I want to turn to, um, first to the war in Ukraine.

We'll get to 100 days issues, um, in a minute, but I wanna, uh, I want to start with Ukraine, and I want to remind you at home.

About Trump's evolving views on ending the war that Russia started against Ukraine.

Why don't you listen in.

Before I even arrived at the Oval Office, I will have the disastrous war between Russia and Ukraine settled.

Yeah, position.

You don't have the cards right now with us, you start having clean cars.

You're gambling with the lives of millions of people.

You're gambling with World War II.

They're serious about peace, either side or both.

We want to help.

If it's not going to happen, then we're just going to move on.

You have no idea what pressure I'm putting on Russia.

We're putting a lot of pressure.

We're putting a lot of pressure on Russia.

And then, um, just as 11 additional note, Trump posted this on Truth Social on Thursday, quote, I am not happy with the Russian strikes on Kiev.

There was a fatal attack the night before.

Not necessary and very bad timing, and this is the notable part.

Vladimir, stop all capital letters.

Stop.

5000 soldiers a week are dying.

Let's get the peace deal done, all caps.

Steve, you, you've covered foreign affairs for a while and American president.

and their role in the world.

Um, have you ever seen this approach, uh, telling Vladimir Putin to stop?

And do you think that this has any effect whatsoever I don't think he's likely to stop, um, no, I mean, what was notable about that actually, I think is what preceded it.

Remember going back to Easter weekend, Vladimir Putin declared a ceasefire, then violated the ceasefire promptly, didn't adhere to his own ceasefire and Donald Trump put out a statement two days later, blasting Voldemir Zelinsky as the problem, as the obstacle here, which was sort of typical.

the way that Trump has talked about the conflict from the beginning.

He very clearly blames the Ukrainians and hasn't been critical of Vladimir Putin.

I thought that was sort of the harshest criticism we've seen of Vladimir Putin from Donald Trump, but I don't think it was very substantive.

I think he was sort of embarrassed into having to say something because Putin continues to attack despite the fact that Donald Trump says he wants peace.

Kaitlan, how far can Vladimir Putin push Trump before he actually Takes Ukraine's side.

I think if you ask that question in January or February, it would be different.

I, I'm not sure he'll ever take Ukraine's side.

I mean, there are such bad blood between President Trump and President Zelinsky, but as he is getting closer to his 100 days, he is becoming a lot more frustrated with, with President Putin and especially given those strikes.

I mean that message yesterday was incredibly personal, telling him in those two words to to stop.

And so I think this is the real question at this moment is how frustrated he is by this, but I think the reality is it's proving a lot harder to solve than he thought.

I mean, he just told Time magazine that it was in jest and that he was just um being figurative when he was repeatedly saying that he could solve the war in Ukraine in 24 hours.

Obviously, we're approaching day 100 and, and they have not brokered a peace agreement.

And so it's a real question in terms of his frustration, how that changes this process, but most people seem to think if they walk away from the negotiations, it only benefits Russia here, right?

Asma at what point?

does this administration throw up its hands and what's the consequence of throwing its hands up.

So at what point they do, I think they're certainly inching closer to suggesting they're going to do that, though I think that's also somewhat of a negotiating tactic to build the pressure on both Ukraine and Russia in terms of what the consequences are.

Look, I mean, I think it would be extremely devastating for Ukraine if the US were to walk away.

The United States has been a major military supplier, a major aid supporter throughout this entire conflict and you think walking away in this context would mean cutting off arms sales.

I think that's certainly what the president has suggested.

There might be some Republican lawmakers willing to defy him and push back, but the reason I think it could be so devastating is thus far in the 1st 100 days we have seen by and large most Republican lawmakers fall in line with what the president has wanted to do, so my question is why would Ukraine be the one exception.

He campaigned on ending this war.

I mean, to Kaitlin's point, he said he'd do it on day one, and I was struck by that comment too where he says, no, no, I was saying that figuratively, and the reason he's trying to sort of backpedal on this now is look domestically, many of his supporters want this war to be over.

Polling has shown that this is not a popular, popular war in terms of the base of the Republican Party when he said that.

In the campaign.

I took it I mean I didn't take it literally, but I think he meant it literally.

He's going to end the war.

Is that fair?

I think he thought he could get it done even maybe before he took office.

I mean, look at what happened with the war in Gaza and negotiating a hostage release in that situation, he thought, and has always argued that he's the best dealmaker, the best negotiator that he can get to Putin and of course Putin experts have said all along he's playing you.

You know, he, they're just using tactics that that they've always employed to try to convince him that he is the one here when really, you know, what other world leaders have been told.

Trump is that Putin is stalling and delaying and using this negotiation to just carry out his goals in Ukraine.

I think if you're, I think if you're Donald Trump and you know coming in that you're prepared to make multiple concessions to Vladimir Putin and to Russia, you think I'm going to be generous to Putin.

He'll agree to do this and we'll cut off or threaten to cut off arms to Ukraine, I can do this kind of a classic we see this in in foreign policy throughout history.

Americans projecting their own deal making.

pragmatic selves onto people who are highly ideological.

Yeah, I think it is, but it's even more so because it's Donald Trump.

It's his own personal sense of, of his deal making abilities, you know, literally wrote or has his name on the Art of the Deal, right?

And Ashley one more question on this.

Just remind us why they're such bad blood between.

Trump and Zelensky or probably the more accurate way of putting this is why does Trump dislike the man so much?

I, I mean, absolutely, you saw a bit of that in the Oval Office where he kicked Zelinsky out and basically said, you don't have the cards, but with Donald Trump's operating principle is, you know, he, he does not want America to be getting taken advantage of.

He, he has no belief in sort of soft power or or.

You know, exporting democracy abroad or doing anything that is not a very clear quid pro quo in his senses, the United States has sent billions of dollars to Ukraine and what are we getting in return and why isn't Zelensky more grateful, um, and, and that is what he is conveying.

There is no sense of Russia invaded with no provocation, a smaller country and it is part of the United States' role as a moral leader, democratic leader in the world.

To defend it is just we've sent you all this money and, and why can't you be more appreciative?

I also think Trump views it very much in the lens that he's viewed a lot of things, winners and losers.

He does not view Zelinsky as a winner.

I mean, he's irritated with him because he feels like he got impeached over him in his first term, but he does not view him as a winner.

He has been told by allies Ukraine cannot win this war.

And once that is in his brain, I mean, he's like, of course you have to settle because you're going to lose.

Right?

Why, why is it?

Zalinsky defied him.

Trump asked, I mean a quid pro quo.

Trump asked Zelinsky to launch an investigation of Joe Biden.

It was going to be running for president against Donald Trump and Zelinsky said no.

Zelinsky wouldn't do it.

It is so interesting.

It's probably a topic for a PhD thesis, not this panel discussion, but it's so interesting, Steve and I have been thinking about these things for years, uh, together, uh, the shift from McCainism to Trumpism in the Republican Party.

McCain was These are the stalwart heroes who are standing up against the bullies and that was the ethos of the Republican Party and now the ethos of the Republican Party is great powers, everybody, everybody else who is in the orbit of a great power just suffers, you know, we've left Mcainism so far the ethos is sadly we're the bully and we're unapologetic about it, right, right