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Trump Threatens Russia With Sanctions; President Trump Meets With NATO Secretary-General. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired July 14, 2025 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:30:00]

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A hundred is going to serve the same function. But, yes, I have it at 100 percent. They may have it -- I don't know what they're going to end up with. They may have it at 100 too. They may have it at 500.

But they're doing some good work in the House. And I think -- in the House and the Senate. And, as you know, they're coordinated. And they can have it done quickly. They said they will have it as quickly as I need it. So we will see. We're talking to them.

In fact, John Thune is coming over later on to talk.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Yes, he's going to come over to us.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

Is it your view that Vladimir Putin mischaracterized his dedication to...

TRUMP: What?

QUESTION: Is it your view that Vladimir Putin mis -- misguided -- mis -- did not clarify...

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: ... did not clarify his intention to a peace deal?

TRUMP: Yes. Well...

QUESTION: And what happens now in the next phase? Is there...

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: We're going to see. I mean, we're going to go for a period of time. Maybe he will start negotiating.

I think we felt, I felt, I don't know about you, Mark, but I felt that we had a deal about four times. And here we are still talking about...

(CROSSTALK)

MARK RUTTE, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL: And he didn't send serious people to the negotiations. So I remember that you were able with Marco Rubio and with Steve Witkoff to get these talks going in Istanbul.

TRUMP: Yes.

RUTTE: I remember -- I was myself in Turkey for NATO business in May. And we really put pressure on the Ukrainians to send a senior team into Istanbul.

And they did. But then the Russians came up with this historian, explaining history of Russia since 1250.

TRUMP: We thought and I thought we should have had a deal done a long time ago. But it just keeps going on and on and on. And every night, people are dying, a lot of people. A lot of Russian soldiers are dying, by the way, and a lot of Ukrainian soldiers too. But a lot of Russian soldiers are dying.

RUTTE: A hundred thousand Russian soldiers since 1st of January.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Since January.

RUTTE: Since January, 100,000 Russian soldiers dead since January. So if anybody in Moscow is listening to this, again, 100,000 dead Russians in January.

TRUMP: Yes.

RUTTE: This is what President Putin is doing at the moment.

TRUMP: Yes, please.

QUESTION: Will these be Patriot missiles specifically, or Patriot batteries that you're planning? And when do you...

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Everything. It's everything.

QUESTION: Everything?

TRUMP: It's Patriots. It's all of them. It's a full complement with the batteries.

QUESTION: And when do you expect them to arrive in Ukraine, sir?

TRUMP: Well, we're going to have some come very soon, within days, actually, because a couple of the countries that have Patriots are going to swap over, and we will replace the Patriots with the ones they have.

And Matt will coordinate with NATO. But -- so it's going to be -- they're going to start arriving very soon. RUTTE: And this afternoon, Boris Pistorius, the German defense

minister, is visiting Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, and will discuss also, I think, all of this whole Patriot thing.

Norway is involved. So that's on the Patriots. But this whole deal is also about missiles or ammunition. So, it's broader than the Patriots.

TRUMP: We have one country that has 17 Patriots getting ready to be shipped. They're not going to need them for them. So we're going to work a deal where the 17 will go, or a big portion of the 17 will go to the war site.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: That can be done very quickly.

QUESTION: Mr. President.

QUESTION: Mr. President.

TRUMP: Yes, please.

QUESTION: Could this transaction with NATO be viewed as a step towards achieving peace, letting Putin know that now Zelenskyy has a little bit more powerful tools in his tool chest, and maybe that brings him to the table to achieve peace? I know that you wanted to do that.

TRUMP: Brian (ph), that's what we have been saying. I think you might have expressed it better if you want to know the truth.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: ... a summary.

TRUMP: Yes, that was a nice summary. I think he's done better than us. He's a very good guy, I can tell you that.

But, no, it's well said. Yes, I think this is a chance at getting peace, or it's just going to be the same thing. I have to tell you, Europe has a lot of spirit for this war. A lot of people -- when I first got involved, I really didn't think they did, but they do.

And I saw that a month ago.

RUTTE: Yes.

TRUMP: And you were there, most of you, many of you were there. The level of esprit de corps, spirit, that they have is amazing. They really think it's a very, very important thing to do, or they wouldn't be doing it.

Look, they're agreeing to -- just so you know, they're paying for everything. We're not paying anymore. We were -- we have an ocean separating us. I said, we have a problem. We make the best stuff, but we can't keep doing this. And Biden should have done this years ago. He should have done it from the beginning, but he didn't. He didn't know he was there.

This guy, what a horrible job they did to this country. And I just hope, between the border and this and so many other -- inflation, what a horrible administration, the worst administration in history, in my opinion. That's not my opinion. I think it's everybody's opinion.

But this is something that shouldn't have happened. We're going to see if we can end it.

QUESTION: If I can follow up...

(CROSSTALK)

[11:35:00]

TRUMP: I do want to make one statement. Again, I said it before. This is not Trump's war. We're here to try and get it finished and settled and whatever, because nobody wins with this. And this is a loser from every standpoint.

This was Biden, and this was other people. And it's a very sad situation. This gentleman's doing a great job. He's going to -- I think he's going to get it. And Matt and everybody else that's working on it, I think you will get this thing over with, hopefully.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Mr. President, you have praised European countries today as standing up for Ukraine, as being strong. Will you allow them to continue to negotiate tariffs lower than 30 percent before August 1, or is the deal set at this point?

TRUMP: What does that mean? You mean -- you're talking about the tariffs?

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: ... trade on tariffs.

TRUMP: You're back on tariffs. You're on a more friendly tariff, right, a little bit more friendly tariff.

QUESTION: Perhaps.

TRUMP: No, we're going to be talking to people. We have -- I watched a show this morning, they were talking about, well, when's he going to make the deal?

The deals are already made. The letters are the deals. The deals are made. There are no deals to make. They would like to do a different kind of a deal. And we're always open to talk. We are open to talk, including to Europe. In fact, they're coming over. They would like to talk.

QUESTION: Mr. President, is there any concern about the U.S. stockpiles? There was a pause in delivery of weaponry to Ukraine in order to evaluate, apparently, the U.S. stockpiles. What came out of that?

TRUMP: Evaluation.

I mean, this was a very big -- what we're talking about today is a very, very big day. And what Pete was doing, and me too, I knew what Pete was doing, was evaluation, because we knew this was going to happen. And now we actually announced it. They voted on it. It's all been done.

So, obviously, that has a big impact on -- when you say pause, obviously, you're not going to be doing things if you don't know what's going to happen here. But we were pretty sure this was going to happen. So we did a little bit of a pause. But this is a very big -- this is a very big event today. This is something very big.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Mr. President, if Putin escalates further, how far are you willing to go in response?

TRUMP: In what?

QUESTION: How far are you willing to go if Putin were to escalate, send more bombs in the coming days?

TRUMP: Don't ask me a question like that, how far? I want to get the war settled. They're not Americans that are dying in it. And I have a problem and J.D. has a problem. It's a stance that he's had for a long time.

They're not Americans dying, but there are a lot of people dying and on something that should be able to be settled. We all agree with that, this group of people. We want to defend our country. But, ultimately, having a strong Europe is a very good thing. It's a very good thing.

So I'm OK with that.

Yes, please, in the back.

QUESTION: Yes. Yes. Is there a ceiling on what the Europeans are willing to pay for? And it sounds like -- are you ruling out the U.S. paying for some -- from additional weapons through drawdown authority?

RUTTE: Shall I (OFF-MIKE)

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Please.

RUTTE: Because basically what the president is saying, that he is willing -- of course, taking consideration what the U.S. needs itself. So it's not that you can have a shopping list, you can order whatever you want, because the U.S. has to make sure that the U.S. keeps its hands on what the U.S. needs also to keep the whole world safe. Because, in the end, you are the police agent of the whole world.

You're the most powerful nation on Earth, most powerful military on Earth. But, given that, the U.S. has decided to indeed massively supply Ukraine with what is necessary through NATO, Europeans 100 percent paying for that.

And what we have been doing over the last couple of days is talking with countries. And I just mentioned, when the first wave, immediately said, we want to chip in. And then you are talking -- really talking about big numbers.

Take Germany visiting today. They're really talking about big numbers.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: I will say that I spoke with Germany, spoke with most of the larger countries. And they are really enthusiastic about this. And they're willing to go very far, I will tell you. As per your question, how far would I go, they want to go very far. They don't want this to happen.

That's why I think, from Putin's standpoint, it would really be good. He gets -- the country's economy is doing very poorly. And he's got to get his economy back. He's got to save his economy. He could save his country in a sense. But the economy can destroy you. It's destroyed a lot of countries over the years. He wants to get that economy back.

And he's got a great country for trading and other things. And they could use the assets instead of war. He's got some tremendous potential. That's what I would say.

QUESTION: How did you deliver this news to Putin, sir?

TRUMP: Say it?

QUESTION: How did you tell Putin this was coming?

TRUMP: I speak to him a lot about getting this thing done.

And I always hang up and say, well, that was a nice phone call, and then missiles are launched into Kyiv and some other city. And that's strange. And after that happens three or four times, you say, the talk doesn't mean anything. My conversations with him are always very pleasant. I say, isn't that a very lovely conversation?

[11:40:01]

And then the missiles go off that night. I go home, I tell the first lady, and I spoke to Vladimir today. We had a wonderful conversation. She said, oh, really? Another city was just hit. So it's like, look, he's -- I don't want to say he's an assassin, but he's a tough guy.

It's been proven over the years. He's fooled a lot of people. He fooled Bush. He fooled a lot of people. He fooled Clinton, Bush, Obama, Biden. He didn't fool me. But what I do say is that, at a certain point, ultimately, talk doesn't talk. It's got to be action. It's got to be results.

And I hope he does it. It's potentially such a great country, to be wasting so many people on this and the money. And look at what's happened to his economy. Look at what's happened.

RUTTE: And with the threat in 50 days, the economy will be hit very hard.

TRUMP: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: I mean, look, I hope he's going to do it. He knows the deal. He knows what a fair deal is, if there is such a thing as a fair deal. There's no winners here. This is a loser. This is a loser.

And I dealt with him from the beginning. It wouldn't have happened, but I will say Ukraine was the apple of his eye. We talk about it. It was the apple of his eye. But it wasn't going to happen. And he understood that. It wasn't going to happen. And then I noticed -- after I was out, I noticed soldiers forming at the border.

And then I heard horrible, stupid things being said from the other side. And I said they're really handling it very, very wrong. It's a shame.

Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

RUTTE: Can I add say -- I can add one thing, and this is about President Trump, because you came into office in January. On the 12th of February, you had your first phone call with Putin.

I think you did exactly what I hoped you would do. That is breaking the deadlock, starting the conversation, because you have to test him. I know Putin very well from the days when I was prime minister of Netherlands you have to test him. And you did this.

And you really gave him a chance to be serious, to get to the table, to start negotiations, Steve Witkoff, Marco Rubio. We are all trying to help him. But you have now come to a point where you say, well, hey...

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: We actually thought we had probably four times a deal.

RUTTE: Yes.

TRUMP: I mean, you were called, and we said, this looks good.

RUTTE: Yes.

TRUMP: And then the deal wouldn't happen because bombs would be thrown out that night. And you would say, we're not making any deals. It like...

RUTTE: But you breaking the deadlock was crucial, because you had to start that process. And you were the only one who was able to do that.

TRUMP: I think we will get it done.

QUESTION: Do you think he's reasonable enough to negotiate an end to this?

TRUMP: Yes, I think we're going to get it done. I think, look, he -- this is a very powerful situation. You have very wealthy countries buying the best equipment in the world.

And we have the best equipment in the world. We make equipment like no other. Our submarines, nuclear submarines, are so powerful. They're the most powerful weapon ever built. And we have the best in the world by -- they're 20 years behind, 25 years behind us. We have the greatest equipment anywhere in the world. I just hope we don't have to use it.

Yes, please.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President. On a separate topic here, President Biden, of all people, spoke to "The New York Times" over the weekend. He did not speak to them on the record during his time in office at all, but he spoke to them recently.

And he defended his use of the autopen and said that he signed off on every decision. But at the same time, "The Times" reports that he did not individually approve each name for the categorical pardons that apply to large numbers of people.

What is your take on that? Any new revelations from that?

TRUMP: Well, I mean, you took it about the autopen.

Look, the autopen, I think, is maybe one of the biggest scandals that we have had in 50 to 100 years. This is a tremendous scandal. And I know the people on the other side of the -- see that desk, that Resolute Desk? Unfortunately, he used it before me.

But we have our choice of seven desks. They're all beautiful. But I chose the Resolute, and so did he, unfortunately. But the people on the other side of the Resolute Desk, I know them, Lisa, the whole group, and they're no good. They're sick people.

And I guarantee he knew nothing about what he was signing. I guarantee it. So they're going to figure it out, and we will see what happens. But, to me, the autopen, you're elected president. You know what the autopen is supposed to do? Sign thousands of letters from young people that write.

I get -- we get thousands of letters a week, Susie, right, thousands, I mean, tens of thousands sometimes. I look at a room, there's a room where we have many, many people working, responding and sending letters back. That's what an autopen is supposed to be, to write to a young 7-year-old boy that writes to the president, and he wants to be president someday, and he loves America.

[11:45:05]

TRUMP: That's what the autopen is supposed to be. It's not supposed to be for signing major legislation and all the things. No, the autopen -- and I doubt he knew.

I doubt they even spoke to him about it. I think they had -- it's called the freewheeling autopen. Like, Biden was never for open borders. Biden was never for transgender for everyone. So, I don't think he -- I think the radical left people that took over, they took over the White House.

And if I didn't win, our country was finished. When I was in, and I said this a couple of times -- I hope I don't bore you with it, but when I was in Saudi Arabia, I was in Qatar, I was in UAE, and then I met with all of your leaders...

RUTTE: Yes, sir.

TRUMP: ... including you, a great leader. He's now the leader of many countries, not just...

(LAUGHTER)

RUTTE: No, no, no.

TRUMP: But I met with a lot of leaders over the last two months in the Middle East and all of the NATO countries.

And I will tell you, they had one common phrase. They thought America was dead one year ago. And, today, they say, and they all say it, and I hope you will back me up on this, but they say now it's the hottest country anywhere in the world. And it is. Look at our numbers. Look at the numbers we made.

You see, we made $25 billion last month. We didn't make that for years. The tariffs are kicking in. The economy is very strong, even though we have a Fed person who's terrible. He doesn't know what the hell he's doing, but that's all right. We blow through interest rates. We're doing so well, we blow through it.

It'd be nice because people would be able to buy housing a lot easier. But think of it. We thought your country was dead. And they were dealing with China because they really -- they were really going to China, but not anymore. But we thought your country was dead, and now you have the hottest country anywhere in the world.

So we have done a really good job, and it's an honor to have this man. This man is a star, and he's going to be dealing with another one of my stars, Matt. And you're going to do a great job, Matt Whitaker, OK?

Thank you very much, everybody.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, guys.

(CROSSTALK)

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President.

TRUMP: Thank you very much.

(CROSSTALK)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: All right, so they're wrapping up this meeting now with the NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

The president of the United States had announced in the days leading up to this meeting at the White House that he would have a major statement on Russia. His major statement was significant, that the United States will impose 100 percent tariffs on Russia within 50 days. He's giving the Russians right now, Pamela, a 50-day extension to continue this war.

But if there's no cease-fire, if there's no peace, and Russia doesn't start to withdraw within 50 days, the U.S. will impose these 100 percent tariffs on all Russian exports coming into the United States.

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: That's right, and he was asked about why 50 days. He said, well, that's not a lot of time.

And he talked a lot actually about Vladimir Putin and Russia. As you have heard in the last week, he has changed his tone toward Putin, and today he is saying, I was the apple of his eye, but it's all talk, and then he sends missiles in Kyiv, and people are killed. He said, I don't want to say he's an assassin, but he's a tough guy.

BLITZER: Let's go to Kristen Holmes, our White House correspondent.

You were listening very closely, as we all were. What did you think?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: So a couple of big takeaways from here.

One is that it's exactly as we thought, which is this fine line of President Trump being able to help Ukraine, which was something we heard from the secretary-general of NATO, saying that the president wants Ukrainians to be able to defend themselves, but that he doesn't want to pay for it, something that he promised on the campaign, that he wouldn't be pouring all this money into wars overseas, the kind of America first ideas there.

So, the first part of this being that he is going to be working through getting weapons to various NATO countries that NATO countries pay for, and then some of those weapons will then be shipped to Ukraine. They also said that this was going to happen with Patriot missiles, so he confirmed that those missile systems were going to be part of the delivery to Ukraine. But on top of that, he said that it's happening almost immediately,

that there are some countries that already have Patriot missiles who are going to immediately send those weapons to Ukraine. And, in the meantime, the United States is going to manufacture more of those missile systems and send more of them to those countries.

But I do want to say one quick thing. You talk about those 100 percent tariffs. They're not just tariffs. They are secondary tariffs, something Republicans have been asking for four years when it comes to Vladimir Putin. It's not just putting the tariff on the goods coming in from Russia. It's also putting the tariffs on countries that do business with Russia and do business with the United States.

It is that middle section there. We know there's a bill in Congress right now that is calling for 500 percent of these secondary tariffs. This would be 100 percent, so lower than 500 percent, but this would be a huge step if he does, in fact, take it.

[11:50:05]

BROWN: All right, Kristen Holmes, thank you so much.

CNN chief international security correspondent Nick Paton Walsh joins us now.

Nick, what was your takeaway from what we just heard from the president?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, clearly, the urgent need of Ukraine to get Patriot missiles and, it seems, the batteries that fire them, that is being met.

Boris Pistorius, the German defense minister, meeting Pete Hegseth, it seems, potentially to discuss that and getting them there within days, a reference to how some of these systems may be being switched out. Perhaps they are taking some that are damaged or not operational in Ukraine and switching them out with ones that are functional.

So that urgent need to stop the Russian barrage against Ukraine that is nightly clearly being met and a suggestion too that other weapons systems missiles will be sent as well and indeed too that this is not going to be paid for with American money.

So, suggestions we'd heard of before that potentially they might use what remains of the Biden era drawdowns presidential authority, that's not, it seems, part of the equation. It's non-American NATO members paying for this. But the key thing here also I think is this sanctions threat.

Now, sanctions against Russia are relatively meaningless because there's almost no trade between Russia and the United States. So you can sanction that as much as you like. It's probably not going to change Putin's calculus.

What will change the calculus are these secondary sanctions potentially against, look, to be honest here, China and India, the two main consumers of Russian energy products, China practically in a symbiotic relationship with Russia, desperately needing Russian energy, India very keen too. But that whole thing is delayed 50 days.

Now, that is pretty much the full summer on Ukraine's front lines. It gives Russia until September to effect its offensive, many things it's preparing for, and it delays the decision-making process for a substantial period of time.

Does this push Beijing to potentially try and get Russia to the negotiating table? Maybe. Certainly perhaps pressure on India. But any secondary sanctions against China and India are going to impact the United States' economy massively too. So that has certainly been kicked down the line, but the urgent needs for Ukraine, it seems being met in days.

BLITZER: Yes. All right, Nick Paton Walsh, stand by.

I want to bring in our national security correspondent, Kylie Atwood, who's here with us in THE SITUATION ROOM.

Kylie, he said it would be a major statement on Russia. This was in fact a major statement, giving the Russians right now 50 days to accept the cease-fire, end this war that they brutally started against Ukraine. Otherwise, the U.S. would impose 100 percent secondary sanctions on all countries that trade with Russia right now.

If India or China or other countries continue to purchase Russian oil or gas, they would face a 100 percent tariff from the United States.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: This marks a major shift in the Trump administration's approach to the Ukraine war. We have heard that rhetorically from President Trump over the last few weeks, increasingly so.

His frustration with President Putin has been very clear in public statements. But that wasn't matched by any action really that the administration was taking. And so here we're seeing them take twofold, as we have been discussing, this action with European partners to get more military assistance to Ukraine.

The numbers that they were discussing in terms of 17 Patriot systems, according to the NATO secretary-general, are big numbers. We -- obviously, the devil's in the details, but we will watch and see how this plays out. It really could help Ukraine on the battlefield.

And then, simultaneously, this threat in 50 days of 100 percent secondary sanctions on exports coming out of Russia, that is major because what it demonstrates is that the Trump administration is really willing to go there. They have been talking about potentially green-lighting what is this congressional bill for new sanctions on Russia, but the administration is now doing this on their own.

So the rhetoric is starting to match that action. We will have to see if it has any effect.

BLITZER: Because he seemed to be praising Lindsey Graham, Senator Blumenthal, the Democrat, this bipartisan legislation, which already has about 85 of the 100 U.S. senators on board. And he was suggesting that he would be inclined to go along with this as additional pressure on Russia.

ATWOOD: He was, but he also wasn't directly saying that he wants them to pass it here and now. So we will have to watch and see how that dynamic plays out.

I think the other important thing to know, guys, is that the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who was in that meeting today, just last week was meeting with the Russian foreign minister, Lavrov. And I asked him about the Ukraine war strategy. He said that diplomacy is still going to be a part of it.

BLITZER: Yes, we will see how that diplomacy works out. We will see how the sanctions and the tariffs work out as well.

BROWN: All right.

BLITZER: It's interesting what's going on. He said it would be a major statement. It was a major statement.

BROWN: It was certainly was.

BLITZER: Fifty days that the Russians now have to end this war.

BROWN: And you also have this development of NATO purchasing these Patriot missiles to send to Ukraine.

So I want to bring in our security and politics correspondent, Natasha Bertrand, for more on that -- Natasha.

[11:55:02]

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: Secretary of Defense Hegseth, he's meeting today with the German defense minister, Boris Pistorius, and that is going to be really top of mind for them is figuring out how the U.S. is going to send new Patriot systems to Germany, these air defense systems that Ukraine needs, in a way that allows Germany to then send their systems to Ukraine, essentially backfilling the Germans.

Because Germany only has about a dozen of these Patriot systems and they have already given three to the Ukrainians. And they have been saying, look, we don't have more to spare. And so a big part of the conversation today is going to be logistical details.

But it's also really interesting, because everything we're seeing today play out really flies in the face of what we saw happen here at the Defense Department just last week when there was a pause on that shipment of key weaponry to Ukraine, including interceptor missiles for those very Patriot systems.

And so that is going to be on the agenda as well today. How do we maintain the stability and the weapons flow not only to Ukraine but also to the Europeans, who are going to be depending on this as well, Pamela?

BROWN: All right, Natasha, thanks so much.

BLITZER: All right. I want to bring in CNN senior political and global affairs commentator Rahm Emanuel, the former U.S. ambassador to Japan.

Rahm, thanks very much for joining us.

RAHM EMANUEL, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL AND GLOBAL AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: What's your immediate reaction to this major statement we just heard from the president?

EMANUEL: I mean, the good news on the positive side is the administration has finally put weapons and the defense for Ukraine aside with -- parallel with sanctions, a one-two kind of punch.

If I had a weakness or observation, it's the 50-day period associated with the sanctions, secondary sanctions, because part of President Putin's strategy is to wait out the United States. And what we have to show is we have the stamina to go the distance.

And so that's where the vulnerability is. And he knows that. And that's why he's ramped things up, that is, President Putin. I think in this case I would realize that the one-two punch is good. The timeline is where the weakness is because we have got to show that we're going to go, we don't have a timeline. You want to keep going, we're ready to keep going.

Second is, take assessment of where we are. Russia is a horrible position right now. They have lost Syria. They showed to be in a -- feckless in Iran. Their weapons did not match up to the United States and what Israel has in Iran. Third, it's been now you're on the fourth year of a war with a country that's a 10th of the size to Russia and their weapons and their capacity has never matched up.

Their economy is imploding. And I think when you assess all that, Putin is vulnerable. He's also lost Europe and he's a vassal of China. So I think we have a lot of leverage here to apply pressure. Part of that is showing, as I said, temperance and capability to go the distance.

And I would also argue one other thing and as you step back, look at what happened in the Middle East with Israel, Gaza, Iran. Look at what's going on here. In that situation, Israel was given the time and the capacity to win a war. And now people are talking about a restructured, reorganized Middle East.

Here, Ukraine was given the capability never to lose a war. If you change that dynamic and change that mind-set, you have a capacity to actually finally, after Crimea, after Georgia, after what Russia has done, to push Russia back and understand they don't have the ability to remake the European security, that we're going to stop that right here in Ukraine. And so, to me, those are the assessments. And I think he's done the

right thing. I think they should have done this early on. I'm glad that they're here, but the vulnerability is, do not show that you are impatient. Tell President Putin, we're going to go the distance.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: We will see if the Russians end this war against Ukraine within the next 50 days, as the president just laid out.

Rahm Emanuel, thanks very much for that.

EMANUEL: Thank you.

BROWN: And thank you all for joining us this morning. You can keep up with us on social media @WolfBlitzer and @PamelaBrownCNN. We will see you back here tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

BLITZER: "INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" is coming up next right after a very short break.