Richard Arnold: US Correspondent on the peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Trump

The US is sharing its low expectations of current Ukraine peace talks in Turkey, with both sides backing out of sending their leaders. 

Russia's sending low-level official Vladimir Medinsky, Ukraine's decided to send its defence minister instead. 

Donald Trump was preparing to go, only if Russian President Vladimir Putin was there. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Mike Hosking Trump is now suggesting he expected this all along, saying he wasn’t planning on going in the first place.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Richard Arnold, very good morning to you. So a lot
of build up and then nothing. What the hell happened there?

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yeah, that's the perfect side effect, a complete dud. What
was hoped to be the first direct talks between Russia
and Ukraine since Putin invaded the country three years back,
Trump saying he wanted a thirty day cease flower initially
so Ukraine. Selenski said, okay. Trump then said he wanted
to see peace talks start in Turkey, and Selenski said
he'd be along, and he is. Trump then put out

(00:28):
the suggestion that he might be there as well. But
that's when Putin slammed on the brakes. Putin suggested he
might attend. Then he sent along a junior team, not
even including the Russian foreign minister. So but not the
B team. It was more like the sea team, says
analysts retired Admiral James Stavridis.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
I think it's frankly an insult to the President of
the United States, and I think Putin are a wake.

Speaker 2 (00:50):
Up Well that left Trump twisting in the wind. Instead
of Trump thinking about flying in for those pivotal peace
talks that he had initiated, he is left on the sidelines,
claiming he never planned to go to Turkey specifically, even
though it was Putin who withdraw from the meeting first.
Trump suggested that he expected this so long.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
I didn't anticipate. I actually said, why would he go
if I'm not going? Because I wasn't going to go.
I wasn't planning to I would go, but I wasn't
planning to go, and I said, I don't think he's
going to go if I don't go.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
So who was first in planning not to go? Meantime,
Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, just flew in
but says he won't be meeting with the Russians without
top level officials along as Lenski says his team there
will send a low level delegation now to take part
in talks in Istanbul with the junior league Russians. He
slammed the Kremlin for disrespect quote unquote and said the

(01:42):
Russians not being serious about peace efforts. Ukraine has been
cynical about this all the long. Meantime, there's word that
Russian troops to massing yet again on Ukraine's eastern borders.
So is this a moment for expanded sanctions on Russia
as the Europeans are seeking, and what will Trump do
now that he's been publicly buffed by Putin. All the while,
Trump is of course continuing his trip to the Middle East,

(02:04):
but not Israel, and in Kuta. Having seen Trump greeted
by the jets and the horses in Saudi Arabia, they
kind of up the game, didn't they. They had more
fighter jets the companying Air Force one and along with
prancing horses, they had camels and as well a convoy
of red elon Musk cyber truck to accompany Trump at
the Bendy Place where they were all met by sword

(02:25):
waving dancers. So yeah, what's the bar now, Mike? Then,
on that four hundred million dollar Katari plane he wants,
Trump made things pretty clear in his latest interview with
Sean Hannity on Fox, where he looked out the window
of the current Air Force one jet eyeing the fancy
planes with the princes and the Middle East and potentates,
and he said, see how nice those planes are? How's
is crappy? I want one of those?

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Then, you Cohen. I was watching RIFK yesterday and the
Bin and Jerry arrest and all the other nonsense, and
he's gone.

Speaker 2 (02:52):
To show right. Yeah. He is, of course Trump's health
secretary these days, known previously for many things, introducing other
members Kennedy clan in their younger years to drugs, having
a worm in his brain, leaving the dead beer cub
in Central Park. So he appeared before US lawmakers on
Capitol Hill, as you say, first official appearance before American politicos,

(03:13):
where he was questioned about plan cuts in medical spending
at agencies that he after all overseas. He was quizzed
about vaccines. Being a viorious vaccine skeptic, he spoke of
his concerns for some vaccines in the past, even though
he had his own kids vaccinated. He was pressed about
the vaccines for measles, where cases are growing right now
in many US states in ways we haven't seen in decades,

(03:36):
due in part to fewer folks getting vaccines for their kids.
He was asked about the vaccines for measles and polio,
among others.

Speaker 4 (03:43):
Probably from measles. You know what I would say is
my opinions about vaccines are irrelevant. Don't want a measles
seem like I'm being a vasive Yeah, but I don't
think people should be taking advice matical advise.

Speaker 2 (03:57):
Me shouldn't be taking medical that's his job, running the
health advisory agencies. That's exactly what his assignment is. Meantime,
there's been a lot of attention on RFK going swimming
the other day in a place called Rock Creek, where
swimming has been banned for decades because this place is
a sewage outlet. The water is filled with quote unquote
fecal matter and deadly bacteria. But there's the Health Secretary

(04:20):
dunking his body fully underwater and encouraging his young grandchildren
to do the same. So what's this stuff, Grandpa? You
don't want to know?

Speaker 1 (04:27):
Well, I might see you next week. Richard Ault stateside.
And by the way, some more court action. Told you
about Scouts early on. But Elon Musk's America Pack they're
being sued because they allegedly didn't pay the swing state voters.
Remember the Elon went into various swing states, including Pennsylvania
where this thing started, And you'd give you money if

(04:49):
you signed up to their class action and you know,
and voted for Trump and you'd get a few hundred
bucks and stuff. Anyway, apparently they never paid, so they're
a bit upset about that, so they're taking him to
court for.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
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