Russia and Ukraine Peace - The Latest

Fox News Radio's Jonathan Savage joins us to discuss ongoing peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia and where things stand after conflicting comments over the weekend. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
What ready your news time? Now six thirty six. It
is four at the Lake Shore four above, there's six
in Grand Rapids. That's fahrenheit, by the way, And this
is West Michigan's Morning News. Joining us on the liveline,
Jonathan Savage with Fox News Radio in London.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Good day to you, sir, Hello, good morning to you.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
I think the Thames could freeze at four, but that's
just how cold does it ever get there. We're going
to talk about Russia and Ukraine here in just a second.
But since it's so cold here, I thought I would
try to put that in perspective from somebody on the international.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Desk, like so you whenever you asked me that I
have to do this mental arithmetic between selsias which I
work in a fahrenheit which for some reason you guys
work in I'm guessing at night on our coldest days,
it probably gets around about twenty fahrenheit. Yeah, on the
absolute coldest at nighttime.

Speaker 1 (00:58):
Right, So that's that's pretty chilly, yeah, but it ain't
this So, speaking of which, talk to us a little
bit about peace. This warm peace deal broken by the
United States between Russia and Ukraine. Last we heard from
the President at Kennedy, Senator last night. He's a little

(01:19):
miffed with Zelensky because he hasn't looked this thing over.
Where do we stand.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
Yeah, it was an interesting comment there from President Trump
saying that Vladimir Zelenski hasn't read this deal. Now, there
were three days of talks taking place between Ukrainian negotiators
and American negotiators. They ended on a Saturday. So maybe
what he was suggesting is that Vladimir's Lensky hasn't got
back to him on the full details of this most

(01:45):
recent draft. But one way or another, the quote was
he hasn't yet read the proposal. President Trump also said
that Russia is, he believes, fine with it. He said,
I'm not sure that Zelenski is fine with it. The
idea of Russia being fine with it does contradict what
the Russians were saying. Vladimir Putin said that Moscow disagreed

(02:05):
with parts of the US plan, and a senior negotiator
said that the talks produced no compromise on ending the war.
We understand the sticking point include what happens to Ukrainian
territory that has been seized by Russian forces and what
happens after the war in terms of security guarantees for Ukraine.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
And that was where we left it. On Friday when
we booked this interview with you, Putin was saying, man,
get out of there, or we're taking this thing by force.
So I'm getting some mixed messages here.

Speaker 2 (02:39):
Yes, Vladimir Putin said that Ukrainian troops have to leave
the don Bass region or Russia will seize it. These
are not the words of someone who is outwardly appears
trying to appear like he wants a peace dealer, he's
interested in any kind of compromise. He is still taking
this maximalist line. He feels that he has the upper hand,

(03:01):
or he wants to project that he has the upper
hand with these negotiations taking place. Meanwhile, here in London today,
Ukrainian leader of Vladimir Zelensky is meeting French, British and
German leaders because they are trying to improve Ukraine's position
as these talks go on, to try and put in
the best possible negotiating state.

Speaker 1 (03:21):
Since you could tell that wasn't trying. I was trying
not to say, dawn, boss. But when you say improved situation,
what kind of things are we talking about here.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
Well, firstly, they want to give Ukraine a better weaponry,
they want to give them better air defense, and they
want to pledge more long term funding for Ukraine to
get the message out to Russia that Ukraine's allies are
not giving up anytime soon, that they still are in them.
Have the stomach for this, because what Vanner Putin has

(03:53):
been gambling on is that he will outlast the will
of the Western world to support Ukraine, and Prime Minister
Keir Starmer, along with the French and German leaders, are
trying to show that that is not the case.

Speaker 1 (04:05):
Jonathan Savage, Fox News Radio in London.

Speaker 2 (04:07):
Thank you, Thank you,