WEBVTT 00:01.300 --> 00:02.900 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% AMNA NAWAZ: Let's turn now to Nick Schifrin on the 00:02.900 --> 00:05.433 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% foreign policy aspects of the president's Davos discussion. 00:05.433 --> 00:06.366 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Nick, good to see you. 00:06.366 --> 00:08.633 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% NICK SCHIFRIN: Thanks, Amna. 00:08.633 --> 00:10.600 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% AMNA NAWAZ: So we have been talking about this. The president hit on a lot of different points, 00:10.600 --> 00:12.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% a lot of different regions. Specifically, on Ukraine, what did he have to say? 00:12.800 --> 00:17.100 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% NICK SCHIFRIN: Senior administration officials have told me that Ukraine is one of, 00:17.100 --> 00:20.100 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% if not the top priority for this administration. 00:20.100 --> 00:23.500 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% And President Trump has consistently said that his 00:23.500 --> 00:28.500 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% priority is to end the war and what he called the killing fields of Ukraine. 00:30.400 --> 00:33.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DONALD TRUMP: I have seen pictures of what's taking place. It's a carnage, 00:33.400 --> 00:37.466 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% and we really have to stop that war. That war is horrible. And I'm not 00:37.466 --> 00:42.166 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% talking economy. I'm not talking economics. I'm not talking about natural resources. 00:42.166 --> 00:47.133 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% I'm just talking about there's so many young people being killed in this war. 00:49.333 --> 00:51.866 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% NICK SCHIFRIN: Now, today, as Lisa noted, he said that Zelenskyy was ready to make a deal, 00:51.866 --> 00:56.833 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% but it wasn't clear whether Putin was and that he wanted to see Putin -- quote -- "immediately." 00:58.833 --> 01:02.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, how do you get Russia to agree to a deal? It has become increasingly clear 01:03.733 --> 01:06.666 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% that Ukraine on the battlefield cannot put enough pressure on the 01:06.666 --> 01:11.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Russian military to create pressure on Putin. Senior Trump officials tell me 01:13.700 --> 01:17.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% that they believe it's more effective to pressure Putin economically or via China. 01:19.033 --> 01:23.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And for the first time last night, we saw that Trump himself said he was willing to 01:25.500 --> 01:28.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% use economic pressure. He wrote on TRUTH Social - - quote -- "If we don't make a deal, and soon, 01:30.800 --> 01:35.100 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% I have no other choice but to put high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions on anything 01:37.133 --> 01:40.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% being sold by Russia to the United States and various other participating countries." 01:40.433 --> 01:44.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Now, Russia doesn't sell very much to the U.S. anymore, Amna. But the bottom line is, 01:44.100 --> 01:49.066 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% he is threatening or appears to be threatening the Russian economy. And the best way to do that is to 01:51.333 --> 01:55.233 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% attack the lifeblood of the Russian economy, and that is oil exports. The Biden administration only 01:57.233 --> 02:00.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% used that tool at the end because they were worried about raising gas prices. 02:00.333 --> 02:05.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% There is a lot of room for sanctions on Russian oil to expand. And Trump also said, 02:07.433 --> 02:11.200 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% as we have been talking about with David Wessel, that he wanted to see increased production of 02:13.466 --> 02:16.433 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% oil to lower prices, and that would reduce the revenue that Russia could use to fight in Ukraine. 02:18.133 --> 02:20.266 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% AMNA NAWAZ: Even if he can get to a cease-fire, previous cease-fires 02:20.266 --> 02:24.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% between Ukraine and Russia have been broken. How does the Trump team overcome that history? 02:24.566 --> 02:29.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% NICK SCHIFRIN: As part of any negotiation, Trump officials, including Secretary of State 02:31.666 --> 02:35.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Marco Rubio, the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, have said that Ukraine needs a 02:37.933 --> 02:40.800 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% security guarantee moving forward politically, so that President Zelenskyy can actually sell 02:43.166 --> 02:46.266 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% any kind of deal to his people, but also to deter Russia from launching another war in the future. 02:48.233 --> 02:50.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Now, what does that mean? That means some kind of long-term security assistance, 02:50.133 --> 02:53.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% actual weapons, presumably coming from the United States to Ukraine, 02:53.100 --> 02:58.066 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% but it also includes troops inside Ukraine to actually enforce any kind of cease-fire detail. 02:59.866 --> 03:02.433 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And a senior official who's been working on Ukraine confirms to 03:02.433 --> 03:06.066 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% me that the Trump administration and European governments have been 03:06.066 --> 03:11.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% talking about sending European troops into Ukraine to try and enforce a cease-fire. 03:13.033 --> 03:15.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% They would not be NATO troops. They would be individual European troops to do that. 03:15.533 --> 03:19.633 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Now, that's a long way from now, and there's a lot of doubt that Putin will 03:19.633 --> 03:24.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% accept any offer on the table, whether or not from Trump or Ukraine at all. Just today, 03:26.600 --> 03:29.200 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% we heard from Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, saying -- quote -- "We remain 03:29.200 --> 03:34.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% ready for mutually respectful dialogue. This dialogue was maintained between the 03:34.200 --> 03:39.200 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% two presidents during Trump's first presidency. We are waiting for signals which have not come yet." 03:40.700 --> 03:43.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% So, Russia saying something, but clearly not playing their hand 03:43.600 --> 03:45.766 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% as to whether they're really ready for peace yet. 03:45.766 --> 03:47.400 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% AMNA NAWAZ: Waiting for signals. We will see. 03:47.400 --> 03:48.933 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% Nick Schifrin, thank you very much. 03:48.933 --> 03:49.433 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% NICK SCHIFRIN: Thank you.