WH Briefing Room: U.S. Peace Talks on Ukraine & Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Exit

In this episode, Jon Decker breaks down two major political developments shaping the national conversation. First, Decker examines the latest U.S.-led peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, including the evolving framework and what constructive negotiations could mean for future diplomacy. Then we unpack Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene’s sudden resignation after a public clash with President Trump—an event that raises questions about GOP unity, party loyalty, and the shifting dynamics heading into 2025.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to the White House Briefing Room for Monday, November
twenty fourth. I'm John Decker.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Progress is made in US led talks aimed at ending
the war in Ukraine, and after clashing with President Trump,
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green says she's calling it quits, but
we begin with those high level talks over the weekend
in Geneva that the White House is calling constructive. The

(00:30):
White House on Sunday hailed what it called constructive talks
with Ukraine in Geneva, saying the two sides, the US
and Ukraine, had modified the Trump administration's initial proposed plan
for ending the war in Ukraine. The two sides issued
a joint statement in which they said the talks were constructive, focused,

(00:54):
and respectful, underscoring the share commitment to achieving a just
and lasting peace. The statement went on to say both
sides agreed the consultations were highly productive. The discussions showed
meaningful progress toward aligning positions and identifying clear next steps.

(01:15):
They reaffirmed that any future agreement must fully uphold Ukraine's
sovereignty and deliver a sustainable and just peace. As a
result of the discussions, the joint statement said the parties
drafted and updated and refined peace framework. The US and
Ukraine agreed to continue intensive work on joint proposals in

(01:38):
the coming days. They will also remain in close contact
with their European partners as the process advances. Both sides
reiterated their readiness to continue working together to secure a
peace that ensures Ukraine's security, stability, and reconstruction. Now.

Speaker 1 (01:57):
That joint statement came out days after the Trump administration
had spurred a lot of anxiety in both Europe and
Ukraine with its initial twenty eight point piece plant that
critics said infringed on Ukraine's sovereignty and security. President Trump
in fact had given Ukraine a deadline of this coming

(02:18):
Thursday Thanksgiving to respond to the proposal. That initial proposal
would have required that Ukraine see territory to Russia, block
its ambitions to join NATO, and also cap the size
of its active duty military to six hundred thousand. Another
significant provision also precluded the deployment of a European led

(02:44):
so called Reassurance Force in Ukraine to deter future attacks
by Russia inside Ukraine's sovereign territory. Now, the US delegation
to the Geneva talks on Sunday was led by Secretary
of State Mark arubiouggested that there was some flexibility on
that deadline that was initially given to Ukraine, and he

(03:06):
also put out a message on social media saying that
this was just a list of potential ideas that could
be developed further, and that the plan was not a
take it or leave it plan. Other US participants in
the talks in Geneva on Sunday included Steve Whitkoff, Army
Secretary Dan Driscoll, and the son in law of President Trump,

(03:30):
Jared Kushner. The Ukrainian delegation was led by andre Yurmack.
That's Ukrainian President Voladimir Zelenski's chief of staff. Now after
the talks concluded in Geneva, Secretary of State Mark Rubio
spoke to reporters and he declined to provide specific details,
but he did say that US and Ukrainian officials had

(03:51):
gone through the initial US proposal point by point. Officials
from the two sides, he said, were made making some changes,
some adjustments in the hopes of further narrowing the differences
and getting closer to something that both Ukraine and the
US would be very comfortable with. Now, those talks in

(04:13):
Geneva are not over. In fact, Andre Yurmak from Ukraine
said the talks would continue in the coming days to
what he called refine and aligned proposals in consultation with
European officials. Those European officials that Yurmac was referencing included
the leaders of some of America's top American allies, and

(04:37):
they also include the head of the European Union. Those
officials have been very critical of the White House's initial
twenty eight point plan. In a statement on the sidelines
of a G twenty meeting in South Africa, the European
Commission President Ursula underlines set out three principles that European

(04:58):
governments believe a deal should rest on. First, that borders
cannot be changed by force, Second that there must not
be limitations on Ukraine's armed forces, and third that the
European Union's role and interest should be reflected in any
peace deal. In fact, Britain, France, and Germany revised a

(05:22):
draft of that Trump peace plan with changes they want
the US to adopt, including the insistence that peace talks
between Ukraine and Russia must follow a ceasefire on the
current front lines. That, of course, has been rejected countless
times by President Putin and the Russian government. The European

(05:44):
changes also set the cap for the Ukrainian military at
eight hundred thousand versus six hundred thousand in the initial
US peace plan proposal. That draft doesn't ban Ukraine from NATO,
but it does say that Ukraine's and requires a consensus
among Alliance members that they acknowledge does not exist right

(06:07):
now now. Some of the Senate's top Republican Russia Hawks
are up in arms over that initial peace plan that
President Trump hopes will end the war in Ukraine. Among
those publicly criticizing that plan Senators Lindsey Graham, Republican of
South Carolina, Mitch McConnell, Republican Senator from Kentucky, and Roger Wicker,

(06:30):
Republican from Mississippi. They are urging the White House to
refrain from actions that they say would be detrimental to
the region. McConnell in particular, has not shied away from
criticizing the White House over the issue concerning the ongoing
war in Ukraine. In a statement that he put out
he wrote, rewarding Russian butchery would be disastrous to America's interests,

(06:55):
and a capitulation like Biden's abandonment of Afghanian extend would
be catastrophic to a legacy of peace through strength. Those
three senators are not the only Republicans that are critical
of the President's initial plan that was put forward. A
coalition of House lawmakers led by Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick

(07:19):
of Pennsylvania, has announced plans to force a discharge petition
over the sanctions bill that has languished in the House.
Shortly after returning from the Thanksgiving recess. As for Ukraine,
President Zelensky thanked President Trump in a social media statement
for his efforts. A short time after the talks concluded,

(07:42):
He wrote on social media, it's important to not forget
the main goal to stop the Russian War and prevent
it from breaking out again in the future. That's why
we're so carefully working on every point, on every step
toward peace. As the new work begins, there's still a
lot of surprise and shock in President Trump's orbit that

(08:05):
Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green will not be seeking another term.
Late Friday, she announced that she is resigning from Congress
after having a very public feud with President Trump. The
President last week branded Green a trader, and he withdrew
his endorsement for her. That's after Green pursued an effort

(08:27):
to release the Epstein files at the Department of Justice.
Green put out a video statement on X and in
that statement, she said, loyalty should be a two way street,
and we should be able to vote our conscience and
represent our district's interest because our job title, she said
on X, is literally representative. Green said she will step

(08:50):
down from office on January fifth. She didn't provide any
notice to anyone in the House Republican leadership, and she
certainly provided no notice to President Trump. Her resignation threatens
to further Titan Speaker Mike Johnson's Republican majority early in
the new year. The Republicans currently hold a two nineteen

(09:12):
to two thirteen advantage. What that means is that Johnson
can lose no more than two Republicans on any party
line vote. The criticism by the President of Green clearly
had gotten to her. Over the last few weeks, Green
had become a target of the President, who repeatedly attacked

(09:32):
her on his social media platform, calling her a traitor
and a ranting lunatic who, in his words, had gone
far left. Early on Saturday, just hours after Green announced
that she would be quitting Congress, President Trump wrote on
truth Social that her decision to quit Congress was based
on what he said was plummeting poll numbers and not

(09:56):
wanting to face a primary challenger with a strong Trump endorsement.
As for Monday, remember it's Thanksgiving week and the first
lady at noon will welcome to the White House the
official twenty twenty five White House Christmas Tree that will
be on the north lawn. Then at four o'clock, the
President is scheduled to sign an executive order. No further

(10:18):
information as to what that pertains to. That's the White
House Briefing Room for Monday, November twenty fourth. I'm John Decker.
Have a good one.