Jared Kushner

So we were working through this whole thing.

So meanwhile, we were trying to find the compromise with Mexico.

I set up a call with Trump and Putin so they can kind of talk this through.

And he was always trying to play the game of how do we get Russia away from China?

He always thought that that was not the right strategic framework for US interests.

And again, we had no problems with them during that time.

What I would say is that for Zelensky and Putin, any conversation with both of them is about understanding their perspective.

I think with Putin, he's a student of history from the things that I saw with him.

If you look at Russia over the last 500 years, I think they were attacked by the Polish in early 1600.

I think they were attacked by the Swedes in the 1700s.

I think they were attacked by Napoleon in the 1800s.

And then in the 1900s, they were attacked by Germany twice.

And so from his perspective, there is, in the early days of Russia,

they were attacked by the Mongols.

They were very vulnerable.

And a lot of the geography of Russia today is really designed for defensive purposes, that they have natural barriers that makes them easier to defend.

And Russia is a massive landmass.

It's twice the size of America.

They have 11 time zones in the country.

And so I do think that for Vladimir Putin, his biggest concern is how do we create a security paradigm