoing, a war is happening, and we are offering to return to negotiations, adding what could be bad about that.
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Trump Meets Syria's President, Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks, RFK Jr. On Capitol Hill
Well, it certainly appears strategic. President Trump endorsed the idea and demanded Ukraine participate. And that's forced Europe to hold off on new sanctions against Russia for now. So it's bought Moscow some time.
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Trump Meets Syria's President, Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks, RFK Jr. On Capitol Hill
Well, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he'll be there and he's challenged Putin to show up, even as he's expressed skepticism over Putin's motives. So here Zelensky says he doesn't believe Putin actually wants to end the war or a ceasefire, and that this is essentially all just a stalling tactic.
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Trump Meets Syria's President, Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks, RFK Jr. On Capitol Hill
Well, you know, the Kremlin routinely presents Zelensky as illegitimate, so there are reasons to doubt Putin would engage directly. But enter President Trump, currently in the Middle East, as we just heard, who suggested he might stop by for the talks. That's prompted speculation Putin might as well, although it would certainly involve a lot of stars aligning, probably too many.
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Trump Meets Syria's President, Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks, RFK Jr. On Capitol Hill
Well, if Trump, Putin, and Zelensky really do gather in a room together, I think anything could happen. But without them, some kind of ceasefire seems the best hope. And even that would take some doing. The Kremlin sees an extended truce as a way for Ukraine to rearm at a moment when Russia has the battlefield advantage.
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Trump Meets Syria's President, Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks, RFK Jr. On Capitol Hill
And Russia's demanding a stop to all Western arms shipments to Ukraine as a result.
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Trump Meets Syria's President, Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks, RFK Jr. On Capitol Hill
Thank you.
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Trump's Talk With Putin, Israel's Incursion, Weather Service Budget Cuts
You know, both sides were really complimentary about the tone of the conversation itself, which Trump called excellent and Putin said was constructive and useful. But the two leaders seemed at odds about what had actually been achieved. Trump took to social media to say Russia had agreed to immediately start ceasefire talks and, more importantly, in Trump's words, seek an end to the war.
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Trump's Talk With Putin, Israel's Incursion, Weather Service Budget Cuts
But in a brief statement to journalists, Putin suggested he was in no hurry. So here Putin says he agreed with Trump to work with Ukraine on a memorandum about a possible future peace deal, but made clear all sorts of details needed to be worked out before they could possibly lead to a ceasefire of some defined length.
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Trump's Talk With Putin, Israel's Incursion, Weather Service Budget Cuts
Moreover, Putin again emphasized that any peace deal would still have to address what he called the root causes of the conflict. That's always been Kremlin speak for Russia's fundamental desire to control Ukraine, and Ukraine knows it.
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Trump's Talk With Putin, Israel's Incursion, Weather Service Budget Cuts
Well, I think it's first important to point out that Trump held talks with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky before the Putin conversation and after. So Trump is certainly giving Zelensky time and attention. But Zelensky has to be sensitive to offending Trump's desire to show progress here or at least not appear to be seen as an obstacle to peace.
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Trump's Talk With Putin, Israel's Incursion, Weather Service Budget Cuts
All the more so because Trump is also suggesting new business opportunities for both Russia and Ukraine once the fighting ends. So speaking after the calls, Zelensky repeated Ukraine's support for a full and immediate ceasefire, even as he really made clear he does not trust Putin's motives in these negotiations or Putin's blurring of the language of peace. Let's listen.
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Trump's Talk With Putin, Israel's Incursion, Weather Service Budget Cuts
You know, Putin's refusal to sign to this ceasefire deal puts Europe in an odd position. You know, do you let Trump's peace efforts play out or risk undermining them with pressure on Moscow now? That said, even if Europe does choose to impose additional sanctions, Russian analysts say the Kremlin fundamentally doesn't see it as a threat.
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Trump's Talk With Putin, Israel's Incursion, Weather Service Budget Cuts
Here's Ivan Timofeev with the Russian International Affairs Council in Moscow.
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Trump's Talk With Putin, Israel's Incursion, Weather Service Budget Cuts
So the result, says Timofeev, is that Russia remains convinced it can simply afford to continue the conflict if or when these peace negotiations break down. So Moscow really sees little incentive to compromise here.
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Russia-Ukraine 1000 Days, Hong Kong Activists Sentenced, Trump And Your Money
We don't have any word from Kyiv yet. But if the claim is true, it appeared to be the direct result of the Biden administration's decision, reported by NPR and others, that it had lifted restrictions on Ukraine's use of long-range Western weapons to target inside Russia.
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Russia-Ukraine 1000 Days, Hong Kong Activists Sentenced, Trump And Your Money
Well, not directly, but Russian President Vladimir Putin today signed a decree updating his country's nuclear doctrine, in effect expanding Russia's options for carrying out a nuclear strike in what would appear a response to the U.S. 's decision.
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Russia-Ukraine 1000 Days, Hong Kong Activists Sentenced, Trump And Your Money
Under the new changes, Russia now reserves the right to respond with a nuclear strike to a conventional attack by countries supported by a nuclear power. Now, I should add these changes had been previously announced, but it's hard not to see the timing of its signing as a coincidence.
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Russia-Ukraine 1000 Days, Hong Kong Activists Sentenced, Trump And Your Money
Well, it's transformed Russia utterly. Everything from its geopolitics, where Russia now embraces military alliances with anti-Western rogue states like Iran and North Korea. to its domestic political culture. Russia under President Vladimir Putin was never a liberal bastion, but the repressions of seemingly any dissent since the war started make the earlier Putin years seem comparatively free.
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Russia-Ukraine 1000 Days, Hong Kong Activists Sentenced, Trump And Your Money
And then there's the economy. Today, Russia is the world's most sanctioned state, but those are largely Western-imposed sanctions. So big-name Western companies like McDonald's, Apple, and Starbucks, they've all left. But the country has pivoted to new markets and new trade partners, often in China. So the result is that most of what you buy and what you say, read and watch, it's all changed.
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Russia-Ukraine 1000 Days, Hong Kong Activists Sentenced, Trump And Your Money
Yeah, you know, the government claims that Russian society is united behind the war effort and state polls would support that. But some would certainly point to the repressions that you mentioned earlier. Meanwhile, we've got tens of thousands of Russians who fled the country in opposition to the war, thousands more who've gone to jail for civil disobedience at home.
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Russia-Ukraine 1000 Days, Hong Kong Activists Sentenced, Trump And Your Money
And just in conversations I have regularly with people who aren't government critics or politically active per se, they just tell me they wish the whole thing would end.
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Russia-Ukraine 1000 Days, Hong Kong Activists Sentenced, Trump And Your Money
You know, I think it's fair to say there's been a surging confidence in Moscow with Trump's suggestions that he may end military support to Ukraine, a big part of it. But there's also just a feeling that Russia, which faced repeat setbacks early on in the war, can now just outlast Ukraine, whatever Trump ends up doing.
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Russia-Ukraine 1000 Days, Hong Kong Activists Sentenced, Trump And Your Money
Thank you.
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Russia-Ukraine 1000 Days, Hong Kong Activists Sentenced, Trump And Your Money
Hi there.
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Russia-Ukraine 1000 Days, Hong Kong Activists Sentenced, Trump And Your Money
Well, Russia's defense ministry today said Ukraine had carried out its first attacks on Russian territory using American-made long-range attackums. Now, according to the ministry, Ukraine fired six of these missiles on Russia's western Bryansk region, five of which Russian air defenses destroyed mid-flight, and the sixth the ministry claimed to have downed. No injuries were reported.
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Ukraine Talks, U.S. Health Agency Cuts, NYC Mayor Eric Adams Fallout
Well, the meeting was a direct result of that phone call last week between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which these two leaders agreed to pursue this negotiated end to the war in Ukraine. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as we heard, headed the U.S. delegation, along with White House envoy Steve Witkoff,
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Ukraine Talks, U.S. Health Agency Cuts, NYC Mayor Eric Adams Fallout
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz as well, who said that they showed up determined to get things done.
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Ukraine Talks, U.S. Health Agency Cuts, NYC Mayor Eric Adams Fallout
Now, these talks paced out at about four and a half hours. Both sides described them as positive, as serious. They also made clear this was just an initial step towards more negotiations to end the war. They didn't expect to solve it in one day.
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Ukraine Talks, U.S. Health Agency Cuts, NYC Mayor Eric Adams Fallout
Yeah, no, that's right. Ukraine was not even invited, although both Trump and the Kremlin say Ukraine will be involved in some way at some point. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Kiev won't recognize any deals that are done without Ukraine. And Europe, of course, has been upset about being sidelined, an issue they see as key to European security.
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Ukraine Talks, U.S. Health Agency Cuts, NYC Mayor Eric Adams Fallout
Yet the American delegation, Waltz in particular, pushed back against this idea that somehow Kiev or Europe was being ignored. He said, no, this was just shuttle diplomacy. You talk to different sides and pass on what they have to say.
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Ukraine Talks, U.S. Health Agency Cuts, NYC Mayor Eric Adams Fallout
It certainly feels like it's headed that direction. Both sides said they would move forward with plans for a meeting between Trump and Putin. They've now agreed to meet face to face. So by all accounts, Russia's isolation over its actions in Ukraine appear over.
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Ukraine Talks, U.S. Health Agency Cuts, NYC Mayor Eric Adams Fallout
In fact, after the talks, Lavrov spoke about how it wasn't normal for big countries like the US and Russia to not engage as they hadn't during the Biden years. But things were different now. I think it's very useful. So here he says that the talks were useful and for the first time in a long time, Russia felt not just heard, but listened to.
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Ukraine Talks, U.S. Health Agency Cuts, NYC Mayor Eric Adams Fallout
Well, President Trump has said Ukraine must give up both its NATO ambitions and territory to Moscow. These are two key Russian demands that have really fed fears that Ukraine won't have a say in its own future. But Secretary of State Rubio, as we heard in that intro, says he wants a deal acceptable to all parties.
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Ukraine Talks, U.S. Health Agency Cuts, NYC Mayor Eric Adams Fallout
How that works, where borders are drawn, I don't think anybody knows, including Rubio. But there's clearly a concern in Ukraine that while Kiev wants a just peace agreement, Trump just wants peace. And because of that, and because Moscow has the upper hand, both on the battlefield and around the negotiating table, they're nervous.
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Biden's Pardon Backlash, Protests in Georgia, Offensive In Syria
Well, it was another tense night in the capital of Tbilisi, but there seems to be a pattern emerging. Every evening, mostly peaceful protesters, now in the tens of thousands, gather outside the parliament. And every evening, we see heavy police presence disperse them using tear gas and water cannons.
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Biden's Pardon Backlash, Protests in Georgia, Offensive In Syria
And then things seem to devolve into more pitched battles between smaller groups of demonstrators who clearly came prepared. They're wearing gas masks, armed with pyrotechnics, in other words, fireworks that they shoot back at security forces. And there have been reports of injuries from both sides, including over 100 police. We don't have figures for the protesters, but there are clearly more.
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Biden's Pardon Backlash, Protests in Georgia, Offensive In Syria
And at least 220 people have been arrested so far, some amid some pretty aggressive policing.
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Biden's Pardon Backlash, Protests in Georgia, Offensive In Syria
Well, you know, you mentioned the decision to suspend talks with the European Union. The government indeed said it won't engage with the EU until 2028. As to why, the answer lies in recent parliamentary elections. An October vote in Georgia saw the ruling Georgian Dream Party claim victory with some 54% of all ballots. a result that was certified, by the way, by the Election Commission.
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Biden's Pardon Backlash, Protests in Georgia, Offensive In Syria
The opposition argues those results were rigged, and as of last week, the European Parliament agreed. They're calling now for a do-over. That's infuriated the Georgian Dream government, but of course also galvanized supporters of the opposition. People like Bochum Sikaladze, a sailor from the Georgian Navy I met at an earlier rally, he told me he'd always hoped the crowds would come.
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Biden's Pardon Backlash, Protests in Georgia, Offensive In Syria
Well, you know, it's important to point out that even before these protests, this election was seen by the opposition as a critical vote to get Georgia back on track with the EU and the West in general. Over the past year, Georgian Dream has legislation and positions that seem to echo Kremlin policies that have really been used to crack down on freedoms here in Russia.
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Biden's Pardon Backlash, Protests in Georgia, Offensive In Syria
Well, you know, clearly the opposition, and in particular the country's pro-EU president, Salome Zor-Rashidi, thinks so. Whether or not that's true, they've amped these claims in order to rally the West to their cause. And to a degree, it's working. The U.S. froze a strategic partnership agreement it had with Georgia.
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Biden's Pardon Backlash, Protests in Georgia, Offensive In Syria
Baltic countries, of course, also former Soviet republics, have imposed sanctions on Georgian Dream's leadership. But Georgian Dream is also digging in. The prime minister has vowed no negotiations with the opposition. And the government argues its problems with the West are overhyped and really temporary. They argue things will quickly settle down once Donald Trump gets into office in January.
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Biden's Pardon Backlash, Protests in Georgia, Offensive In Syria
Thank you, Leila.
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Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs, Trump Grows Frustrated With Putin, CPAC Hungary
Morning, Michelle.
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Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs, Trump Grows Frustrated With Putin, CPAC Hungary
You know, this began with Trump expressing anger over Russia's intense bombing of cities across Ukraine over the weekend. Trump initially said Putin had gone absolutely crazy and threatened potential sanctions. That was on Sunday. Two days later, Trump reminded Moscow that if it hadn't been for him, quote, really bad things would have already happened to Russia.
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Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs, Trump Grows Frustrated With Putin, CPAC Hungary
He warned Putin he was playing with fire. And then yesterday, Trump said he was disappointed that Russia had continued attacks while negotiations were ongoing. Yet on this issue of hitting Russia with new sanctions or some other response, Trump made clear he's not there yet.
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Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs, Trump Grows Frustrated With Putin, CPAC Hungary
Well, some Kremlin officials have called Trump misinformed, arguing Trump wasn't aware of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia over the week. More, they also point to a deal Ukraine signed yesterday with Germany to produce long-range weapons capable of striking inside Russia in the future. But overall, the Kremlin's strategy appears to be not antagonizing Trump. President Putin has said nothing.
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Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs, Trump Grows Frustrated With Putin, CPAC Hungary
Meanwhile, his spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, has repeatedly complimented Trump's effort to end the conflict, while reminding these are complex negotiations full of nuances. Now, critics will say, of course, that it's just more foot-dragging by Moscow as fighting continues.
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Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs, Trump Grows Frustrated With Putin, CPAC Hungary
And yet Russia's foreign minister announced last night he was now ready to pick up talks where they left off, calling for a meeting with Ukraine and Istanbul, Turkey next Monday, when each side can present documents outlining their vision for an eventual peace deal.
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Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs, Trump Grows Frustrated With Putin, CPAC Hungary
Well, the presumption is they will, because Kiev needs to show Trump that Ukraine's not the obstacle to peace here. Certainly that was the case in the first round of talks in Istanbul, negotiations that were proposed by Putin amid earlier sanctions threatened by Trump, although Putin then undermined those very talks by sending a relatively low-level delegation.
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Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs, Trump Grows Frustrated With Putin, CPAC Hungary
Well, I'd say never say never, not least because Trump has suggested he may be willing to meet with Putin and Zelensky to hammer out a deal. But Ukraine is already accusing Russia of massing troops along its border for a new summer offensive. And Russia's lead negotiator has publicly drawn comparisons between Ukraine and a war Russia had with Sweden back in the 1700s that went on for 21 years.
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Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs, Trump Grows Frustrated With Putin, CPAC Hungary
The clear message there that no matter how long it takes, we'll get what's ours. So Trump may face this vaccine question that's really been there ever since he waded into the Ukraine conflict at the beginning. What to do if or when he decides Russia isn't serious about wanting to end the war.
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Court Blocks Most Trump Tariffs, Trump Grows Frustrated With Putin, CPAC Hungary
Thank you.
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Trump Changes Tone On Tariffs, Russia And Ukraine, Education Executive Orders
Morning.
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Trump Changes Tone On Tariffs, Russia And Ukraine, Education Executive Orders
Well, I think it's important to point out the White House has yet to publicly offer specifics on this peace plan, but it's clear it heavily favors Russia on paper. J.D. Vann said this deal would lock in the current front lines or something close to it.
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Trump Changes Tone On Tariffs, Russia And Ukraine, Education Executive Orders
But the latest dust up with Ukraine involves Zelensky's refusal to acknowledge the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia took from Ukraine in 2014 yesterday. as now formally part of Russia. This is apparently a component of this U.S. peace deal and the non-starter for Ukraine.
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Trump Changes Tone On Tariffs, Russia And Ukraine, Education Executive Orders
You know, as to Russia's reaction, the Kremlin only said it welcomed American negotiation efforts, which, by the way, pick up again this week when White House envoy Steve Witkoff heads to Moscow.
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Trump Changes Tone On Tariffs, Russia And Ukraine, Education Executive Orders
Well, Trump seems to say he wants peace now, and he clearly sees leverage over Kyiv as the quickest way to get there. I recently met with Sergei Plurtaev. He's the founder of a political and security platform, VATFOR, in Russia. And he argues Trump isn't offering Moscow concessions, rather acknowledging the facts on the ground. Let's listen.
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Trump Changes Tone On Tariffs, Russia And Ukraine, Education Executive Orders
So here, Polovtaev says this is what Russia secured to battle, what it gained by force, not anything Trump, quote, gave us. And Polovtaev, I think, reflects a common view here in Russia that there's not a whole lot Trump can do to change the current battlefield dynamics unless Trump is willing to get more involved in Ukraine.
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Trump Changes Tone On Tariffs, Russia And Ukraine, Education Executive Orders
And based on everything he's done and said, that looks very, very unlikely.
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Trump Changes Tone On Tariffs, Russia And Ukraine, Education Executive Orders
Not entirely, because in Moscow's eyes, Trump can deliver some things quicker through diplomacy than Moscow can achieve militarily, which is why I think you see Putin offering proposals like this recent Easter Day ceasefire or possible direct talks with Ukraine to stop attacks on civilians. You know, is that real progress? Probably most would say no.
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Trump Changes Tone On Tariffs, Russia And Ukraine, Education Executive Orders
But Russia's continuance attacks and also it's shown almost no flexibility in the actual negotiations towards ending the war.
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Trump Changes Tone On Tariffs, Russia And Ukraine, Education Executive Orders
Because they want more, you know, including a change of leadership in Kiev, perhaps with U.S. backing. So Moscow is happy to amplify White House frustrations with Zelenskyy. You know, Putin's other approach here has been to expand negotiations.
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Trump Changes Tone On Tariffs, Russia And Ukraine, Education Executive Orders
You know, he's inflexible on Ukraine, but extremely flexible when it comes to other deals with the U.S., whether that's investment opportunities, prisoner exchanges, even helping with negotiations with Iran. So Putin is making himself very useful to Trump and making it very hard to walk away. You know, think of it as Putin's own version of the art of the deal.
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Trump Changes Tone On Tariffs, Russia And Ukraine, Education Executive Orders
Thank you, Michelle.
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Russia Mulls Ceasefire, EPA Rollbacks, Iran Rebuffs Trump
Well, yesterday, the Kremlin spokesman said Moscow wanted to hear detailed information directly from the Americans. And today we learned they're getting it on multiple fronts. White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrived this morning for talks with Kremlin officials. That's his second trip to Moscow since he negotiated the release of an American schoolteacher last month.
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Russia Mulls Ceasefire, EPA Rollbacks, Iran Rebuffs Trump
Meanwhile, Putin's advisor, Yuri Shakov, said he'd been in direct telephone contact with U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Waltz was one of the key U.S. negotiators in talks with the Ukrainians, and Ushakov made clear Moscow found the U.S.
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Russia Mulls Ceasefire, EPA Rollbacks, Iran Rebuffs Trump
So here Ushakov says Russia saw the ceasefire as simply an opportunity for Ukraine to regroup and rearm. And he went on to repeat that Moscow wants a long-term end to the conflict that takes into account Russia's security interests, something the Kremlin has said often, frankly.
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Russia Mulls Ceasefire, EPA Rollbacks, Iran Rebuffs Trump
Not necessarily. I mean, that's what Witkoff is in Moscow to discuss. But clearly, these two sides are far apart. Keep in mind, Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously said quite explicitly he would not accept a temporary ceasefire because he wanted a peace that addressed, in his words, the root of the conflict.
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Russia Mulls Ceasefire, EPA Rollbacks, Iran Rebuffs Trump
Now, that's Kremlin speak for Russia's demands that NATO retreat from Russia's borders and, of course, forego Ukraine. There's also this. So last night, Putin dressed in military camouflage with state media cameras in tow, visited army headquarters in the Russian region of Kursk.
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Russia Mulls Ceasefire, EPA Rollbacks, Iran Rebuffs Trump
Now, that's where Russian troops appear to be finally on the verge of driving out occupying Ukrainian forces who've been there for months. So this was essentially a propaganda tour. And while Putin made no mention of the Ukrainian ceasefire offer, it certainly felt like he was signaling he preferred a military solution. He told his generals to essentially crush the enemy.
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Russia Mulls Ceasefire, EPA Rollbacks, Iran Rebuffs Trump
Well, that's certainly the point made by more nationalist voices inside Russian society. They say this proposal by Ukraine is really an attempt to use diplomacy to stave off defeat militarily. The catch is that while that may be true in Kursk, where it seems as though Russian forces are genuinely making big gains, it's a harder slog in actual occupied Ukraine.
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Russia Mulls Ceasefire, EPA Rollbacks, Iran Rebuffs Trump
Meanwhile, polls show a majority of Russians want an end to the conflict in some fashion. And so given that, you know, does Putin risk alienating Donald Trump, given what at least so far has been a very favorable climate of negotiations?
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Russia Mulls Ceasefire, EPA Rollbacks, Iran Rebuffs Trump
Well, we'll have to see. You know, Trump has suggested at times that he'll get tough with Moscow through new sanctions if the Kremlin fails to sign on to this deal. But Trump's team has already gone on record also saying no to Ukraine's membership in NATO, no to Ukraine regaining all its territory, and it's put in doubt its commitments to European allies.
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Russia Mulls Ceasefire, EPA Rollbacks, Iran Rebuffs Trump
So you have to think that even if Putin doesn't agree with this ceasefire deal as it's presented now, he'll be looking for ways to present counteroffers and keep the White House engaged.
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Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
Good morning, Michelle.
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Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
Well, you know, sometimes after calls between leaders, you see the two sides have very different takes on what was discussed, what was agreed upon. That's not the case here. Between Trump's postings on social media and his comments to the press, everything really aligned with what we heard from Moscow.
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Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov may have issued a more formal readout, but one that made clear these two men are in sync. So here, Peskov says Putin and Trump spoke for a full hour and a half. He went on to say that Trump reiterated his desire to end the war, and Putin agreed that was possible, provided it was a durable peace that addressed the root causes of the conflict.
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Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
Now, the spokesman also said Putin agreed with Trump that it was time for the two countries to work together, and the two men agreed to meet in person. Trump says that may happen soon in Saudi Arabia, but the Kremlin said Putin also invited Trump to Moscow. And what was the reaction in Moscow? You know, there's a sense of celebration. The Russian markets went up this morning.
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Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
This is a complete reversal by the U.S., not just from the politics of the Biden administration, which, after all, spent the past three years trying to isolate Putin, but even from the first days of the Trump administration. Trump threatened massive new sanctions on Putin to force him to the negotiating table.
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Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
That more aggressive tone by Trump was gone completely yesterday, and it's still unclear what led to the change.
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Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
Yeah, you know, Trump said he called Zelensky directly after speaking with Putin and brought him up to speed. But this was clearly not a good day for Ukraine. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Europe delivered a speech to NATO allies in which he said the U.S. believed it was unrealistic for Ukraine to regain its pre-war borders.
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Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
He also ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine, two key demands Putin has made repeatedly for a negotiated settlement. Meanwhile, it didn't help Zelensky to also hear Trump suggest Zelensky might not be around politically when and if elections are held in Ukraine. It just gave the feeling that Trump thinks Zelensky, not Putin, is the one who's the obstacle to peace here.
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Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
Yeah. In exchange for Fogel, the U.S. is releasing Alexander Vinnick. He's a Russian cryptocurrency trader who'd been convicted of money laundering charges in the U.S. You know, clearly this is good news for the Fogel family. It's also clearly a diplomatic sweetener. You know, both sides have made clear this was a trust building gesture as the U.S. and Russia pursue a large deal over Ukraine.
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Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
But there's plenty that could still go wrong. I mean, particularly, I think, around the optics of seeming weak in negotiations between whether it's Trump appearing to sideline Ukraine and reward Russian aggression, or for that matter, Putin allowing Trump and the U.S. to play sheriff and impose an end to the conflict. You know, that could be a hard sell for either side to bring us a win.
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Migration and Trade with India, Trump and Putin Chat, Future of Education Department
Thanks, Michelle.
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Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
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Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
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Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
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Trump On TikTok Ban, N. Korean Soldiers in Ukraine, Obesity Drug Shortage Ends
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Ukrainian Drone Strikes, Senate Budget Bill, Colorado Attack
Sure. You know, Ukraine smuggled remotely operated drones laden with explosives deep into Russia. And by deep, I mean deep up into the Arctic, also into Siberia, some 2700 miles away. Now, they did this by hiding the drones in the tops of flatbed trucks, which then parked near military bases before lifting off to attack planes on the runway. And we know this because Russians filmed it.
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Ukrainian Drone Strikes, Senate Budget Bill, Colorado Attack
Local authorities shared this witness video, saying it was the first Ukrainian drone attack in Siberia.
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Ukrainian Drone Strikes, Senate Budget Bill, Colorado Attack
In fact, they have. President Volodymyr Zelensky said he personally oversaw the operation. Here he is speaking last night.
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Ukrainian Drone Strikes, Senate Budget Bill, Colorado Attack
So here, Zelensky says that in total, 117 drones were deployed, damaging a full third of Russia's strategic cruise missile carriers. In fact, Ukraine claims it destroyed 41 Russian bombers, types of which have been used to attack Ukraine.
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Ukrainian Drone Strikes, Senate Budget Bill, Colorado Attack
Well, we haven't heard from Russian President Vladimir Putin yet. Russia's defense ministry confirmed the drone strikes on several bases, but played down their impact, saying only several planes had caught fire. Now, we haven't been able to independently verify any of this, but arguably the perception that Ukraine can strike anywhere is as important as the physical damage.
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Ukrainian Drone Strikes, Senate Budget Bill, Colorado Attack
For example, one pro-Kremlin military blogger compared Sunday's attack to a Russian Pearl Harbor.
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Ukrainian Drone Strikes, Senate Budget Bill, Colorado Attack
Yeah, a lot happened. Ukraine said Russia launched more than 470 drones and missiles on targets across Ukraine, the deadliest of which hit a military training base, killing 12 soldiers.
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Ukrainian Drone Strikes, Senate Budget Bill, Colorado Attack
Meanwhile, at least seven people were killed and dozens more injured after a bridge collapsed on a Russian passenger train traveling in western Russia Saturday night and a separate rail bridge collapsed in a neighboring Russian region hours later, derailing a freight train. Russian authorities have launched a terrorism probe and some in Moscow are already blaming Ukraine.
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Ukrainian Drone Strikes, Senate Budget Bill, Colorado Attack
That said, we've heard nothing yet from Kyiv about this.
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Ukrainian Drone Strikes, Senate Budget Bill, Colorado Attack
Well, the idea here is the two sides will discuss proposals outlining their visions for a peace accord. Russia has gone into these talks presenting itself as the one dictating the terms because it's in the stronger position militarily.
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Ukrainian Drone Strikes, Senate Budget Bill, Colorado Attack
President Trump, who deserves some credit, I think, for forcing these two sides to the negotiating table, has essentially agreed with that Russian position and argued Ukraine needs to make major concessions. Think back to that moment in the White House earlier this year when Trump told Zelensky Ukraine had no cards to play. Well, that narrative was somewhat upended by events on Sunday.
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Ukrainian Drone Strikes, Senate Budget Bill, Colorado Attack
Ukraine clearly does have some cards to play militarily. The question is, what does Trump make of it and how does Moscow respond?