David E. Sanger

that countries don't invade each other's borders, that countries don't take each other over, that this era of land wars in Europe, we were done with at the end of World War II.

President Trump doesn't talk in those terms.

He says, just tell me what it will take to get it done, because this is a power competition between Ukraine and Russia.

Russia's got nuclear weapons.

It's a much larger country.

It's going to win any power contest.

So let's just define where those borders are and acknowledge that it's the stronger state.

Now, we have to open up the possibility here that,

that clunky as this entire process over the past couple of days has been, that President Trump might actually be able to capitalize on the fact that they have something on the table here, that the Russians and the Ukrainians are finally engaged to get to something that resembles a ceasefire, if not a full peace agreement.

And the question is,

Can he properly assess when the Russians have suffered enough that the pain is too great?

Or when the Ukrainians have come to the conclusion at a moment of weakness from them because of the corruption scandals, because they're losing territory, that they're better to cut a deal?

He thinks this may be the moment, and maybe he's right.

We all have to hope so.

But this certainly has been an example of pretty awkward diplomacy.

Maybe from here, it gets better.

Thanks, Rachel.

Good to be with you again.

Good to be with you again.

Julian, do you concur with that? Absolutely. I mean, there are ways to talk around classified information. You can be generalized. You can take out specifics. But that's not what happens with the details of the strike. Like, when you say, this kind of plane is taking off at this hour... That is highly classified for a reason. The reason being is if it fell in enemy hands, it could be actionable.