Matt Terrill: Marco Rubio’s former chief of staff discusses the upcoming meeting between Trump and Putin

Donald Trump is due to meet with Vladimir Putin at 7:30am NZST to discuss the war in Ukraine. 

This will be the first time the pair have met since Helsinki in 2018, and the first time the Russian President has visited the States in more than a decade. 

Marco Rubio’s former chief of staff and managing partner of Firehouse Strategies Matt Terrill told Heather duPlessis-Allan that this meeting is a ‘major step’ towards a ceasefire. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now.

Speaker 2 (00:00):
US and Russian officials are on their way to Alaska
right now ahead of tomorrow's summit. Donald Trump's going to
meet with Ladd at seven thirty our time tomorrow morning
to broke a re ceasefire in the Ukraine War. It's
the first time the two have met in six years.
Donald Trump rates his chance of success at about seventy
five percent now. Matt Terrell is US Secretary of State,
Marco Rubio's former chief of staff and currently managing partner

(00:21):
at Firehouse Strategies.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
I Matt, hey, great to be with you.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Okay, So tell me what you think success looks like.
Is it just positive noises from Persian or is it
an actual deal?

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Well, look, first and foremost, I think this is a
big step tomorrow, having President Putin and President Trump sit down.
So this is a major step towards hopefully having peace here.
But look, I think the oul come ultimate needs to
be getting too a ceasefire here, then from there get
into a place where you're talking about security guarantees for Ukraine.
Then ultimately, of course time on land. Those are the

(00:55):
next components of this. So I think tomorrow, I think
President Trump's did a good job of manj expectations about
what tomorrow could be optimistic. I think that that progress
will be made. But in the end, ultimate the way
he has to said this is listening session tomorrow. Gat
did from President Poon gets the negotiaing table in this war,
maybe you have something like a ceasefire coming out of this.

(01:16):
I don't think that that's going to happen. It could,
but I think ultimately President Trump recognizes that look of
President Pun wants to come to the table here and
I think wants to make a deal. I think President
Trump has been clear he feels as though President Pun
wants to make a deal. I believe that as well.

Speaker 2 (01:30):
Okay, what are the chances that Posen is just playing him,
stalling for time so he can keep fighting.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
Well, look, I think the question is what has gotten
President Pun to this point to meet with President Trump tomorrow.
What has changed? And I think what's changed is that
President Pun's been watching what President Trump has been doing.
He saw what President Trump did in terms of launching
those attacks in Iran when Iran miss it's deadline to
come to the negost chain table. He saw what President

(01:56):
Trump did when it came to supplying Ukraine within the
necessary military capabilities to defend itself. And President Pun just
saw what President Trump did in terms of putting terroriffts
on India, a major trading partner India is with Russia
and putting those terrorists on India because India has been
consuming Russian oil. So I think right now President Putin

(02:17):
recognizes that President Trump is notting around here. He's been
watching waiting mister President Puns ready to negotiate. I think
he recognizes that President Trump is serious here, and President Trump,
I think if he does not get the recognition tomorrow
that President Pun is serious about next steps here in
terms of end of this war, I think he's going
to go and crush Russia's economy. You know. The recognition

(02:39):
right now, I think among the White House is that
this is the for President Puon to show up and
to be serious about getting this war to come to
an end. If he's not, then I think President Trump
will move forward with tarroriffts and sanctions that will crush
Russia's economy. President Pun doesn't want that. I think President
Putin and President Trump will find a way to get
to a deal here. The only person can end this
war is Trump any more. Leader I think tomorrow is

(03:05):
a major step forward here and I'm optimistic about what
will come next.

Speaker 2 (03:08):
Okay, do you think Zelenski needs to get real and
accept the fact that he is going to have to
give up some land here?

Speaker 1 (03:16):
Absolutely. Look, the recognition here, I think among everyone who's
at the table here is that you are at a
situation here where the only way to get this war
to come to an end is at the table. I
do not believe that this war will come to an
end to have both sides, you know, give things up here.
And people can argue that that's not right or not there,
but you can be either idealistic about this, but really

(03:39):
and the realities are what they are on the ground.
And to your question, I think you're gonna have to
see both sides give things up here. You're gonna have
to talk of course about you know, security guarantees for Ukraine.
That's important. You may very well get to a point
where you get to the discussions of talking about swapping
of land, but you're gonna have to see I think
both sides give up things here that they don't want
to give up. But what's gonna be needed and getting

(04:00):
this scene to come to an ad you can't keep
going down to the same path have been going on
of continued war. I think you've got to get the scene,
come to an ad that needs to happen the negotiating table,
and that's going to mean concessions on both sides. Here.
We'll see where that all goes, but there is next steps.
The first step is getting that ceaseflare, having that ceaseflare hold,
and then get into discussions around those are the variables.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
Matt, thanks very much, appreciate it. Matt Terrell, Marco Rubio's
former chief of staff, managing director, managing partner currently of
Firehouse Strategies, and apologies for the quality of the lines.
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