August 18, 2025 • 7 mins
How will today's meeting go with Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House? Could today's meeting go well enough to end the war, at least for Ukraine's sake?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now let's get right to Ariy Hoffman, associate editor of
the New York Sun. He's with us every Monday at
this time. We appreciate so much his perspective. Let's get
your perspective on what's going on with the Trump, Putin
and Zelensky talks, because I'm confused. It seems like the
administration is saying progress was made, progress was made, We
(00:24):
just have a few items to iron out. The meeting
today is important. But then I see all the media
accounts and nothing was achieved, and it's been horrible, and
with the fighting is going to continue, and this is
just a show. They say Putin played Donald Trump. My
question is how do they know any of that? Airy?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Sure and great to be with you as always, Larry.
I mean, I think the first thing to say is
just the theater of this meeting was just spectacular. You know,
the red carpet, the B two flyover. You know, remember
Alaska is once called Sue words Folly after the Secretary
of Lincoln, Secretary of State who bought it. But you
know who knows. We might look it back and say, well,
(01:07):
was this Trump's triumph? If he helps midwife a peace
agreement here? I think, you know, one thing to look
at is Trump Putin didn't leave, leave or Trump didn't
leave early. Right. There was some talk of, you know,
would the positions be so hardened that you're just going
to see a walkout? We didn't see that, right, and
(01:29):
so at least those negotiations happened. Details are still sketchy,
but you know, all the Europeans are now in the
White getting to the White House. They're going to be
cooling their heels while Trump and Zelenski meet. So you know,
I think a lot of people, as you said, Larry,
could look really foolish if they write this off as
Trump's folly. And meanwhile he's able, He's able to put
(01:53):
something something together. What we do know for sure is
this is the most serious and far along negotiation that
have transpired full stop since the war started.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Is the media pro war because they certainly loved President
Biden when he was in office and just was sending
money over while people died in Ukraine. And now you
have a president that says I want to end this
and is taking every step he possibly can to end this.
And I would say no other president could have had
(02:25):
that meeting with Vladimir Putin, he would not have met
with Biden. So here we are, we're making progress, and
yet he's criticized when Biden kind of skated right.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
No entirely, Larry, And you know, I think for some folks,
you know, one, if Trump does something, they're opposed to it, right.
And yes, two, I think some people believe to even
meet with Putin is too much of a concession. Well,
if that's your perspective, this war is never going to end, right.
And it's also remarkable how people, some of the same
(02:57):
folks in the media as you mentioned, are pushing a
cease fire in the Middle East at any cost, right,
including keeping Hamas in power, including conceding to Hamas's demands.
And yet when it comes to Russia, you know, they're
kind of, you know, opposed to even talking to Putin.
So there's a kind of shifting goalposts. I think here.
(03:20):
I think, as you said, Trump's brand of personal diplomacy,
you know, it was kind of needed here. There was
this was a stalemate for years of bloody stalemate. And
you can't say Trump didn't campaign on this, right, I mean,
this was core to his pitch to the American voters,
was bringing peace to Ukraine and he's you know, he's
(03:42):
trying to do just that. So no one can really
claim to be surprised here, even as we wait to see,
you know, the details of what emerges, and as Trump
just hid on that that clip that you know your
listeners heard, you know, we'll see what Zelensky does here.
Does Zelenski walk away or does he kind of see
this process through?
Speaker 1 (04:03):
The fact that they're even having this meeting today shows
us that the ball has been moved forward a little bit.
I mean, the fact that the Europeans praise what Donald
Trump did and that they're all showing up at the
White House today shows that this is serious now. And
so I'm just so frustrated, as you can hear in
(04:25):
my voice aery at the media on this. I've never
I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I have never
seen them really this bias before. They've been bias all along,
I get it, but this one is beyond the.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Pale, right, And well, it seems like a you know,
no win for Trump. Right. If Trump had made some
kind of peace deal in Alaska, the media would have
castigated him for selling out Ukraine if he didn't, didn't
make a deal. Well it was pointless, you know, and
what was what was all the fuss about? So there
was no there was no winning. I think you're absolutely
(05:01):
right to see this extraordinary collection of European leaders. I
don't remember the last time this number of heads of
states all converged on the White House. Suggest this is
really serious, right, this is kind of I don't know
to use a football metaphor, I think I think we're
inside the red zone Barry, right, Yeah, and so you
have to give Trump credit for moving that ball down the.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Field and think about an area so quickly they put
this together so quickly they decided they were putting everything
else was less important. They were going to get to
the White House because this was important, which shows you
that there is something significant. That's what I in my heart,
I want to believe that the media can see this,
(05:44):
but their bias won't allow them to report it.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Yeah. Yeah, well you know we'll see. Maybe, you know,
maybe Trump can take a victory lap at the Nobel
Prize ceremony. But you know it's I mean, you know,
he's so you can do this. I mean, you know,
it didn't get much coverage, and and you know, I
get it. The new cycle is busy. But you know
Trump concluding a piece between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ancient enemies
(06:10):
who've been at war for over three decades, that was
a real achievement last week, you know. So you know
he's putting these points on the board now, and I
you know, I think, as you said, this is really
really crunch time. He's gone gotten farther than anyone else
had before. And remember you know that mobile office meeting
(06:32):
with Vilenski that was combative and all that. And if
you would say, well, in a couple of months, you know,
we would be here. I think most people you know
would be would be pretty shocked.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
I think you're right. Riy Hoffman. Thank god for you,
and thank God for the New York Sun because people
can get what's really going on. Ariy Hoffman, Associate editor
of The New York Sun. With us every Monday at
this time. If you want to go to The New
York Sun, it's nysun dot com. Nysun dot com. Again,
thanks for your time. Look forward to talking to you
next week.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Thanks so much. Larry
Now let's get right to Ariy Hoffman, associate editor of
the New York Sun. He's with us every Monday at
this time. We appreciate so much his perspective. Let's get
your perspective on what's going on with the Trump, Putin
and Zelensky talks, because I'm confused. It seems like the
administration is saying progress was made, progress was made, We
(00:24):
just have a few items to iron out. The meeting
today is important. But then I see all the media
accounts and nothing was achieved, and it's been horrible, and
with the fighting is going to continue, and this is
just a show. They say Putin played Donald Trump. My
question is how do they know any of that? Airy?
Speaker 2 (00:46):
Sure and great to be with you as always, Larry.
I mean, I think the first thing to say is
just the theater of this meeting was just spectacular. You know,
the red carpet, the B two flyover. You know, remember
Alaska is once called Sue words Folly after the Secretary
of Lincoln, Secretary of State who bought it. But you
know who knows. We might look it back and say, well,
(01:07):
was this Trump's triumph? If he helps midwife a peace
agreement here? I think, you know, one thing to look
at is Trump Putin didn't leave, leave or Trump didn't
leave early. Right. There was some talk of, you know,
would the positions be so hardened that you're just going
to see a walkout? We didn't see that, right, and
(01:29):
so at least those negotiations happened. Details are still sketchy,
but you know, all the Europeans are now in the
White getting to the White House. They're going to be
cooling their heels while Trump and Zelenski meet. So you know,
I think a lot of people, as you said, Larry,
could look really foolish if they write this off as
Trump's folly. And meanwhile he's able, He's able to put
(01:53):
something something together. What we do know for sure is
this is the most serious and far along negotiation that
have transpired full stop since the war started.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Is the media pro war because they certainly loved President
Biden when he was in office and just was sending
money over while people died in Ukraine. And now you
have a president that says I want to end this
and is taking every step he possibly can to end this.
And I would say no other president could have had
(02:25):
that meeting with Vladimir Putin, he would not have met
with Biden. So here we are, we're making progress, and
yet he's criticized when Biden kind of skated right.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
No entirely, Larry, And you know, I think for some folks,
you know, one, if Trump does something, they're opposed to it, right.
And yes, two, I think some people believe to even
meet with Putin is too much of a concession. Well,
if that's your perspective, this war is never going to end, right.
And it's also remarkable how people, some of the same
(02:57):
folks in the media as you mentioned, are pushing a
cease fire in the Middle East at any cost, right,
including keeping Hamas in power, including conceding to Hamas's demands.
And yet when it comes to Russia, you know, they're
kind of, you know, opposed to even talking to Putin.
So there's a kind of shifting goalposts. I think here.
(03:20):
I think, as you said, Trump's brand of personal diplomacy,
you know, it was kind of needed here. There was
this was a stalemate for years of bloody stalemate. And
you can't say Trump didn't campaign on this, right, I mean,
this was core to his pitch to the American voters,
was bringing peace to Ukraine and he's you know, he's
(03:42):
trying to do just that. So no one can really
claim to be surprised here, even as we wait to see,
you know, the details of what emerges, and as Trump
just hid on that that clip that you know your
listeners heard, you know, we'll see what Zelensky does here.
Does Zelenski walk away or does he kind of see
this process through?
Speaker 1 (04:03):
The fact that they're even having this meeting today shows
us that the ball has been moved forward a little bit.
I mean, the fact that the Europeans praise what Donald
Trump did and that they're all showing up at the
White House today shows that this is serious now. And
so I'm just so frustrated, as you can hear in
(04:25):
my voice aery at the media on this. I've never
I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I have never
seen them really this bias before. They've been bias all along,
I get it, but this one is beyond the.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
Pale, right, And well, it seems like a you know,
no win for Trump. Right. If Trump had made some
kind of peace deal in Alaska, the media would have
castigated him for selling out Ukraine if he didn't, didn't
make a deal. Well it was pointless, you know, and
what was what was all the fuss about? So there
was no there was no winning. I think you're absolutely
(05:01):
right to see this extraordinary collection of European leaders. I
don't remember the last time this number of heads of
states all converged on the White House. Suggest this is
really serious, right, this is kind of I don't know
to use a football metaphor, I think I think we're
inside the red zone Barry, right, Yeah, and so you
have to give Trump credit for moving that ball down the.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
Field and think about an area so quickly they put
this together so quickly they decided they were putting everything
else was less important. They were going to get to
the White House because this was important, which shows you
that there is something significant. That's what I in my heart,
I want to believe that the media can see this,
(05:44):
but their bias won't allow them to report it.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
Yeah. Yeah, well you know we'll see. Maybe, you know,
maybe Trump can take a victory lap at the Nobel
Prize ceremony. But you know it's I mean, you know,
he's so you can do this. I mean, you know,
it didn't get much coverage, and and you know, I
get it. The new cycle is busy. But you know
Trump concluding a piece between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ancient enemies
(06:10):
who've been at war for over three decades, that was
a real achievement last week, you know. So you know
he's putting these points on the board now, and I
you know, I think, as you said, this is really
really crunch time. He's gone gotten farther than anyone else
had before. And remember you know that mobile office meeting
(06:32):
with Vilenski that was combative and all that. And if
you would say, well, in a couple of months, you know,
we would be here. I think most people you know
would be would be pretty shocked.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
I think you're right. Riy Hoffman. Thank god for you,
and thank God for the New York Sun because people
can get what's really going on. Ariy Hoffman, Associate editor
of The New York Sun. With us every Monday at
this time. If you want to go to The New
York Sun, it's nysun dot com. Nysun dot com. Again,
thanks for your time. Look forward to talking to you
next week.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Thanks so much. Larry
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