08 15 25 POLITICO reporter Jack Detsch previews the meeting between Trump and Putin

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
President Trump and Russian President Putin holding talks in Alaska today,
focusing on a push to seal a ceasfire deal with
Ukraine and Russia, but Putin appears to want talks to
include a nuclear accord and economic investment. The meeting of
the Russian and US leaders will be their first face
to face talks since Trump returned to the White House.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Noticeably absent, Ukrainian President Volodime Kazelenski, who is not invited
to the talks, and his European allies, fear that Trump
might sell Kiev out and try to force it into
territorial concessions. Defense reporter for Politico, Jack Detch joins us
now in the Koa Comic Spirit health hotline. Jack, I
know that the meeting has been tamped down at least
the expectations now to a listening session. What are you

(00:40):
expecting from this? What are you hearing from your folks
that you know in the defense sector and at the Pentagon.

Speaker 3 (00:46):
Yeah, obviously, as Gina said, mission number one for the
Trump administration is to try and seal some sortid ceasefire.
That of course is sponsored mind for the Ukrainians and
the Europeans as well. Putin of course, more interested in
land swaps, some brand deal for the to get new

(01:07):
start rolling again as it expires next year. So it's
going to be interesting to see as these two men
get into the room sort of what comes out of it.
It's supposed to be a listening session for Trump, but
of course, as we've seen, when you get Trump and
foodin into a room, it's rarely that.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
Jack, you mentioned the land swap when it comes to that,
if that was an option, how does President Trump have
the authority to talk or even discuss and go forward
with the land swap if Ukrainian President Zelensky is not
part of it? Or is that what it is? The
listening session of the possibility and then bringing it forward
to Zelensky later on.

Speaker 3 (01:45):
Well that's the million dollar question, Jana, because it would
be against the Ukrainian constitution to agree to anything like that,
and moreover, against President Zelensky's promises that he made on
the campaign trail dating all the way back to twenty nineteen,
and then he's upheld and he's not giving up any land.
And of course he's been in more of a precarious

(02:07):
position with the Ukrainian public lately as he tried to
squash a watchdog office and put it under the president.
So it seems as if, you know, Trump and Pudin
could agree to that on paper. De facto, it's of
course a little bit early to be doing that, but
it does seem like they're parts of the administration at
least that are more supportive of that. The jd Vances

(02:30):
of the world very clearly want to get the US
out of Ukraine and less involved here. But you know, again,
anything can happen when Trump and Putin get into a room.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
You mentioned some of the team. Part of the team
with the President includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the
Special Envoy Steve Whitcoff, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessett,
because I guess they want to discuss some economic opportunities
as well, and even the idea of a Trump hotel there,
but we'll set that aside. But noticeably absent Secretary Defense
Peek Haig South should we reach anything into that. For

(03:01):
those that are present, and the lack of the presence
of Hagsess at this meeting, we.

Speaker 3 (03:06):
Will see sort of what ends up happening. I mean,
it seems he's off the list for now he was
on the list earlier in the week. But yeah, we've
seen Pete Haggs that sort of flit in and out
of the President's inner circle. Of course, a very close
ally of the President at the beginning of the administration,

(03:26):
but there's just been repeated frustration from the White House
about the way he's managed his benegon, about the elevation
of his acting chiefs of Staff Ricky Buria, who of
course transitioned over from a Biden administration, was a senior
military assistant and has been accused of mistreating other parts
of the administration. So it's this frustrating dynamic for the

(03:47):
White House where they're sort of trying to throw Pete
Haggs at a lifeline and he continues to refuse it.
So maybe this is punishment for sort of that back
and forth that we see between the White House and
the DD Jack, Do you.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
Have any more details of what the schedule could look
like today? It's pretty fascinating that it sounds like there
could be a joint press conference between Trump and Putin.

Speaker 3 (04:10):
Yeah, I mean open swim for this meeting that starts
at three point thirty Eastern times, so around one thirty
for listeners in Denver over there could last for hours
and hours, we just don't know, and then possibly a
joint presser. So think about Trump and Putin in Healthinki
in twenty eighteen, we could see something similar to that. So, yeah,

(04:35):
could be a very fascinating night to.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
Come and wrapping up with you, Jack, I know he
wants to talk you about some nuclear records that is Putin,
and also wants to talk about broader economics as well.
The concern is this whether or not something gets sessed
out with the ceasefire, maybe one thing, but some feel
that this is just giving Putin a platform to push
some other issues and the war happens to be ancillary.
Do you have any reporting or thoughts on that.

Speaker 3 (05:00):
Yeah, I mean, it's it's been interesting to see, right,
these repeated trips by Steve Witkoff, the President's sort of
fix it in on foreign policy, who has now taken
over the Russia envoy hat. Every time he seems to
go to the Moscow and the Kremlin, he seems to
come back with a view that's somewhat more favorable of
what Russia wants. The landswap things, of course, are something

(05:23):
that he articulated on the Tucker Carlson Show months ago
that generated a lot of pushback and a lot of
anger from hawks inside the US, from the Ukrainian, from
the Europeans. So it'll be interesting to see what version
of Trump we get in the room. Right we see,
we saw a Trump more flexible for land swaps in
the beginning. We saw a Trump now very frustrated with

(05:46):
these repeated Russian attacks on Ukraine and the unwillingness to
come to the negotiating table. So very curious which Donald
Trump shows up in Anchorage today.

Speaker 1 (05:56):
We'll continue following the latest later this afternoon. Defense report.
For Politico, it's Jack Dutch