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Amanpour
Interview with Former British Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Westmacott; Interview with Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov; Trump Welcomes Keir Starmer to WH; Trump Accepts King Charles' Invitation; Trump Says Ukraine Will Not Join NATO. Aired 1-2p ET
Aired February 27, 2025 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[13:00:00]
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello everyone, and welcome to "Amanpour." Here's what's coming up.
It's the British prime minister's turn in the Oval Office, trying to shore up his country's celebrated special relationship and convince President
Trump not to give up on Ukraine. The former British ambassador to Washington, Sir Peter Westmacott, joins us.
Then, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also headed to the White House to make his case. His former defense minister Oleksii Reznikov joins
us.
And author David Kessler tells Michel Martin why he's worried the world is becoming grief illiterate.
Welcome to the program everyone, I'm Christiane Amanpour in London.
Sir Keir Starmer goes to Washington. The British prime minister meets the American President to try his hand at keeping Trump engaged in the
transatlantic alliance. And crucially, to make sure Ukraine has a winning hand in any negotiations to end Putin's war.
So, the stakes are sky high with European security and indeed prosperity in the balance. Starmer has come bearing the gift of increased defense
spending to try to trade for an American security guarantee for Ukraine. And the Europeans are willing to put boots on the ground in any ceasefire.
It'll be a challenge. President Trump has already waved off a U.S. security guarantee saying, we're going to have Europe do that. And the Kremlin
insists that all regions it currently occupies and has annexed are nonnegotiable. As for fears of a transatlantic trade war, here's what Trump
said about Europe at this week's cabinet meeting. Well, he said that Europe was created to screw the United States, but now he is the president,
implication that would no longer be happening.
As U.K. ambassador to the United States during the Obama presidency, Sir Peter Westmacott helped steward the U.S.-U.K. special relationship a unique
alliance that dates back to World War II. And he's joining me now to make sense of where all of this might be headed. So, welcome back to the
program.
PETER WESTMACOTT, FORMER BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Thank you, Christiane. Great to be with you.
AMANPOUR: So, what we know, as I said, is that Keir Starmer, the prime minister, has gone bearing gifts. One is an increase in defense spending,
which we'll get to. The other is a letter. He handed President Trump a letter from King Charles, in which the king invites President Trump to what
would amount to his second state visit to the U.K. The first one during his first term with his mother, the Queen. What do you make of that?
WESTMACOTT: Well, that is breaking news. We've known for a very long time that among the elements that are part of Donald Trump's positive attitude
towards the United Kingdom, apart from the fact that he's not in Europe anymore and he loves Brexit, are his affection for the royal family, his
Scottish mother's roots, his golf courses and so on.
So, I think the fact that the prime minister brings a personal letter from the king is a gesture which was bound to, if you like, bring a smile to his
face. And if the contents of it are, would you please come back to the United Kingdom for another state visit, I'm sure that, for President Trump,
that will be, you know, a very big plus.
Does it make it easier for Keir Starmer to make progress on some of the substantive issues that are on the agenda for his meeting with the
president today? That's another question. But it certainly will help with the atmospherics.
AMANPOUR: Well, OK. So, I don't know because is Trump also a lot about atmospherics? He's very transactional. I mean, here is a -- here's a nice
transaction. The king of England offers the president of the United States another state visit. And he seems already, President Trump, to be kind of
distinguishing his attitude towards Britain from his attitudes towards the rest of the E.U. Specifically, the E.U., which Britain is no longer part
of.
Could it be enough or should Britain also be worried, well, A, about the alliance, B, about America's security, you know, protection, and C, about
tariffs and a trade war?
WESTMACOTT: Yes, there's a lot to be worried about. Much of the focus today in the U.K. media and so on, has been on what kind of a package would
you put together to keep the peace? Will there be troops on the ground? Will the 2.5 percent increase in spending as a percentage of GDP make the
U.K. a more militarily capable country? Because we've actually lost a lot of our capabilities lately and so on.
[13:05:00]
I mean, that's fine, up to a point, and I think it will encourage the Americans to feel that they shouldn't just walk away and leave it entirely
to the Europeans, which is what Donald Trump has said that he wants to do. But in a sense, it's putting the cart before the horse, because you can't
keep a peace until there is a negotiated settlement.
And what's worrying the U.K. government is that until now, that negotiation is being conducted by Trump with Putin. And a lot of people in the United
Kingdom and further afield think that he's given him a few cards or a few tricks even in advance of the negotiation. He said, well, we know that
Zelenskyy started the war. Nonsense. He's voted with Russia at the United Nations in favor of a resolution which doesn't even talk about the invasion
of Ukraine. Even China couldn't bring itself to vote for that.
So, there's a number of things in that negotiation which have begun, if you like, from a British point of view, I think going in the wrong direction.
So, it'll be very, very important to try to get Donald Trump to grasp that a bad deal will not only be bad for Ukraine and bad for European security,
and bad because it encourages Putin to do other nasty things, but not necessarily good for him either.
So, part of the challenge for Keir Starmer is to persuade the president that he's got to go for a good deal and a deal which includes the Ukraine
in the negotiation, and not sidelines them. Like (INAUDIBLE) Donald Trump did when it came to Afghanistan, where there was a negotiation done over
the heads of the government of Afghanistan, and we know how that ended.
AMANPOUR: Yes, incredibly badly, because it went to the so-called aggressors, the Taliban, who are now in power, with everything that has
gone wrong, was particularly a complete denial of women's rights. And it's not even recognized by the International Community, the Taliban government.
But back to Ukraine. Keir Starmer, before we knew about this letter, it appeared that his big, big challenge would be to try to get an American so-
called backstop, even with no U.S. boots on the ground, and if Europe did, you know, agree to police any kind of ceasefire or a peace deal, and a
backstop generally means air cover, it generally means anti-air defense systems, no fly zone, that kind of air cover, and obviously a sharing of
intelligence to protect British or other European troops that are trying to prevent Putin from any further invasions. What if that doesn't happen? Then
what happens to all the European goodwill?
WESTMACOTT: Well, if there's no U.S. support, I think I'm right in saying that David Lammy said, well, if there's no U.S. support, then there is no
troops on the ground, because we can't do it on our own.
But there's a number of things that are still moving parts. Your reporter just said that the Russians have said that there cannot be any negotiation
over the occupied parts of Ukraine. Well, in his remarks to the cabinet, which were broadcast on television a couple of days ago, President Trump
said, I'm going to get back parts of Ukraine. That wasn't highlighted in the news, but it was actually broadcast.
So, you know, where is that negotiation going to go? There is still wiggle room, and there are still a number of elements that could look better. So,
I think also in terms of keeping any peace, if there is a peace, if there is a deal strike, there's still much to play for. But without an American
involvement, even if it's hulled down, as the Navy say, you know, nearby, which you can call on if the need arises, then I think it's very, very hard
for the Europeans to fill that space.
AMANPOUR: More coming out from their Oval Office meeting. President Trump has said, Russia has been acting very well. We are well advanced on a peace
deal. I want you to comment on that. He doesn't think Putin would invade again if there's a peace deal with Ukraine. He says, having the rare earths
deal will be a backstop for Ukraine.
WESTMACOTT: Well, I'm just trying to digest that, Christiane. I don't see how that's a backstop for Ukraine. It is certainly an advantage for the
United States of America if there is a deal which is very beneficial for U.S. companies. It will not be very welcome in Europe if it means that
European companies -- and let's remember Europe has done a far more for Ukraine so far than the United States have, whatever Trump may say -- if
they are squeezed out of any reconstruction projects or mineral extraction contracts, that won't go down very well.
But, you know, leave that to one side, I don't see how commercial benefits for American companies is in any sense a backstop to prevent --
AMANPOUR: Yes, he seems to mean that because Americans will be there involved in these commercial activities, somehow, it'll stave Putin. But we
know that there are already Americans and other internationals who for years have been doing business in Ukraine, and that hasn't stopped Putin
from annexing. And actually, some of those parts that are annexed do have a lot of the minerals. Maybe that's a deal he's doing with Putin. I don't
know.
WESTMACOTT: They do indeed. We don't know. No, I don't think that does the deal. That does not provide the backstop. But I come back to my first
point. First of all, let's see if we can negotiate a deal that the Ukrainians can live with. We're a long way from that at the moment. He may
say we're making great progress with the Russians and he says nice things about the Russians, OK, maybe that's tactically wise because, let's face
it, Vladimir Putin doesn't have any other American president who's going to negotiate with him so amicably. So, you know, maybe you stroke him a bit
and you're going to -- you think you're going to get a better deal.
[13:10:00]
The problem that the rest of us have with that is that every single time anyone's done a deal with Vladimir Putin before, it's worthless.
AMANPOUR: So, let me read that --
WESTMACOTT: He lies through his teeth.
AMANPOUR: Exactly, and to your point, what you just said, Tom Friedman, the columnist of the New York Times said, Trump completely misreads Putin.
He thinks Putin just needs a little positive attention, a little understanding, a little concern for his security needs, a hug, and he will
sign the peace Trump so badly desires. Nonsense. As the Russia specialist Leon Aron remarked to me, Putin is not looking for peace in Ukraine. He's
looking for victory in Ukraine. Because without a victory, he is very vulnerable at home.
So, others have suggested, but you're a diplomat, is Putin playing Trump? Is Trump being played?
WESTMACOTT: Putin -- before I try and answer that, Putin, of course, is looking for a victory, but what does a victory mean? Does it mean total
territorial gain? Not necessarily. Not now. Not after the failures of his army. But he does want to squash democracy and he does want to ensure that
there is no sovereign independent Ukraine next door to Russia. Not because it's a threat to Russia. It's not. It never was. That's all -- that's a
pack of lies. It's because the contamination risk of democracy in Russia is something that a dictator like Putin can't really cope with. So, that is
the problem.
The other half of your question, I've already forgotten.
AMANPOUR: No, no that was it. Is he being played?
WESTMACOTT: Is he being played?
AMANPOUR: Yes, Trump, I mean, by Putin? Who's a KGB, you know, professional and knows how to do this stuff.
WESTMACOTT: I mean, to the extent that he says all these nice things about his goodwill and I think he wants peace and he's a decent man and the rest
of it, I think he is being played, unless he's being super clever with the tactics.
But we do also know that the relationship between Trump and Russia goes back, you know, a long way, a lot of business dealings, a lot of
friendship, the body language that people have remarked on in the past. We don't know the full extent of it, but it does look as though he is inclined
to give that gentleman the benefit of the doubt, when he's not inclined to give someone like Zelenskyy, who is not, by the way, a dictator, unlikely -
-
AMANPOUR: And we all know that.
WESTMACOTT: -- the benefit of the doubt. So, the language is bizarre, the history is complex, the worrying thing from the European point of view is a
bad deal, not only is it terrible for Ukraine and European security, but it is nothing but a green light to Putin to carry on in the same direction.
WESTMACOTT: One of your former colleagues in government and in the civil service said on the radio today that Trump's own book says a bad deal is
worse than no deal. The thing is, what is a good deal? And they haven't really -- he says he's well advanced on a peace deal, but they haven't
really spelt out what that might be. I don't know if you want to venture a guess.
WESTMACOTT: We don't know. Let's look back at the earlier version of the mineral extractions rare earths deal, which was an appalling document which
was produced by some Trump lawyers in New York and handed to Zelenskyy by one of the members of the administration.
AMANPOUR: By Bessent, yes.
WESTMACOTT: By Bessent, Scott Bessent.
AMANPOUR: And we know that they just put it down.
WESTMACOTT: You know, please sign here.
AMANPOUR: They pushed it to him, please sign it, don't even read. And if you don't sign it, you won't get any meetings --
WESTMACOTT: And those who've read it, which I haven't, tell me that it was absolutely outrageous. Now, the new version that we're told he's coming to
look at or partially agree or sign in Washington tomorrow, is apparently infinitely better. But it still doesn't deal with the security problems of
Ukraine with Russia next door and in -- and occupying a fifth of its territory.
AMANPOUR: And it also talks about a 50 percent American ownership of certain future minerals and funds and stuff like that.
WESTMACOTT: Ownership of minerals, I'm not sure. Ownership of a fund which will be extracting those things is less damaging, but it's still a very
preferential deal.
AMANPOUR: This also goes obviously to the heart of what is going on between the United States and its traditional allies in Europe that has
lasted since the war ended 80 years ago. Trump as I said, you know -- and I'm going to read you this m, but Trump basically yesterday, I mean, really
from the White House, I mean, just -- I don't even know how to describe it. Let's just play what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I love the countries of Europe. I love all countries, frankly, all different. But the European Union's been -- it was formed in order to screw
the United States. I mean, look, let's be honest. The European Union was formed in order to screw the United States. That's the purpose of it. And
they've done a good job of it. But now I'm president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: Was that true?
WESTMACOTT: No. It's not the reason why the European Union was formed. The European Union was formed to try to create prosperity from a very badly
damaged continent after the Second World War, destroyed by a combination of Russians and mainly Hitler and Germany. Because, remember, the Nazi Soviet
pact led to the Russian invasion of a number of European countries before it got torn up and Hitler invaded Russia, and Russia became part of the
liberation exercise (ph).
Now, the European Union was absolutely not formed to screw the United States. It was formed to create stability and prosperity in Europe. And
during the Cold War, that was something which the United States of America thought was a very good idea.
[13:15:00]
AMANPOUR: More from his Oval Office meeting with Prime Minister Starmer. He was obviously asked again, Trump, whether he trusts Putin. And he used
the Reaganism, which is smart, trust but verify.
WESTMACOTT: Yes.
AMANPOUR: Does that give you a little bit more, you know -- before, do you remember in Helsinki? I was there at that press -- you know, watching those
-- the press conference when he sided with Putin over his own intelligence about Putin's denials of interfering in the 2016 election.
WESTMACOTT: Yes. He --
AMANPOUR: So, this is --
WESTMACOTT: I believe Putin rather than I believe my own intelligence agencies. Yes, that was a low point. If he's talking of trust, but very
far, it may be that a lot of what we're hearing is noise, it's atmospherics, but when it comes to the substance, we will be pleasantly
surprised. There is always that possibility.
We should never think that Trump doesn't mean what he says. I'm sure that when he says it, he does mean it. But it doesn't mean to say that a couple
of days later, he still means it.
AMANPOUR: OK. So, interestingly, I spoke to the lady who was the leader of Europe, Chancellor Angela Merkel and obviously, in office when Trump 1.0
was there. And in her memoir, she has talked about dealing with him. And then I asked her in an interview about dealing with him. How do allies or -
- well, allies mostly, how do they deal with the -- you know, the bullying, frankly?
WESTMACOTT: Yes.
AMANPOUR: And this is what she said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA MERKEL, FORMER GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): Once you approached him without any fear and with clear, a clear-cut strategy, he
listened. And I think he smells when people are a little bit afraid of him. And when you're not, then you can enter into good talks with him.
AMANPOUR: And you were not?
MERKEL (through translator): I was the elected chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany. I mean, we're not a negligible country. We have our
own interests, our own vested interests, and I was always guided by these national interests.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WESTMACOTT: So, I mean, two things I would say about that. One is, I'm sure that is right, that he likes to put people in a deeze (ph). That's
what bullies do. Secondly, this is the chancellor who when he went to see - - when she went to see Putin ensured that this lady who was known to have a fear of dogs, had his -- Putin's dogs in the same room.
AMANPOUR: This is about Trump --
WESTMACOTT: Oh, I thought you were talking about Putin.
AMANPOUR: No, no, she's talking about Trump.
WESTMACOTT: I'm so sorry. I thought this was Putin.
AMANPOUR: No, no, she's talking about Trump. And it's actually interesting because she said, when you talk to him about your national interest, not
about highfalutin, you know, concepts of democracy and authoritarianism and disinformation, but hardnosed national security, he'll listen and he'll
generally get what you're saying.
WESTMACOTT: Yes. As long as you're very clear what your own priorities are, and as long as there is something in it for him. Not personally, but
he's a transactionist.
AMANPOUR: Does that bode well for Starmer? Do you think Starmer has been prepared to give that kind of discourse to Trump, national interest?
WESTMACOTT: National interest, and it will never work if you say, this is for the future of humanity or this is good for Europe. If it is, here's
what we're bringing to an exercise which is good for you personally and your presidency and good for the United States of America, then you're in
with a chance of finding that there is common ground and you can work together.
So, yes, appealing to higher instincts or just asking for help in a fluffy way will never get anywhere with him. It's got to be specific. It's got to
be based on a deal. It's got to be transactional. It's got to be something that's good for America as well as good. And if you're going to bring
something to the table, and that's why he's done the 2.5 percent on the offer of troops for peacekeeping, then I think you are in -- you're in
better shape.
And I think he will probably also bring with him, I hope, evidence of what the United Kingdom brings to the strategic alliance with the United States.
We've been talking about Chagos Islands, one of the issues that most people aren't that interested in, but you know, around the world, whether it's an
Ascension Island or Diego Garcia or Cyprus or Falkland Islands, you know, there are U.S. and U.K. defense installations which are put at the disposal
of the United States. Hugely important.
AMANPOUR: Hugely important. Now, I want to ask you because you were also ambassador to France, as we know, and also to Turkey.
WESTMACOTT: Yes.
AMANPOUR: And today there was quite a bombshell. I'd like to know what you think. The leader of the PKK, the main Kurdish resistance party, has asked
his fighters to lay down arms and to stop the war with the government. And you know, over five decades, some 40,000 people have been killed.
Is that sort of Erdogan in an unassailable position in Turkey? Well, how do you read this?
WESTMACOTT: I think it's potentially very significant, for two principles.
AMANPOUR: By the way, Erdogan has the biggest army in NATO, as you know. Second biggest after the U.S.
WESTMACOTT: Yes, yes, he does. And they are not scared of firing live bullets, as we have seen. So, they are, you know, a real asset for the NATO
alliance if they are deployed in the common good. You know, two things. First of all, this conflict with the PKK, as it's called, the terrorist
organization of Kurds in southeastern Turkey, has been going on and off for the last 30 40 years. Probably 40,000 people have lost their lives. It has
been a terrible business.
[13:20:00]
Mr. Ocalan has been in jail for decades, and even the leader of the nonviolent, I would say, Kurdish political party, Mr. Demirtas, has also
been in jail for a while on, frankly, either non-charges or slightly precarious charges.
If this means that the PKK, rather like the IRA in Northern Ireland a few years back, are going to lay down their weapons, and if it means that the
political party, which is Kurdish, is no longer regarded as being coterminous with a terrorist organization, this opens up the possibility of
a great deal of calm and peace in Turkey, it opens up the possibility of much better relations between Erdogan's ruling party and he's looking to
broaden the base, by the way, for the future.
AMANPOUR: Interesting.
WESTMACOTT: And it opens up the possibility of something positive happening in Syria, where there is a problem between Turkey and the
Americans over American support for the Kurdish militia groups, which were very effective in dealing with ISIS, but which the Turks have been very
nervous about, but which if they are now going to lay down their weapons again and stop being part of the problem in Turkey, that could open up the
possibility of those different militias inside Syria coming together with Turkish support and maybe even U.S. support, too.
AMANPOUR: Really interesting.
WESTMACOTT: Potentially very significant.
AMANPOUR: So, many different moving parts. Sir Peter Westmacott, thank you as always.
Now, in Washington, of course, the parade of presidents continues with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy coming to hold talks with Donald Trump.
Tomorrow, Friday, President Trump says they'll sign this agreement on minerals that we've been talking about. President Zelenskyy says it's more
of a framework that he hopes will be a first step to securing those security guarantees he so desperately needs from the United States. Here,
in these dueling remarks, are Ukraine's challenge in a nutshell.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: President Zelenskyy is going to be coming on Friday. It's now confirmed, and we're going to be signing an agreement, which will be a very
big agreement. And I want to thank Howard and Scott for the job you guys did, putting it together. You really did an amazing job, and that'll be on
rare earth and other things.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Of course, this agreement is about economics. But I asked for there to be at least an
understanding that we are seeing things the same way, that all of it is part of future security guarantees. So, even in the framework agreement, I
wanted there to be at least a sentence, security guarantees for Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: So, are the presidents, Zelenskyy and Trump, seeing things the same way? Oleksii Reznikov served as Ukraine's defense minister during the
first 18 months of the war, and he took part in peace negotiations with Russia back then. He's joining me now from Kyiv. Oleksii Reznikov, welcome
back to the program.
I wonder what you think your president can achieve when he gets to the White House. And I just want to start by asking -- by saying this, Trump
has just said, the relationship with Zelenskyy did get a little bit testy but he will certainly try to get as much land back for Ukraine, he says
that they're -- that Russia is behaving well, and that they are well on their way to this peace deal. What did you -- give me your reaction.
OLEKSII REZNIKOV, FORMER UKRAINIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: You know, Christiane, I would think that President Trump, he's a former businessman, and
President Zelenskyy also is a former businessman, very successful businessman. So, they became politicians. So, they will have the equal
communication in the White House. As a businessman, they will use the business approach and simultaneously political approach.
In all types of negotiation, sites should recognize the real needs and interest of the sites. We see that this is not bilateral negotiation
process between Ukraine and Russia, this is multilateral negotiation process. So, that's why we need to recognize the interest of the United
States, the interest of Ukraine, the interest of Russia, certainly, the interest of the European Union, European countries, and probably the
interest of the China, which is staying behind the Russian.
So, I think that it would be --
AMANPOUR: No, no. I'm sorry to interrupt you. I just want to ask, because you were there, as I say, in the room, in one of the first rounds, shortly
after the invasion, of trying to get some kind of resolution to this. How did it go? Remind us what happened there.
REZNIKOV: You know that it was real traditional Russian approach to trying to conducting negotiation from the position of the force or the power, and
they trying to deliver to Ukrainian side the so-called polite way of the capitulation. So, that's it.
[13:25:00]
AMANPOUR: And do you think, from everything you see, and I assume you're on top of Russian media and you have all sorts of avenues of information
that maybe we don't have here, do you see anything, since Trump has started this discussion about ending the war from Russia, from Moscow, that
suggests that they're changing or doing anything other than what you just said, demanding capitulation, however diplomatically?
REZNIKOV: I saw different types of footage from the Russian sides. They start a new approach trying to deliver to their population that probably
they will fight with their so-called patriotic units. So, I think that they see the big economical situation in their country. You can check the report
of the Central Bank, I mean, leader of the Central Bank of Russia. They're raising the interest for the credits. So, I think that's in the interest of
Russia to stop this war also.
AMANPOUR: So, he said that -- I mean, I guess it's unfair to ask you, but Trump said that Putin would also have to make concessions. Can you imagine
any -- I mean, today -- I mean, it's probably, I mean, obviously negotiating in public, but he -- Moscow said nonnegotiable, whatever's been
occupied and annexed by Russia, probably since 2014, is nonnegotiable.
REZNIKOV: I'm sure they will start with this position. Because in all kind of negotiations, it should be so kind zone of possible agreement, and they
have this zone and they will trying to deliver to the Trump administration that something is nonnegotiable like Crimea, for example, or Lugansk or
Donetsk, but I don't know what kind of the arguments will be delivered from the Washington, D.C. to the Moscow to the Kremlin. And as I heard that they
just finished the meeting in Istanbul in Turkey between Russia and American sides. So, this is not easy process, but I see it's going on it on a good
way.
AMANPOUR: So, you're positive then, you feel more positive about this?
REZNIKOV: You know, I'm always -- I'm an optimist, including the February 2022, I keeping my optimism. It's my key how to survive in this world.
AMANPOUR: Yes, I think a lot of your people have been saying, Ukrainian people have been very concerned about the flip flop from the United States,
about praising Putin, about kind of trying to delegitimize your president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Today, Trump was asked again, during his meeting in the White House, and of course he's meeting your president tomorrow, whether he still thinks
Zelenskyy is a dictator, and he said, did I say that? So, he's kind of showing that perhaps he might not say that again. I don't know. But anyway,
he didn't double down today.
And I guess my question is, what is the best in terms of a security guarantee that Ukraine can expect? I'm going to play you what Trump said
about Europe about not providing a security guarantee for this mineral deal. Let me just play it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Well, I'm not going to make security guarantees beyond very much. We're going to have Europe do that because it's in -- you know, we're
talking about Europe is their next-door neighbor. But we're going to make sure everything goes well. And as you know, we'll be making a -- we'll be
really partnering with Ukraine in terms of rare earth. We very much need rare earth. They have great rare earth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AMANPOUR: So, I guess two questions. Partnering in this economic form, is that for you, a former defense minister, a sufficient and credible security
backstop, security guarantee against a further Russian invasion or aggression?
REZNIKOV: You know that Ukraine cannot believe to any security guarantees which will -- looks like Budapest Memorandum. For us, the best way to be a
full-fledged member of the NATO allies, and we have the same approach in our constitution, but we understand that at this moment, it would be
something new one, some kind of new security architecture.
And President Trump, in his previous tenure, also trying to push European countries to rise up their budgets for the defense, because a lot of
European countries didn't spend money for the NATO, for their securities. And today, President Trump again trying to deliver them this message. I
heard that in Munich conference a couple weeks ago. And I think that in his mind that he has protect American interest and push again European
countries to invest in their security. The best way to invest in security of Europe, it's investment to the Ukraine.
[13:30:00]
So, we have to strengthen armed forces of Ukraine because Ukraine is a eastern flank of the Europe. It's absolutely understandable for me. So --
and I'm -- I believe that the deal about the minerals, about the other type of resources will provide the interest of United States to protect their
investment also.
But as I see, President Trump trying to persuade Europeans leaders to stay with Ukraine using their budgets, using their money, spending their money.
AMANPOUR: Well, a lot of them have said they will. We heard also today again from the NATO secretary general, Mark Rutte, that he had -- he says
he's had a great call with Trump and that they say they're going to provide more weapons, you know, NATO to Ukraine.
What do you think? I mean, I know that you're no longer defense minister, but I don't know, do -- does Ukraine have enough, do you think, to keep
fighting for the rest of this year? What is its capability right now?
REZNIKOV: Yes. You know that this war started when Ukrainians used Soviet era legacy -- I mean, weaponry. And today, we are using Soviet era
weaponry, NATO standard weaponry, and Ukrainian inventions. As you know, we have Navy forces, but we have no fleet. Our fleet was occupied in Crimea in
2014. But Russians fleet in Black Sea is still hiding from us more than 25 -- 250 kilometers. Because we are using new systems, robotic systems,
unmanned systems, sea drones. And you know that Ukraine sunk the flagship cruiser Moskva in April 2022.
Today, the contact line looks like 50 kilometers wide and 1,000 kilometers long because we're using FPV drones against them, they're using also
electronic warfare against us. It's a new style of war in the world. This is a -- it's a last conventional war on the earth.
So, we have Ukrainian production capacity of the electronic war warfare. And plus, we're using also artillery systems from the NATO standards. So,
it's new war. The question of the manpower is not a question. It's not a question of quantity, it's a question of quality.
Russia invited North Korean soldiers to the battlefield because they have no capacity to fighting. Their offensive is very crawling. They occupying
five meters -- 500 meters per day and losing 1,000 soldiers per day, wounded and killed in actions. So, it's a new style of the war. It's not a
question of the manpower again.
So, we have capacity to fight and we have capacity to fight back, but if you want to break through the frontline, certainly, we need more weaponry
and more different types of ordinance.
AMANPOUR: Can I ask you, you just laid it out, and, you know, we know, the economists has put the figures together, that back in 2022, during the
full-scale invasion, Ukraine occupied something like 19.6 percent of -- Russia occupied 19.6 percent of your territory. And today, three years
later, it's 19.2 percent. So, that goes to what you're saying, that you are fighting. It's really hard, but they're not winning.
Trump, of course, said --
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Bianna Golodryga. We want to take you to the White House. Now, where moments ago, British Prime
Minister Keir Starmer spoke with President Donald Trump.
DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. It's a great honor to have Prime Minister Starmer in the Oval Office. It's a very special place
and he's a special man and the United Kingdom is a wonderful -- this is a wonderful country that I know very well. I'm there a lot, and I'll be going
there and we expect to see each other in the near future. We'll be announcing it.
But we're going to be discussing many things today. We'll be discussing Russia, Ukraine. We'll be discussing trade. And lots of other items, and I
think we can say that we're going to be getting along on every one of them. We've had a tremendous relationship. And frankly, the prime minister and I
have met twice before, and we get along very famously, as you would say. And I look forward to it very much.
We look forward to the day and the meeting. We'll be having a luncheon after this, and then, another work session. And I believe we're going to
have a press conference at the end. So, I look forward to it. And, Mr. Prime Minister, thank you very much. Thank you.
[13:35:00]
KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Mr. President. Can I say thank you for your hospitality, for your leadership. We have met a number
of times, we've talked a number of times, and we have had a very constructive conversation, I'm sure we will today.
And of course, our countries have been bound together for a very long time now. The closest alliance I think of any two countries when it comes to
prosperity and security. And I know that together we will strengthen that even further and on issues like Ukraine.
Thank you for changing the conversation to bring about the possibility that now we can have a peace deal. And we want to work with you to make sure
that peace deal is enduring, that it lasts, that it's a deal that goes down as a historic deal that nobody breaches. And we'll work with you to make
sure that that absolutely happens.
And it is my pleasure to bring from his majesty, the king, a letter, he sends his best wishes and his regards of course. But he also asked me to
bear this letter and bring it to you. So, can I present the letter from the king to you?
TRUMP: Yes, thank you very much. Am I supposed to read it right now?
STARMER: Yes, please do.
TRUMP: I will do it.
STARMER: I've got to tell him what your reaction is. So, I need to know. I need to know.
TRUMP: He is a great gentleman. A great, great gentleman. Oh, that's -- wow. Well, that is really nice. I must make sure his signatures on that.
Otherwise, it's not quite as meaningful. It is. And that's quite a signature, isn't it? How beautiful. He's a beautiful man, a wonderful man.
And we appreciate. I've known him -- gotten to know him very well, actually, first term and now a second term. Perhaps you'd like to say what
that very important paragraph?
STARMER: Yes. So, this is a letter from his majesty, the king. It's an invitation for a second state visit. This is really special. This has never
happened before. This is unprecedented. And I think that just symbolizes the strength of the relationship between us. So, this is a very special
letter. I think the last state visit was a tremendous success.
TRUMP: It was.
STARMER: His majesty, the king, wants to make this even better than that. So, this is truly historic, an unprecedented second state visit.
TRUMP: That's a great, great --
STARMER: And he wants to talk that through with you.
TRUMP: And that says at Windsor. That's really something.
STARMER: Yes, yes. What I haven't got yet is your answer. I do need to --
TRUMP: The answer is yes. On behalf of our wonderful first lady, Melania and myself, the answer is yes, and we look forward to being there and
honoring the king and honoring really your country. Your country is a fantastic country and it'll be our honor to be there. Thank you very much.
STARMER: Well, thank you very much, Mr. President. I shall happily take that back to his majesty.
TRUMP: It's beautiful.
STARMER: Thank you.
TRUMP: Thank you. Thank you. I'm going to keep that one.
STARMER: You got to keep that one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Trump, Andrew and Tristan Tate landed in Florida today on a private jet after being released from custody in
Romania. They are accused rapists, human traffickers, not thought of as good people in many circles. Did your administration pressure the Romanian
government to release them? And if so --
TRUMP: I know nothing about that. I don't know. You're saying he's on a plane right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's back. They already picked him up.
TRUMP: Yes. I just know nothing about it. We'll check it out. We'll let you know.
STARMER: And look -- obviously, this involves -- there's an English element here. So, obviously, it's important that justice is done, and human
trafficking is obviously, to my mind, a security risk. And so, I will catch up with the story and --
TRUMP: And you're aware -- are you aware? I didn't know anything about it. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, veterans make up 30 percent of the federal workforce. Are you tracking how many veterans have been fired so
far?
TRUMP: Yes, we are.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you want DOGE to --
TRUMP: We are. And we take good care of our veterans. So, we're watching that very carefully, and we hope it's going to be a smaller number as
possible. But we are having great success in slimming down our government. It's been really very successful. And some took payouts and buyouts and
others took other things. And some people were finding out don't even exist. We're finding that we have a lot of people that don't exist, that
people thought that did.
We will be making a statement in that, but we're taking care of our veterans. We love our veterans. We're going to take good care of them.
[13:40:00]
OK. please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, could you be persuaded as part of a peace settlement in Ukraine to provide air cover, a backstop security
position to the contributions that Europe might make as well?
TRUMP: Well, so President Zelenskyy is coming to see me on Friday, Friday morning, and we're going to be signing really a very important agreement
for both sides because it's really going to get us into that country. We'll be working there. We'll have a lot of people working there.
And so, in that sense, it's very good. It's a backstop, you could say. I don't think anybody's going to play around if we're there with a lot of
workers and having to do with rare earths and other things, which we need for our country. And we appreciate it very much.
And I look forward to seeing him. We'll be talking about it. And we'll also be talking about that today with the prime minister.
STARMER: Yes. I mean, we -- as you know, we've already indicated that we'll play our full part in making sure that any deal, if there is one, and
I hope there is, and I think this is a historic moment to make sure it's a lasting deal, and we about to have a discussion about how we can make that
work.
TRUMP: But I have to say this, as I said yesterday, you know, you're talking about a peacekeeping force. We have to make a deal first. Right
now, we don't have a deal. We have Russia, we have Ukraine. I think we're very well advanced. I think Russia has been acting very well. We have
representatives, Steve Witkoff and Scott and Marco and J. D., we're all involved, every one of us, and a lot more.
But I think we're very well advanced on a deal, but we have not made a deal yet. So, I don't like to talk about peacekeeping until we have a deal. I
like to get things done. I don't want to give it the bad luck sign, we don't want to do that. But we've had very good talks with Russia, and we've
had very good talks, as you know, with Ukraine. Yes, sir.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, does the prime minister have to choose a closer relationship with the E.U. as he is seeking and a good trade
relationship with you? Which one should he go for?
TRUMP: Well, I think we have just a great relationship. We actually had a good relationship before. We've met a couple of times and I'm very
impressed with him. I'm very impressed with his wife. I must say she's a beautiful great woman. And she --
STARMER: I second that.
TRUMP: I said, you. I said, you're very lucky. He's very lucky. And no, I -- we've had a very good relationship.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you worried about Britain potentially undoing some of the benefits of Brexit by seeking a closer tie with the E.U., who you
said was set up to screw --
TRUMP: No, I don't worry about that. I don't -- I thought, you know, frankly, what they did was the right thing at the time, and I think that'll
probably prove out over the centuries. You know, you have a long time to go. But I think -- I predicted that was going to happen, and it did happen,
and it'll work itself out. It's -- I think it's already worked itself out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, can I ask on Chagos, Mr. President? Keir Starmer has signed a deal to give away the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Will you approve that deal?
TRUMP: Well, we're going to have some discussions about that very soon, and I have a feeling it's going to work out very well. They're talking
about a very long-term, you know, powerful lease, a very strong lease. About 140 years, actually. It's a long time. And I think we'll be inclined
to go along with your country. Yes, I think it's -- it's a little bit early. We have to be given the details, but it doesn't sound bad. Yes,
please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, you obviously can do business with our prime minister, Keir Starmer. You said yesterday that the E.U. was
constructed to screw the U.S. when it comes to trade. What can our prime minister say to you to persuade you not to impose tariffs on the United
Kingdom?
TRUMP: Yes, did I use the word that you said, that bad word?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think so.
TRUMP: Well, I think that the E.U. -- yes I've had problems with the E.U. because -- and we're not talking about -- we happen to have a great
relationship with you, but we did have -- and we do have problems with the E.U. because they've tariffed us. They do it in the form of a VAT tax,
which is about 20 percent, and many other taxes. They sue our companies, they sued Apple. Got $16 or $17 billion, which was, I think, totally a
ridiculous decision. And they're suing Google for a lot of money. They're suing a lot of other companies. And we don't like the way they're treating
our people now. We don't like the way they're treating our companies.
They sell us cars. We don't sell them cars. They don't take our cars. They don't take our -- much of our agriculture. And we have a deficit with them
of about $350 billion. So, I wouldn't say it's been such a great relationship personally, but other people did because it's politically
correct to say that it's been good, but it hasn't been good. And we're going to change that.
And we are going to have reciprocal tariffs. We're not going to have tariffs, we're going to have reciprocal. Whatever they charge us, we're
going to charge them, which for many years, foolishly, I would have done that, but then, all of a sudden, we had COVID and we had other things to
think about. So, it took me a little while to get that on and we -- but we had -- in my first four years, we had the greatest economy in the history
of, I think, the world, but certainly, in the history of our country, I think we're going to have that again.
[13:45:00]
But the E.U. was very, very tough on us from the standpoint of trade. Then you could take it a step further and go into NATO, and that was a very
tough situation for us. I mean, that's been a very tough situation because we were paying a disproportionate share and it wasn't good.
So, as you know, they paid hundreds of billions of dollars after I got involved, and they evened it out a little bit, but not very much. And then,
if you look at the war, we're in for $300 billion plus, and they're in for $100 billion. They get their money back. And now, we'll get our money back
also.
But under Biden, you wouldn't have done that. Biden did a terrible job. I have to say. I hate to say that about somebody that sat here just before
me, but he did a terrible, terrible job. That war should have never happened. The war between Russia, Ukraine. Frankly, October 7th should have
never happened. Israel. That should have never happened. What happened there should have never -- inflation should have never happened.
Afghanistan should have never happened. The way they got out. Not getting out, but the way they got out.
So -- but I can say that as far as we're here for a different reason. We're talking about a very different place. And this is some place that I have
investments there. I have -- I own Turnberry. I own Aberdeen. And I own a great place called Doonbeg in Ireland. So, you know, I have a great warm
spot for your country.
STARMER: And our trade, obviously, is fair and balanced and, in fact, you've got a bit of a surplus. So, we're in a different position there. And
obviously, we've contributed hugely in relation to Ukraine and taken together with Europe, that's about 50 percent of what's gone in.
TRUMP: It'll work. It's going to work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you. So, does that mean there won't be any sanctions on the U.K. then?
TRUMP: We'll have to take a look. I mean, we're going to have a good discussion today. And we have some very talented people on the other side
and we have some people that probably aren't as talented to them, but they're pretty good. Marco, what do you think? Our people are pretty good.
No, we're going to have a good discussion and we'll be talking about that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President -- Mr. Starmer, the prime minister has said that he believes that Vladimir Putin would be at risk of invading
Ukraine again without a sufficient backstop. Do you think that Vladimir Putin would be likely to invade again in the event of --
TRUMP: No, I don't think so. I think when we have a deal, it's going to be the deal. I don't think of -- if I didn't win the election, I don't think
we'd be even talking to Putin right now or anybody else. I think it would just -- you know, I don't know if you're looking at the stats, but
thousands of people are being killed a week, soldiers mostly, because the towns have been destroyed. Thousands of soldiers. This was a very bad week,
by the way. I get the stats.
STARMER: Yes, I saw the numbers.
TRUMP: And you're talking about a human life. Number one, I want to see that, and it doesn't involve American soldiers, but it's Russian and
Ukrainian soldiers. And I can think -- I think I'm speaking for both.
STARMER: Yes, yes.
TRUMP: Number one, we want to see that stop. And number two, I want to stop paying the kind of money that we're talking about. You know, we're
helping and we're helping NATO, but we're helping a lot more than anybody else by far. And I want that to stop also. Yes, go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you, sir. You talked about the trade tariffs this morning on your social media site.
TRUMP: I did, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just a question about China. 10 percent tariffs has already been implemented on China. Are you planning to do any --
TRUMP: This will be an additional 10 above the 10.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This will be an additional 10 above. And is there -- from the talks with Canada and Mexico so far, are you not seeing the
progress that you wanted in order to expand?
TRUMP: I don't see it at all, no. Not on drugs. We've done a great job. If you look at Tom Homan, he's been incredible and Kristi, they've done a
great job in terms of the border. But the drugs continue to pour into our country, killing hundreds of thousands of people. We're losing
substantially more than 100,000 people. I mean, dead, they're dead. The families are destroyed after that happened.
So, it's -- you know, it's not just that, that's the ultimate, but the families are absolutely destroyed. The drugs come in through Mexico. They
come -- a lot of them, not all of them, but a lot of them come from China. And that's why we did that. It's 10 plus 10. In case -- was there confusion
on that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was, sir, yes.
TRUMP: OK. 10 plus 10. It's a second 10. And I think you'll -- I think you're going to see -- eventually, you're going to see drugs stopping,
because the country should not be allowing those drugs to come into the United States of America. And we're not going to allow it to happen. So,
that goes on on the 4th of March. And then, on the 2nd of April we have reciprocal tariffs, that's reciprocal where we charge countries what
they're charging us, and nobody should have a problem with that.
[13:50:00]
We have a reciprocal. It's reciprocity. It's something that I think -- everybody I've spoken to said that's fair. And it is. If somebody charges
us 25 percent, we charge them 25. If somebody charges us 10 or 15 or 30 or 70, we charge them an exact like amount. And it's pretty simple. But it's
reciprocal tariffs.
Because the United States has been taken advantage of by many, many different countries, including our friends, friend and foe. And in many
cases, our friends took bigger advantage of -- when you talk about the E.U., we're talking about the E.U. The E.U. has been really very bad to us
in terms of trade. And I'm a different kind of a president. I can't let that happen. Thank you.
Yes. Please, ma'am. Go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, what would you be willing to do if Vladimir Putin did not stick to the terms of any deal on Ukraine?
TRUMP: If he not what?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If he did not stick to the terms of any deal on Ukraine? Because he has a history of not sticking to his word when it comes
to international agreements.
TRUMP: I think I'd keep his word. I think he's -- I've spoken to him, I've known him for a long time now, you know, we had to go through the Russian
hoax together, that was not a good thing, it's not fair, that was a rigged deal, and had nothing to do with Russia, it was a rigged deal with inside
the country. And they had to put up with that too. They put up with a lot. It wasn't just us. They had to put up with a phony story that was made up.
I've known him for a long time now. And I think he will -- I don't believe he's going to violate his word. I don't think he'll be back. When we make a
deal, I think the deal is going to hold.
Now, they're going to have security -- you're going to have security.
STARMER: Yes.
TRUMP: You're going to have soldiers. I know France wants to be there. He's -- the president has said he wants to have soldiers there. I don't
think we're going to even be necessary. But I don't think there'll be any problem with keeping the deal with the security.
STARMER: We're going to discuss them.
TRUMP: You want to say something?
STARMER: No, I'm just going to say, I mean, the deal, if we get it, is going to be hugely important. I don't think it would have happened if the
space hadn't been created for it by yourself. But if there's a deal in, we've got to make sure it's a deal that lasts, that is not temporary, but
lasts. And that's why we need to make sure that it's secure. And we've lent in and said we'll play our part. And we've talked and we will talk about it
how we work with yourself, Mr. President, to ensure that this deal is something which is not violated. Because it's very important that if there
is a deal, we keep it.
TRUMP: And that will be -- and I think I could say that will be the easy part. That's the part we look forward to. Because putting security there,
that's the part we all look forward to. That's easy. The difficult part is getting the deal made. So --
STARMER: Yes.
TRUMP: But I think we've come a long way. Did you have something? You have such a -- he's got such a nice face. He's -- you know, he's smiling and --
but watch, you'll ask a total killer question.
STARMER: I've known him a long time.
TRUMP: They're the ones that get you. Now, he looks like a nice guy.
STARMER: On a personal level, Mr. President, what do you get on most -- what's your common ground with Sir Keir Starmer? Because you're both from
different political backgrounds.
TRUMP: It's true. I think I can say this because we've known each other now, really, for a little while, this is not our first meeting, as you
know. He loves his country and so do I. That's our common theme. He loves his country and I love our country. And we also have two countries that
have gotten along for the longest period of time.
STARMER: Yes, yes.
TRUMP: Number one ally on each side. And we have good, France and Australia, we have a lot of good ones. But we've had a long-time
relationship, a long-time, hundreds of years. And we like each other, frankly, and we like each other's country, and we love our country. And I
think that's our common thread.
Yes, please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On tariffs. You just said with China --
TRUMP: Who are you with?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm with the independent.
TRUMP: Oh, that's good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On tariffs, you just said with China --
TRUMP: He's independent. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We charged them as we charged China. But the tariffs are paid eventually by American importers and consumers.
TRUMP: No, they're not. I think they're paid for by the country. But you know, look, we can get into that. I had -- I put a lot of tariffs on in my
first term, and we've made tremendous amounts of progress because of those tariffs. China paid us hundreds of billions of dollars, billions. We never
had a -- because they took advantage. And President Xi is a friend of mine, but he knows better than anybody took advantage of our country. He took
advantage of presidents who didn't know what they were doing. And they expect them.
They actually expect them. The smart countries expect them from me, because they know me and they know our country. But they got away with murder for
decades, and we just can't let that happen anymore.
Behind you, please.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's very kind, Mr. President. It sounds as though one of you completely trusts President Putin, and one of you doesn't trust
him an inch. Have I got that right? And why do you trust him?
[13:55:00]
TRUMP: No, look, you know, it's trust and verify, let's call it that. And I think we both can be that way. It's -- you have to verify, because you
never know what's going to happen. I know a lot of people that you would say no chance that they would ever deceive you, and they're the worst
people in the world. I know others that you would guarantee they would deceive you. And you know what, they're 100 percent honorable. So, you
never know what you're getting. No, I have confidence that if we make a deal, it's going to hold.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On fentanyl, Mr. President. Less than 1 percent of all fentanyl that comes into the U.S. is apprehended at the Canadian
border. So, why use fentanyl as a reason to impose --
TRUMP: Because they should be apprehending much more. They're only apprehending 1 percent. You're right about that. It's a little more than
that. But they should be apprehending much more because a lot comes through Canada. And as Mexico gets stronger in terms of the border, it goes up to
Canada. And a lot of drugs are coming in through Canada. We can't have that.
Yes, go ahead, please, in the back.
UUNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is there anything you can say tomorrow to President Zelenskyy to reassure him that his country's war hasn't been in vain and
its sovereignty is not going to be threatened by any deal with Russia?
TRUMP: Well, you know, he's coming. Perhaps he's already on his way. And we're going to be signing the deal together, probably in front of the
media. And we're going to be having a good conversation. No, we want to work with him, President Zelenskyy, she said before. We want to work with
him and we will work with him. I think the president and I actually have had a very good relationship. It maybe got a little bit testy because we
wanted to have a little bit of what the European nation said.
You know, they get their money back by giving money. We don't get the money back. Biden made a deal. He put in $350 billion. And I thought it was a
very unfair situation.
STARMER: We're not getting all of ours. I mean, quite a bit of ours was gifted. It was given. There were some links (ph), but mainly it was gifted,
actually.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, the Europeans want Ukraine to be part of NATO as part of this deal. Are you willing to budge on that at all, or is
it a further --
TRUMP: Well, I could be very nice and say, oh, well, we'll work to it. Look, it's not going to happen. It's just not going to happen. That's what
started this whole thing. Biden said that, and all of a sudden, the gun started. That was one of the primary reasons it started. And this was long
before President Putin. They never said it was an impossibility. So, we can say, oh, gee, well, we'll try. But that's something that's just not going
to happen.
And then, the other question they ask is about the land. Will you get your land back? Well, they fought long and hard on the land, and you and I will
be discussing that. And we're going to certainly try and get as much as we can back. But on the NATO, it's just not -- that's not going to happen.
Yes, please.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. President, you talked about having common ground with Keir Starmer, there are things you disagree on as well. You described
Zelenskyy as a dictator, he describes President Putin as a dictator. Do you see that as a problem?
TRUMP: The relationship between President Zelenskyy and President Putin is not a good one. You've noticed, right? It's not a good one. It's not a good
relationship. And we'll have to try and work something out. Sometimes that happens. I get along with both.
I have a very good relationship with President Putin. I think I have a very good relationship with President Zelenskyy. And now, we're -- you know,
we're doing the deal, then we're going to be in there. We're going to be actually in there digging our hearts out.
And hopefully -- you know, we need the rare earth. And we have some here, but we don't have enough. Our economy is very strong and we need a lot of
things that, in some cases, we don't have here. So, I think we're going to have a very good relationship. But the relationship between them is not the
best.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, do you still think that Mr. Zelenskyy is a dictator?
TRUMP: Did I say that? I can't believe I said that. Next question. Yes, please go ahead. Sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. George (INAUDIBLE) Financial Times. Can you see any situation where U.S. forces could be deployed as a backstop in a
peacekeeping operation in direct confrontation with Russian forces?
TRUMP: Well, there is a backstop that, you know, first you're going to have European countries, because they're right there. We're very far away.
We have an ocean between us. But we want to make sure it works. So, I don't know when you say backstop. Do you mean a backstop psychologically or
militarily or what? But we are a backstop because we'll be over there. We'll be working in the country. We're going to be -- that's a great thing
economically for them because, you know, when you talk about economic development, we're going to have a lot of people over there. So, we'll be
working in the country.
So, I don't -- I just don't think you're going to have a problem. I think when we have an agreement you can say whatever you want about security,
who's going to do it or not, and that's going to be a very pleasant conversation. The hard conversation is will we have an agreement? And I
think the answer is yes.
I think Russia will --
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[14:00:00]
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