It's improved a little bit, but it's still not operating normally.

Still not operating normally.

And that's the decision of someone.

It almost doesn't matter who it is within the U.S. government, whether it's at the Pentagon, whether it's in the White House.

It's slowed down, and that is an intentional pressure squeeze on Ukraine.

It is reducing the Ukrainians' ability to defend themselves against the Russian aggression.

So it doesn't really matter who made the call.

One Ukrainian military analyst said, we will die because we won't receive warnings, we won't be able to get to shelters, and we don't have the means to shoot down those missiles ourselves, Ambassador.

Uh, just first, Ambassador, how do you assess this diesel deal with Russia and, and the questions that someone like Senator Tillis are raising about its legality?

Well, the legality, Ryan, is one question.

Um, and I'll leave it to others to figure out.

That doesn't seem to have constrained, uh, this administration in, in, in many cases.

So, uh...

But, um, in terms of the costs and benefits, I mean, I think your previous conversation suggests that this is not gonna have a major effect on prices, a major effect on prices anytime soon.

Um, but it'll be a talking point that some people will use.

Is there any chance that this actually is implemented?

How significant do you think it is that Ukraine was able to make this kind of strike?

Kelly, they've been able to make strikes on any input that the Russians are using.

And so if the Russians are getting something from the Iranians, the Ukrainians are gonna go after it.

If the Russians are trying to export oil through Iran, um, or other ways to get money for their war, they'll go after it.

Uh, my sense is the Ukrainians are focused on the Russians, not the Iranians.

And so how could they show some level of retaliation?

retaliation?So they could, they could certainly raise the, the, the level.

Um, and it sounds like, though, the two foreign ministers, the Iranian and the Ukrainian foreign ministers have talked.

So in your view, like how bad of a judgment of failure was this?

Well, Andrea, I agree with Melinda's point about the conflict between the Minister of Defense, Federoff, and the Commander-in-Chief, Sersky.

You would like them to, you want them, you need them to work together.

They have to be, even if they disagree on some things, there's a way to address disagreements.

There's a way that they have a conversation.

It should not be necessary to have the president of the nation sitting in the meeting for them to talk to each other.

No, you need to have the coordination and cooperation, communication between the minister and the general, the commander in chief.

Talk to us a little bit about, well, A, the Zeluzhny article, what you make of it, and B, this Crimea piece.

Mm-hmm.

The Russians have invaded a European country, have invaded Ukraine.

Uh, the Europeans know that Ukraine is defending them, is really defending them from the Russians.

And so that's why they're stepping up.

They're, they're stepping up because Russia invaded, but they're also stepping up because they're not sure they could count on the Americans-

Right.

Um, and this is what we're seeing right here.

So the U- the Europeans, on financial basis, you know, that $105 billion loan that they provided to the Ukrainians gets them through two years of fiscal breathing room, all these, the Pearl, uh, uh, support coming from Europeans, from American fa- factories into Ukraine.

What is giving you, including basically the message he's sending here in Crimea, what's the status of where we are right now with this war?

While we weren't looking, the Ukrainians have taken the initiative in a couple of ways.

First of all, the Ukrainians are taking more land, their own land, back from the Russians than the Russians are taking from them.

So that's a big deal, that the Ukrainians are taking more.

taking it back.

The second thing is the Ukrainians are firing more weapons, deep strikes into Russia than the Russians are firing into Ukraine.

The third thing is that the Ukrainians are killing and severely wounding more Russians then the Russians can recruit.

How did, I guess, how did Ukraine start creating these and building these, you know, incredible drones? Was it from aid that was coming in? They got going again? Was this always something that was...

Uh, Ambassador, would he be aA serious threat? And even if he was named as a serious threat, wouldn't that be a threat to him right now?

I'm sure it's a threat to him right now, but as Nick reported earlier, uh, this happened before.

You know, Prigozhin, uh, suddenly he was in Ukraine, uh, doing some really terrible things, um, and then turned around and came out, headed for Moscow.

He was...

That was a real threat, and no one saw that coming.

Of course, he paid for it [laughs] later on, but no one saw that coming.

So, sure it can happen, and Shoigu would be in a position to do that.

Hmm.

Ambassador Taylor, why is it in US interest to keep as much US support to Ukraine as possible, in your opinion?

Nick, we want to see the Ukrainians stop the Russians in Ukraine.

The Europeans want to see the Ukrainians stop the Russians in Ukraine, as a threat to them.

I mean, Russia's a clear threat to the Europeans.

They understand- and the Europeans are stepping up.

You've already mentioned the, the $100 billion loan that the Europeans have recently come up with, and the continued funds.

They understand the threat.

Bill Taylor, do you see any sign that Russia is serious about negotiating?

Mm.

But that's where it has to end.

That is, that's the way it's going to end, is gonna be President Trump recognizing that Putin is the problem, and that President Putin is vulnerable to the leverage that President Trump has.

Putin knows he's vulnerable, and President Trump just has to use that leverage.

Okay

...

I think, Kristen.

I think nothing immediate.

Ambassador Taylor, [clears throat] The Washington Post says, "The greatest transatlantic crisis in generations." Do you agree?

So, Alicia, this would be a disaster for transatlantic, uh, cooperation and, and working together, uh, and that has been so important, and General Hertling can talk about this in much greater detail than I.

But that im- that NATO alliance is what gives us strength, and it's what allows us to do what we're trying to do, is defend Greenland.

Uh, so this is, this would be a disaster if this were.

What is the problem with this idea of just hemispheric thinking, and thinking of the entire Western Hemisphere, as I'm sure you remember the meme that the White House posted, ours?

This notion of a sphere of influence, uh, ours is the Western Hemisphere, suggests that China has one, suggests that Russia might have one.

Um, spheres of influence have a bad [laughs] history.

Uh, they, they lead to bad things.

Mm-mm.

... their, their position right now is no. Um, I don't know how you, how you make it any firmer, um, uh, than no.

Uh, but right.

Uh, this is, this is a false flag.

Um, uh, uh, President Putin was probably very worried about what happened two days ago, um, uh, in, uh, uh, in Florida-

So if Putin is not interested in talking peace-Is he interested perhaps not just in continuing Russia's ongoing invasion, but of expanding it in the next year?

Jim, he's been very clear.

You've reported over and over.

What do you think is actually potentially different now after yesterday's meeting than before it?

it?Well, Garrett, uh, they clearly did make some progress, um, between the Americans and the Ukrainians, with input from the Europeans.

So, that looked fairly good yesterday and that had to have bothered, upset, spooked Putin.

Putin, uh, the other déjà vu that we see is every time there is a move by President Trump, um, to put sanctions on Russia, um, or to provide weapons to Ukraine, every time there is movement in that direction, Putin finds some way to get involved, to make a phone call, to have a meeting in Anchorage.

Um, and that's what he did again yesterday with this, with this allegation, um, probably a lie, uh, that his residence was attacked.

It's, it's a way to disrupt and that, th- that good relationship between Putin, between Trump and Zelenskyy, uh, had to make Putin nervous and he came up with this idea.

Does a longer timeline make a difference there?

It makes a d- the security guarantee, Garrett, is important.

Why lash out?

They're lashing out, Putin's lashing out because, uh, the Europeans and the Ukrainians sat down with Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, National Security Advisor, um, after this 28-point plan, as again which was a Russian wish list, um, was published, was leaked.

Um, and the Europeans and the Ukrainians, uh, convinced Secretary Rubio to take out a lot of the objectionable parts of that 28-point plan.

Um, and I'm sure the Russians wanted those parts in.

So, that's why Putin is saying that the Ukrainians and the, and the Europeans, um, are sabotaging this deal.

They're not.

They're get, they got to a more balanced position, um, which the Russians don't like.

What in the world is going on here?

What does it mean, first for President Zelensky, and then for the broader peace negotiations?

Sure.

And for President Zelensky, it might be a benefit.

He might come out stronger, um, after this.

Um, Andriy Yermak, very powerful, very influential, very smart, very capable.

Um, but he had all this responsibility, uh, for both running the office of the president as well as, as you say, the lead on negotiations.

That's an awful lot for one person to do.

Uh, what do you expect could come from that meeting, and, and should we take into account the fact that there are these reports that Mr. Witkoff was advising his Russian counterpart on how to curry favor with President Trump?

All right.

Um, so it changes a lot, David.

No, you're exactly right.

Um, we all three probably read Max Boot's, um, op-ed a couple of days ago, where he drew the right analogy to Lucy and the football.

Um, uh, and President Trump, um, is Charlie Brown.

Um, and Lucy is Putin, and Ukraine's the football.

Um, and every time President Trump thinks that he's going to get somewhere with Putin, uh, Putin yanks the ball back.

But it's, it's secure, it's secured by those assets.

What was your key takeaway about what we witnessed today?

Kristin, I think that the conversation that we've all had about these, uh, Tomahawks is very interesting.

Uh, it does sound like there is, uh, less, uh...

That the...

It's less imminent that they will be flowing, they will be moving into Ukraine.

But the threat of those Tomahawks has clearly gotten Putin's attention.

Um, Putin, when he heard this, asked for this phone call yesterday.

What, if any, pressure does that bring to bear on these talks?

First off, I guess, what's your take on the movement towards a peace agreement here? Do you feel like things are heading in a positive direction?

Well, Brad, uh, you asked about a peace agreement.

I'm skeptical of a peace agreement.

I, I, I feel better, uh, about a ceasefire.

I feel better about Ukrainians' ability to get through this and get to a place, um, where they can develop themselves in, in relative security.

And I, I feel better because the Europeans are so united and so supportive.

Um, and I feel better because President Trump, um, has come out in, in favor of a, and willing to participate in a, in a security guarantee.

Really? You think so?

Bush said early on when first meeting Vladimir Putin that he looked in his soul and, you know, or he looked into his eyes and saw his soul.

So that personal relationship, um, is not going to win the day, is not going to achieve the goal.

What has to happen as Admiral Stavridis just said is we need to be strong.

We need to put together a coalition.

We need to put pressure on Putin.

Um, and if the, if President Trump can put pressure on Putin, um, even irrespective of his personal opinions or views or feelings, uh, then that, that can actually make some difference and that can get us to where we would get to a ceasefire.

Do, do you see any sign of that actually happening? I mean, he said that there would be severe consequences if nothing came out of this summit, if the war didn't end and/or pause at least, and y- you know, he's now backing off his demands previously that there should be a ceasefire.

There should be a ceasefire.

Uh, what does that say to you about, about what happened Friday in Alaska and about what lies ahead in this conflict?

Well, Jacob, uh, many of us had thought, um, that President Trump had figured out Putin.

Um, uh, many of us thought that, uh, all of the, all of the phone calls that President Trump described as being very good followed up by more bombing.

Um, even hi- the First Lady, uh, pointed out, uh, to him that this is the, this has been the pattern.

Um, s- so that hot mic comment suggests, um, that President Trump still thinks it's a personal relationship that's gonna allow him to, uh, strike a deal.

Um, I think there are very few people who would agree with that.

Ambassador Taylor, if you, if you are Zelenskyy, or if you are his European allies, how are you feeling after today?

So take a, uh, you know, this business of, uh, Zelenskyy having to take a bad deal, uh, we've got some, uh, some evidence that, uh, that he doesn't do that.

What's your sense?

I agree, Kelly.

I agree.

I mean, he clearly, uh, wants this to be a good meeting, um, came in very well-prepared.

Um, the Europeans were very much behind him.

Uh, so President Zelenskyy knew that there's a lot, uh, to be done here, and he knew that he had the opportunity to speak next to President Trump, as Keir just said.

Um, you know, people who speak to him get some influence.

When you hear discussion of certain territories that Russia would like to claim, either they have, uh, military control right now or they want to expand to get it, can you just briefly describe what those represent for Russia in terms of their strategic importance or their resources or why those are such big targets? Not just land for land's sake, but the purpose, uh, that might come with land that is at issue here.

What, what, how li- likely is that to happen?

This can be, this could be done if the Europeans and the Ukrainians, um, will say, "Look, um, we acknowledge, we recognize that you Russians are in 19% of Ukraine.

We don't like it.

We'll never recognize your legal claim to that 19%, but we recognize you're there." So in that regard, um, uh, Putin will be able to stay in that 19% at least temporarily.

Uh, the Ukrainians will never agree to a, a long-term, uh, a, a permanent, uh, loss of that territory.

They won't, and they can't.

Um, but they could acknowledge that the de facto, um, the Russians are there.

What do you think is gonna come out of tomorrow?

Ambassador, what are you expecting tomorrow?

tomorrow?I mean, I, I agree with Igor.

Um, and, and I think, uh, that tomorrow, President Trump has the opportunity to use those sticks that Igor just talked about.

He's got sticks, he's got cards, he's got leverage.

Um, he, he has already used part of it.

He has, uh, he's put s- he's put tariffs on, uh, on India, because India buys so much Russian oil.

He should do that.

How hard is it for Ukrainians to watch this summit from the outside knowing that Zelensky will not be there, w- is not invited to be there?

Okay.

Not yet.

I think the discussion will focus on a ceasefire.

The ceasefire is doable.

That's achievable.

Um, President Zelenskyy and President Trump agreed on a ceasefire a couple of months ago, took it to President Putin, Putin said no.

But that idea of a comprehensive ceasefire, air, land, and sea, um, that would stop the killing, this is what President Trump has been talking about.

Mm-hmm.

(laughs)

But it's, but he's clearly made that determination.

He clearly understands that Putin has been the problem.

You know, the president has tried to work on this issue.

He, he's, as you've reported, you know, in the campaign he was talking about 24 hours.

But he's put a lot of time and effort into this, and, and now he's finally figured out that Putin's the problem.

Putin is the obstacle to a very high priority, and he's taking...

Uh, do you see that as more support for allies there?

Mm-hmm.

Which is at $60 a barrel and that could come down to 45, or 30 is what the Europeans are talking about.

Um, a- there are banks, there are big banks that are actually not sanctioned yet.

There's $300 billion worth of Russian money, of Russian central bank money, in European banks that, that have been frozen since the, since the big war started...

How much of an impact would it actually have on the Russian economy?

It, well, the Russian economy is weaker now than it was when we putting on, were putting on those sanctions.

So that's, that has changed.

And the, the ability to make the Russians go after things that are more expensive with less money.