Der Weltenschock.

Einordnung zum Treffen von Trump, Vance und Selenski vom 28.2.2025 im Weissen Haus.

Vier Tage nach dem 3. Jahrestag des Überfalls von Russland auf die Ukraine folgt für die Welt der zweite historische Schock. Diesmal in der Einflusssphäre der USA, der Supermacht des Westens, der Beschützerin des freien Westens. Am 1. März wurde die Welt eine andere. Im Folgenden eine kurze Einordnung zu dem, was vor laufenden Kameras am 28.2.2025 passiert ist. Eine nicht überraschende Entwicklung, aber ihre unmissverständliche Klarheit gibt zu denken. Schwer zu verdauen und sachlich nicht sicher erfassbar, weil der Blick von Emotionen getrübt ist und die eigene Informationslage nur Fragmente umfasst. Die letzten Tage zu verstehen, macht wohl nicht nur mir Mühe. Die vielen Kommentare von Medien und Lesenden sind Ausdruck davon.

Roland Voser, 4. März 2025

Kurzanalyse des Treffens.

Die eigentliche Eskalation des Treffens ist schwer anzuschauen. Empfehlenswert sind daher die ganzen 49:22 Minuten vom Freitag, den 28.2.2025. Vereinfachung bzw. die Reduktion auf die letzten 10 Minuten wird der Sache mit Sicherheit nicht gerecht.

Ja, erst mit J.D. Vance in Minute 39.52 eskaliert das Ganze. Selenski macht im darauf folgenden Schlagabtausch den entscheidenden Fehler: Er greift die USA direkt an, indem er die Gefühle der Grossmacht anspricht, falls die russische Aggression über den Atlantik die USA erreichen würde. An dieser Stelle ist dies mehr als subtiler Druck. Er positioniert die Ukraine als Frontlinie des ganzen Westens und bemüht erneut das Argument, das den Westen für die Unterstützung der Ukraine motiviert. Und - er demontiert das Setting des Treffens. Ein grober diplomatischer Sündenfall.

Denn dieser Griff in die US-Intimzone erzürnt Trump unumkehrbar. Er, der sich an diesem Treffen als Mediator und Friedensstifter positioniert, wird von Selenski aus dieser Rolle gedrängt und reagiert, wie Trump reagiert: Sofort, hart und nicht zu stoppen. Denn das Setting war klar: Dieser Tag ist der Start in die Friedensverhandlungen. Dies hätte auch Selenski durch das Tragen eines Anzugs demonstrieren sollen, wie später im Focus nachzulesen ist. Es war der Wunsch der USA. Diese Anzugfrage wird auch während des Treffens durch einen Journalisten nochmals aufgeworfen.

Sie zeigt, dass die Respektfrage von Vance nicht einfach so überraschend kam. Auch, weil Selenski mit seiner Delegation offenbar zu spät im Weissen Haus eingetroffen sei - er soll an einem Treffen mit Demokraten (!) gewesen sein: Der Senator von Connecticut bestätigt dies mit seinem Post und äussert, dass Selenski “keinen Scheinfrieden ohne Sicherheitsgarantien” unterstützen würde. Der Begriff “security guarantees” erscheint folgerichtig im untenstehen Transkript des Folgetreffens 7 mal (“security” 24 mal). Die amerikanische Welt ist definitiv aus den Fugen. Republikaner und Demokraten unversöhnlich. Trump ist nicht der Präsident aller Amerikaner. Das wird jetzt auch für die breite Öffentlichkeit in Europa so offensichtlich wie noch nie.

In diesen Minuten hat auch Selenkis Boxgürtel-Geschenk nichts mehr zu kitten vermocht. Im Wissen, dass Trump ein Boxfan ist, hätte, wenn schon, auch Klitschko in die ukrainische Delegation gehört. Aber dazu dürfte das Zerwürfnis zwischen Selenski und Klitschko zu gross sein. Umso grösser wäre andernfalls das Signal der Ukraine an die USA gewesen.

Aber die Welt ist nun mal nicht ideal. Trump ist höchst umstritten und geniesst mit deutlich unter 50% Zustimmung bei den Amerikanern nicht jenen Support, der ein Führer des Westens benötigen würde. Selenskis Unterstützung in der Ukraine stabilisiert sich nach dem Exklat wieder klar und deutlich gegen 60% - nachdem er seit der russischen Invasion von seinem Spitzenwert von 90% laufend eingebüsst hatte. 50% Zustimmung ist nicht per se schlecht, denn sie zeugt von einer profilierten Politik. Doch sollte eine Polarisierung nicht zu einer Spaltung des Landes führen, was die Medien für die USA nachvollziehbar diagnostizieren.

Wenn die Amerikaner mit den Zöllen tatsächlich einen Handelskrieg vom Zaun reissen (was wohl nicht wirklich die amerikanische Intention ist), wäre ein grösserer Rückhalt bei den eigenen Leuten zwingend nötig. An diesem Punkte müsste aber im Umkehrschluss dasselbe auch für Selenski gelten. Lange Rede, kurzer Sinn: Beide Präsidenten verfügen nicht über den nötigen Rückhalt, der jetzt für fundamentale Veränderungen erforderlich wäre (Neuausrichtung nach MAGA, Gewinn des Krieges durch die Ukraine).

Erster Einordnungsversuch.

Doch zurück zum erwähnten Treffen. Erklärungsversuche in der Folge von Cuomo, Lawrence, Hayes, Ronzheimer und Pleitgen, auch Zusatzinformationen aus den Medien und letztlich der Presseclub der ARD zeigen eines - es war am Folgetag des Eklats nichts wirklich klar, ausser: Der politische Krieg zwischen Demokraten und Republikanern hat für alle authentisch sichtbar die Welt erfasst - auch wenn der Wahlkampf seit Monaten vorbei ist.

Doch wo sind die Ursachen für die aktuellen Entwicklungen zu suchen? Es handelt sich um eine weitergehende Auseinandersetzung von Ideologien, die den Zusammenbruch der UdSSR und damit der alten Ordnung nach 1945 nicht nachhaltig aufgearbeitet haben. Putin riskierte in diesem Gemenge den dritten Weltkrieg. Der Westen reagierte jahrelang hilflos. Die Ukraine wird darin aufgerieben. Trump will das Blutvergiessen mit einem Deal stoppen und verliert die Geduld mit seinem Frontkämpfer unserer freien Welt.

Alles inszeniert, um damit jetzt die US-Milliardenhilfe auszusetzen und Europa ultimativ und abschliessend in die Pflicht zu nehmen? Kann sein. Auf jeden Fall eine dramatische Veränderung in der Weltpolitik und eine ausserordentlich kritische Situation. Am gefährlichsten wäre eine Trotzreaktion, die den Bruch mit den USA in Kauf nimmt. Das entschlossen-souveräne Vorgehen von Starmer und Macron zeugt von erstaunlichem Feingefühl, einer neuen Achse Paris-London und offenbart den Ernst der Lage.

Bleibt zu hoffen, dass der Schweizer Bundesrat bei seiner Linie bleibt. Er sagte das, was gesagt werden konnte. Nicht mehr und nicht weniger. Das ist gut so. Neutrale sollen jetzt einfach mal ruhig bleiben.

Ergänzung 1: Die Ukraine übt sich in Canossa.

Nachdem die USA einen Tag später auf die Äusserung von Selenski am Montag, dass ein Friedensabkommen noch in weiter Ferne läge, die US-Hilfen gestoppt haben, folgt am Dienstagabend des 4. März das Einlenken der Ukraine. Dazu das Update von 16:37 Uhr: Post von Volodymyr Zelenskyy auf X (Link). Es ist ein Einknicken auf ganzer Linie und eine Formulierung, wie man sie von einer Vasallenrepublik an den Generalsekretär der KPdSU auch hätte lesen können.

“Ich möchte das Engagement der Ukraine für den Frieden bekräftigen.

Keiner von uns will einen endlosen Krieg. Die Ukraine ist bereit, so schnell wie möglich an den Verhandlungstisch zu kommen, um einen dauerhaften Frieden näher zu bringen. Niemand wünscht sich mehr Frieden als die Ukrainer. Mein Team und ich sind bereit, unter Präsident Trumps starker Führung zu arbeiten, um einen dauerhaften Frieden zu erreichen.

Wir sind bereit, schnell an der Beendigung des Krieges zu arbeiten. Die ersten Schritte könnten die Freilassung von Gefangenen und ein Waffenstillstand im Himmel sein – Verbot von Raketen, Langstreckendrohnen, Bomben auf Energie und andere zivile Infrastruktur – sowie ein sofortiger Waffenstillstand auf See, wenn Russland dasselbe tut. Dann wollen wir alle weiteren Schritte sehr schnell durchführen und mit den USA zusammenarbeiten, um ein starkes endgültiges Abkommen zu erzielen.

Wir wissen wirklich zu schätzen, wie viel Amerika getan hat, um der Ukraine zu helfen, ihre Souveränität und Unabhängigkeit zu bewahren. Und wir erinnern uns an den Moment, als sich die Dinge änderten, als Präsident Trump der Ukraine Javelins lieferte. Dafür sind wir dankbar.

Unser Treffen am Freitag im Weißen Haus in Washington verlief nicht wie geplant. Es ist bedauerlich, dass es so gekommen ist. Es ist an der Zeit, die Dinge in Ordnung zu bringen. Wir möchten, dass die zukünftige Zusammenarbeit und Kommunikation konstruktiv ist.

Was das Abkommen über Mineralien und Sicherheit betrifft, ist die Ukraine bereit, es jederzeit und in jedem geeigneten Format zu unterzeichnen. Wir betrachten dieses Abkommen als einen Schritt in Richtung größerer Sicherheit und solider Sicherheitsgarantien, und ich hoffe wirklich, dass es effektiv funktionieren wird.”

“I would like to reiterate Ukraine’s commitment to peace.

None of us wants an endless war. Ukraine is ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible to bring lasting peace closer. Nobody wants peace more than Ukrainians. My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts.

We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky — ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy and other civilian infrastructure — and truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same. Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal.

We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence. And we remember the moment when things changed when President Trump provided Ukraine with Javelins. We are grateful for this.

Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be. It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive.

Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format. We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively.”

Ergänzung 2: Die Amerikanische Politik der letzten 35 Jahre findet ein Ende.

Ich empfehle als Hintergrund und zur besseren Einordnung die Rede von Jeffrey Sachs im Europaparlament vom 19.2.2025 (Englisch, deutsche Übersetzung). Er stellt die Rolle der Amerikaner seit dem Fall der Sowietunion und dem WAPA dar, und ich stelle fest, dass sie zumindest für mich in dieser Schlüssigkeit bisher intransparent war. Möglicherweise ist dieses Unwissen das Resultat unserer Sorglosigkeit aufgrund unseres Überflusses im Schutze einer sicheren Schweiz im neuen Jahrtausend nach dem Kalten Krieg.

Daraus wird unter anderem bekannt, dass sowohl Selenski wie auch Putin kurz nach dem Überfall von Russland auf die Ukraine zu Friedensverhandlungen bereit gewesen wären und die USA dies verhindert haben. Der Hintergrund dazu ist die US-Strategie des Unipolarismus, die seit dem Zusammenbruch der UdSSR durch alle US-Administrationen verfolgt wurde. Kurz zusammengefasst bedeutet sie, dass die USA die Weltordnung alleine bestimmen. Sachs beschreibt die damit verbundenen Abhängigkeiten und zeigt auf, was er ursächlich für die Konflikte in der Ukraine sieht. In der Rückschau vermute ich, dass wir Zeuge davon geworden sind, dass dieser Unipolarismus der Amerikaner mit der Trump-Administration Nummer 2 sein Ende findet. Das ist es möglicherweise, was gerade abgeht und signalisiert die Schärfe des Umbruchs.

Ja, ich weiss nicht alles. Ich weiss nur, dass wir alles daran setzen müssen, Kriege mit allen Mitteln zu verhindern oder zu beenden. Jeder, der Wehrdienst leistet, weiss, dass dies die Prämisse sein muss, weil er in letzter Konsequenz sein Leben für sein Land riskiert. Aber niemand soll freiwillig für eine idiotische Politik und unnötigerweise sterben müssen. Das ist meines Erachtens eine korrekte Haltung auch in diesem Konflikt. Vieles andere ist Augenwischerei. Trump versucht, dies auf seinen Weise hinzukriegen. Schluss mit dem Blutvergiessen. Wahrscheinlich geht damit eine neue Weltordnung einher. Das dämmert jetzt. Der Aufschrei und das Winden der Europäer untermauert diese Hypothese.

Europa ist jedenfalls hochgradig von den USA abhängig. Diese Abhängigkeit muss rasch gelöst werden. Gleichzeitig darf dies nicht zu einem Bruch führen. Kluge Diplomatie ist gefragt.

Ergänzung 3: Zum Lachen oder zum Weinen?

Aus Trumps Rede vor dem Kongress vom 4.3.2025. Man sollte gut zuhören, bevor man vorschnelle Schlüsse zieht und primär Trumps Ego kritisiert. Ein Beispiel: Gemäss den Regierungsdatenbanken sind 5% der Amerikaner älter als 100 Jahre alt! Was will man dazu noch sagen? Mir fällt dazu jedenfalls nichts mehr ein. Trump im O-Ton:

• «Glauben Sie es oder nicht. Die Regierungsdatenbank listet 4.7 Millionen Sozialversicherungsmitglieder aus Menschen im Alter von 100 bis 109 Jahren. Sie listet 3.6 Millionen Menschen im Alter von 110 bis 119.

• Ich kenne keinen von ihnen, aber ich kenne einige Leute, die schon etwas älter sind, aber nicht ganz so alt.

• Sie listet 3.47 Millionen Menschen im Alter von 120 bis 129. 3.9 Millionen Menschen im Alter von 130 bis 139. 3.5 Millionen Menschen im Alter von 140 bis 149.

• Es wird Geld an viele von ihnen gezahlt und wir suchen aktuell die Tatsachen.

• Sie listet 1.3 Millionen Menschen im Alter von 150 bis 159 Jahren und darüber. 130’000 Menschen sind laut den Datenbanken der Sozialversicherung über 160 Jahre alt.

• Wir haben ein gesünderes Land als ich dachte.

• Einschliesslich, um es abzuschliessen, 1’039 Personen im Alter zwischen 220 und 229. 1 Person im Alter zwischen 240 und 249 Jahren und eine Person ist 360 Jahre alt und damit mehr als 100 Jahre älter, als unser Land.»  

Anderseits habe ich auch keine Antwort auf den folgenden Trump-Auszug:

• “… und 8 Millionen US-Dollar für Transgender-Mäuse, das ist wahr …”

Wie es sich herausstellt, ging es nicht um “transgender mice”, sondern um “transgenic mice” - also die DNA-Veränderung von Mäusen für die Krankheitsforschung, also nicht um Geschlechtsveränderungen bei Mäusen.

Zweifellos hat der amerikanische Präsident einen hohen Unterhaltungswert, nicht wahr? Man kann sich darüber aufregen, aber zumindest wirkt er authentisch. Er stellt einen Gegenentwurf zu den anderen amerikanischen Präsidenten (oder Politikern im allgemeinen) dar. Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagen, Bush 1 und 2, Clinton, Obama, Biden - doch beim genaueren Hinschauen, lässt er sich eigentlich recht gut einreihen. Johnson, der den Vietnamkrieg verantwortet, Nixon Watergate, Carter die Wirtschaftskrise, Reagen der Schauspieler oder Clinton, der sich bei seiner Praktikantin nicht im Griff hatte. Und so weiter.

Und zum guten Schluss.

Ich setzte mich die letzten Tage intensiv mit der aktuell Trump-geprägten Weltpolitik auseinander. Das Thema ist kompliziert und nicht leicht zu erfassen. Damit meine ich nicht primär das Verhalten des umstrittenen amerikanischen Präsidenten mit seiner Regierung, sondern auch die Europäer oder besser die Politik in ihrer Gesamtheit wie auch im Einzelnen. Ich kann Deutschland als Beispiel anführen - dort regieren Irrsinn, Inkompetenz und Machtgeilheit, oder wie will man die deutsche Politik und ihr Ampelmärchen als Aussenstehender sonst noch vernünftig einordnen?

Oder wer zwischen Biden und Trump im Sommer 2024 ernsthaft Biden den Vorzug gab, hatte den Bezug zur Realität mindestens ebenso verloren, wie man es gleichermassen den Trumpwählern unterstellen kann. Oder stellte bei solchen Kandidaten eine politische Agenda über jede Vernunft.

Oder Wermuths Reaktion auf die oben beschriebenen Vorkommnisse (“F… you Mr. President”) ist bloss peinlich, unangebracht und zeugt von seiner politischen und persönlichen Unreife. Dazu gesellen sich Kriegsdienstverweigerer, die jetzt nach Waffen schreien und andere Menschen in den Krieg schicken wollen. Sie sind die widerlichsten Artgenossen unserer Zeit.

Die Kommentarspalten der Medien sind in der Folge zu oft gefüllt von Blödsinn, Emotionen und Unwissen. Es sind Reaktionen auf den Meinungsjournalismus der Medien, egal ob gebühren- oder privatfinanziert, der mich ob seiner Unsachlichkeit mit Kopfschütteln zurücklässt. Genügend oft beklatscht wird jeder Unsinn plötzlich wahr. Also wäre jedem dummen Artikel und Kommentar zu entgegnen und zumindest eine Gegendarstellung vorzunehmen. Doch dann läuft man Gefahr, zum Lügner abgestempelt zu werden, denn das ist die heutige Reaktion auf andere Meinungen: Du bist der Böse, der Lügner, der Putin-Versteher oder - im vorliegenden Kontext - der Trump-Versteher.

Oder soll ich jetzt in Aktien von Rüstungsunternehmen investieren, um wenigstens kurzfristig von der sich abzeichnenden verantwortungslosen Schuldenwirtschaft der europäischen Regierungen zu profitieren, deren Konsequenzen mittel-/langfristig nicht absehbar sind? Das wäre ja ziemlich verrückt. Damit meine ich weniger das eigentliche Investment, sondern den hilflose Versuch einer Kompensation des sich abzeichnenden Dammbruchs der Staatsverschuldung europäischer Staaten. Quasi ein Mitspielen im Spekulations-Casino der Grossen? Sind wir wieder soweit?

Georg Danzer’s Song “Der Herr Politiker” kommt mir in den Sinn. Also: Getreu dem Motto “Akzeptiere, was du nicht ändern kannst”, werde ich mich jetzt vermehrt wieder einmal auf für mich konstruktivere und aufbauendere Dinge konzentrieren. So gesehen ein gutes Fazit und ein guter Schluss. Eine gute Schocktherapie, meinen Sie nicht auch?

Europäer, das Volk hat eine Stimme!

Transkript der Rede von J. D. Vance anlässlich der 61. Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz (MSC) vom 14. bis zum 16. Februar 2025 im Hotel Bayerischer Hof in München.

(c) 2025: Auenstein, Kanton Aargau, Schweiz, Foto: Roland Voser.

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smartmyway zuhause.

(c) 2024, Dezemberstimmung in Cademario am 24. Dezember, Kanton Tessin, Schweiz, Foto: Roland Voser.

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Anhang: Transkript von Youtube:

0:00

President Trump: Well, thank you very much. It's an honor to have President Zelenskyy of Ukraine

0:05

and we've been working very hard, very close. So we've actually known each other for a long time. We've been dealing with each other

0:12

for a long time and very well. We had little negotiations spat, but that worked out great I think for both countries,

0:20

I think for the world actually, beyond both countries. And we have something that is a very fair deal

0:28

and we look forward to getting in and digging, digging, digging and working and getting some of the rare earth.

0:35

But it means we're going to be inside and it's a big commitment from the United States and we appreciate working with you very much,

0:43

and we will continue to do that. We have had some very good discussions with Russia.

0:49

I spoke with President Putin, and we're going to try and bring this to a close. It's something that you want and that he wants.

0:55

We'll have to negotiate a deal, but we've started the confines of a deal and I think something can happen.

1:03

The big thing is the number of soldiers, mostly at this point, but soldiers being killed.

1:10

You're losing thousands of soldiers. So on both sides we're losing a lot of soldiers and we want to see it stop

1:16

and we want to see the money get put to different kinds of use, like rebuilding; the rebuilding.

1:22

And we're going to be working very hard. But we've had a lot of very good conversations. I will say until we came along,

1:29

the Biden administration didn't speak to Russia whatsoever. They didn't speak to anybody. They just allowed this to continue.

1:36

And I will say that… I'll say in front of you, you've heard me say it a thousand times,

1:42

if I were president, this war would've never happened. We would've had a deal negotiated for you without having to go through what you've gone through.

1:50

But your soldiers have been unbelievably brave. We've given them great equipment, but they…

1:55

somebody has to use the equipment, they've been unbelievably brave and we give them great credit.

2:01

This was supposed to be over very quickly, and here we are three years later.

2:07

So I give tremendous credit to your generals and your soldiers and yourself in the sense

2:13

that it's been very hard fighting, very tough fighting. They're great fighters

2:20

and you have to be very proud of them from that standpoint. President Zelenskyy: I'm very proud. President Trump: But now we want to get it over with.

2:25

It's enough, right, if we want to get it over with. So it's an honor to have you here.

2:30

Thank you very much for coming. We're going to sign the agreement at the conference

2:36

in the East Room in a little while right after lunch. And we'll be having lunch together.

2:42

We're also discussing some other things and we appreciate everybody being here.

2:47

It's somewhat of an exciting moment, but the really exciting moment is where we get to…

2:52

when they stop the shooting and we end up with the deal. And I think we're fairly close to getting that, and an honor to have you.

2:59

And please, like to say something. President Zelenskyy: Yeah, thank you so much, Mr. President. Thank you for invitation.

3:05

And really, I hope that this document, first document will be first step

3:11

to real security guarantees for Ukraine. Our people, our children really count on it.

3:17

And of course we count that America will not stop support. Really, for us, it's very important to support

3:24

and to continue it. I want to discuss it with details for them during our conversation.

3:30

And of course the infrastructure or security guarantees. Because for today, I understand what Europe is ready to do.

3:37

And of course I want to discuss with you what United States will be ready to do. And I really count on your strong position to stop Putin.

3:47

And you said that enough with the war. I think that is very important then to say these words to Putin

3:53

at the very beginning, at the very beginning war, because he's a killer and terrorist. But I hope that together we can stop him.

4:01

But for us, it's very important to save our country, our values, our freedom and democracy.

4:09

And of course no compromises with the killer about our territories, but it'll be later.

4:16

And of course, what I wanted… We spoke about it by phone with you about the drones' production.

4:21

We have very good drones production, I think the best one in the world for today because of the war. Yes.

4:27

And of course, we need very much the air defense. You have the best air defense in the world,

4:34

and really you helped us under attacks of Russians. And I want to speak how we can exchange the licenses.

4:41

We're open to share the licenses of all our drones with you, of course, with the United States.

4:46

And we need licenses for quick production of air defense. Even after the war, we need our nation to be calm,

4:54

that we are secure. That's why we need this air shield. And of course about this,

5:00

I want to speak about the contingents. I think that France and UK already spoke to you,

5:06

and we know that Europe is ready, but without United States, they will not be ready to be as strong as we need.

5:14

And the last point, last but not least, about exchange, about our people and children.

5:21

And you know that this crazy Russian, that they've stolen 20,000 of children, Ukrainian children.

5:27

They changed their names, they changed their families, relatives,

5:32

and now they're in Russia. We want to bring them back. And really, it's a big, big dream task and goal for me

5:40

and end our wars. By the way, Mr. President, we brought, we exchanged,

5:46

we, yes, released more than 4,000 warriors from Russian prison, but there are thousands more in the prison.

5:55

I wanted to share with you some images. How… Can I now?

6:02

President Trump: Yeah. Please. Please. President Zelenskyy: Some minute, one minute, one minute. I just you to understand in what circumstances,

6:10

in what situation they are and what the attitude of Russia to our prisons. That guys, just you… Before and after.

6:19

And you see before and after, just you to understand. Now thousands of such guys, ladies and men there, and that…

6:28

So they don't eat. They beat them and they do a lot of bad things.

6:38

Even during the war, there are rules. Everybody knows there are rules during the war. These guys, they don't have any rules.

6:44

You see that 50, 60 kilograms left and a lot of such things.

6:51

And I didn't want to show you what the changes with images of children

6:56

because I will just share with you. And I mean, it's looking tragic.

7:02

President Trump: Yeah, that's tough stuff. President Zelenskyy: Yeah. I wanted very much to give you, and you see?

7:07

President Trump: Yeah. President Zelenskyy: This is Pastor, by the way. They stolen pastors because it's not Russian church.

7:13

They stolen pastors and moved pastors to the prison. At the end of last year, we brought three pastors

7:21

and we could exchange them. This is pastor, you see?

7:26

President Trump: Yeah. It's tough. President Zelenskyy: Yeah. So I mean this I wanted to show you and this…

7:31

So thank you very much. President Trump: We want to get that ended, right? President Zelenskyy: Yeah, yeah, of course. Of course, we will.

7:37

President Trump: And I think we will. I think we will. And- President Zelenskyy: We have to, of course. President Trump: Do you have any questions, please?

7:42

[cross talk] President Trump: Yeah, please. The Press: Thank you, Mr. President.

7:47

How much money is the US going to put into the fund that is being created today and how does this provide long-term security for Ukraine?

7:55

President Trump: Well, we don't know exactly how much because we're going to be putting some money in a fund that we're going to get from the raw earth

8:02

that we're going to be taking and sharing in terms of revenue. So it's going to be a lot of money, will be made from the sale and from the use of raw earth.

8:11

And as you know, our country doesn't have much raw earth. We have a lot of oil and gas,

8:16

but we don't have a lot of the raw earth. And what we do have is protected by the environmentalists,

8:22

but that could be unprotected. But still, it's not very much. They have among the best in the world in terms of raw earth.

8:31

So we're going to be using that, taking it, using it for all of the things we do in including AI

8:38

and including weapons and the military. And it's really going to very much satisfy our needs.

8:43

So it was something that just worked out really well. We have a lot of oil and we have a lot of gas.

8:48

We have a lot, but we don't have raw earth. So this has just about every component of the raw earth

8:55

that we need for computers, for all of the things we do. The Press: And- President Trump: This puts us in great shape.

9:00

The Press: And on long-term security for Ukraine, how does this provide us? President Trump: I think they're going to have great luck. I think once we make the agreement

9:06

that's going to be 95% of it, they're not going to go back to fighting. I've spoken with President Putin, and I think…

9:15

I feel very strong… I've known him for a long time, and I feel very strongly that they're very serious about it,

9:22

and we'll make a deal. And when the deal is made, I don't think… We talk about security. Everyone's talking about the other day,

9:28

all they talked about was security. I said, "Let me make the deal first." I have to make the deal first. I don't worry about security right now,

9:35

we have to have a deal because right now, last week, 2000 soldiers died on both sides; 2000.

9:41

And they're losing a thousand, 2000, 3000 a week. So as we sit here and we talk,

9:47

people are getting shot and dying on the battlefield. And they're not American soldiers,

9:53

but they're Russian soldiers and they're Ukrainian soldiers. And we want to be able to stop it,

9:58

and we want to be able -- also to spend money on other things. We don't want to… This is a tremendous amount of money.

10:04

And what the Biden administration did was terrible. They were giving money, but he had no security on the money.

10:10

Europe, as you know, gave much less money, but they had security. It was in the form of a loan.

10:15

They get their money back. And we didn't. And now at least we're protected because the American taxpayer has to be protected too.

10:22

But this is an incredible agreement for Ukraine

10:28

because we have a big investment in their country now, and what they have, very few people have.

10:36

And we're able to really go forward with very, very high-tech things and many other things, including weaponry,

10:43

weaponry that we're going to use in many locations, but that we need for our country. The Press: Mr. President?

10:49

President Trump: This allows us to do this. The Press: Mr. President? Will you continue… Will you continue- President Zelenskyy: Sorry. Sorry.

10:54

The Press: … sending military aid? President Trump: Yes, go ahead, please. President Zelenskyy: If I can just… Yes.

11:00

In the document, there is one of the very important points if we speak about business and investment.

11:06

We never had LNG terminals in Ukraine. This document will open… I mean, the next document…

11:12

But anyway, here we see in the framework, we see a really good will for this.

11:17

LNG terminals for us is very important and I think for security of European continent.

11:23

We have the biggest storage, gas storage. We have the biggest in Europe, yes.

11:29

Yes, and we can use it. Use it for LNG, use it for LNG and we will do it.

11:35

And really we can help Europe because Europe really helped. President Trump said that they made less support,

11:43

but they're our friends and they are our very supportive partners. They really gave a lot, Mr. President.

11:51

President Trump: Oh- President Zelenskyy: Really, they did. President Trump: I gave a lot, but they gave much less. President Zelenskyy: No.

11:56

President Trump: Much less. President Zelenskyy: No, no. President Trump: Okay. President Zelenskyy: Okay. The Press: Mr. President?

12:07

President Trump: Yes, please. The Press: Mr. President Trump, you have repeatedly called the deal with Ukraine

12:13

as a historical one, and as a President of the United States, you make historical decision in other issues

12:21

which affect America and other world. So what place in the world history do you want to take,

12:29

and do you associate yourself with any famous historical figures?

12:38

President Trump: Yeah, I'd say George Washington, Abraham Lincoln. I would say I'm far superior to George Washington

12:45

and Abraham Lincoln. Now, you know I'm only kidding, right? Because when I say that the fake news is going to go wild.

12:51

They're going to say he considers himself to be better than Washington. But you never know. You never know.

12:57

I don't compare myself to anybody, I'm here to do a job. We've had a great 35 days or whatever it might be,

13:04

a month, a little more than a month. We've accomplished tremendous amounts.

13:10

Not only this, this would be a very great achievement if we could get the war stopped and get them back to normalization.

13:17

I think that's going to happen. We've had very good talks on both sides, as you know. But I think we've done a very good job just generally.

13:25

If you look at all of the things we've done in 30 days, they're saying there's never been a first month

13:35

like we've had, and this is one of the very important things. This to me is one of the most important things because we have tremendous death taking place as we speak,

13:44

and I don't want to have that. Think of the parents, whether they're in Russia or Ukraine,

13:50

think of the parents of all these people being killed needlessly. President Zelenskyy: They came to our territory.

13:55

President Trump: Should have never started. If I were president, this would've never started.

14:05

The Press: Will you continue sending military aid to Ukraine after the US signs this agreement with Ukraine?

14:13

President Trump: Yeah, we're going to be continuing- The Press: And a question to President Zelenskyy. Do you feel like the US is on your side,

14:19

that President Trump is on your side at this moment?

14:26

President Trump: Go ahead. President Zelenskyy: What do you think? President Trump: He wants to know do you think that… It's sort of a stupid question

14:32

because I guess we wouldn't be here if I wasn't.

14:37

President Zelenskyy: I think that United States on our side from the very beginning of occupation,

14:43

and I think that President Trump on our side, and of course [inaudible 00:14:54]

14:49

I'm sure that United States President will not stop support. This is crucial for us. It's important for us.

14:57

And president speaks about the people and the soldiers which are dying, but they came to our territory.

15:02

They came to our land, they began this war and they have to stop. And I think this is the question with…

15:11

Really the most important question. Can President Trump, I hope yes, with some other allies to stop Putin,

15:21

withdraw these troops from our land. And I think that you asked about the history about [inaudible]

15:27

I think that if president or when he will stop Putin, if President Trump will bring peace to our country,

15:35

I think he will be on this wall, I think. President Trump: We've had very, very good talks.

15:42

The Press: Mr.President. President Zelenskyy just said

15:48

that there'll be no compromises with Vladimir Putin.

15:53

I just wanted to ask both of you, firstly, are there compromises that you think that President Zelenskyy

15:58

is going to have to make and President Zelenskyy is there anything that you might think you may be able to offer or bring to the table,

16:04

for example, elections.? Thank you. President Trump: I think you're going to have to always make compromises. You can't do any deals without compromises.

16:11

So certainly he's going to have to make some compromises, but hopefully they won't be as big as some people

16:17

think you're going to have to make. That's all. That's all we can do. I'm here as an arbitrator, as a mediator to a certain extent

16:23

between two parties that have been very hostile, to put it mildly, they've been very hostile.

16:29

This has been a vicious war. It's been a vicious war. It's a very level battlefield and those bullets go out

16:36

and as I've said many times, we're talking about it with Pete, many times the only thing

16:41

stopping those bullets is a human body. And in the case we're talking about, generally young human bodies are stopping a lot of bullets.

16:49

It's dead level. That's why it's great farmland, it's great land, it's great farmland, but there's very little protection against the bullets

16:58

and other things that are being shot. So all I can do is see if I can get everybody at the table

17:05

and get an agreement and I think we're going to end up with an agreement. Otherwise, I wouldn't probably be even here today.

17:10

The Press: Mr. President, I've got two questions for you.

17:16

You think ultimately your legacy will be the peacemaker and not the president that led this country into another war

17:24

and ended foreign wars? And I've got a question- President Trump: I hope it will. I mean, I hope I'm going to be remembered as a peacemaker.

17:34

This would be a great thing if we could do this. I'm doing this to save lives more than anything else. Second is to save a lot of money,

17:40

but I considered that to be far less important. Thank you, Brian for that question.

17:45

It was a nice question. I hope I'll be known and recognized as a peacemaker.

17:51

This would be a great thing to solve. This is a very dangerous situation. This could lead to a third world war.

17:58

This was headed in the wrong direction. If this election were lost, if we didn't win this election,

18:04

and by the way, we won it by a lot, that was a mandate. We won every swing state. We won the popular vote by millions and millions of votes.

18:12

We won everything. The districts, you look at the areas of red, take a look at a map.

18:18

This was a big mandate and this was one of the things, I said, "We're going to get this thing settled."

18:25

If we didn't win, I think this could've very well ended up in a third world war and that would not have been a good situation.

18:33

What was your second question? The Press: My second question for President Zelenskyy. Why don't you wear a suit? Why don't you wear a suit?

18:41

You're the highest level in this country's office and you refuse to wear a suit. Do you own a suit?

18:48

President Zelenskyy: You have problems? The Press: Yeah, a lot of Americans have problems with you not respecting the dignity of office. President Zelenskyy: Really?

18:53

Perhaps I will wear a costume after this war will finish. Yes, maybe something like yours.

19:00

The Press: Maybe something like this? Yes, sir. That be great. President Zelenskyy: Maybe something better. I don't know. We will see.

19:06

Maybe something cheaper than, yeah. The Press: Thank you. President Zelenskyy: Thank you, thank you.

19:12

The Press: Thank you, President Trump. You said yesterday that you have- The Press: Mr. President are you going to send more arms to Ukraine in case there's no peace?

19:20

President Trump: Yeah, we're going to have arms to Ukraine. Yeah, sure. Hopefully I won't have to send very much because hopefully we're going to have it finished.

19:27

We're looking forward to finishing this quickly. We're not looking forward to sending a lot of arms.

19:33

We're looking forward to getting the war finished so we can do other things. But we very much appreciate the agreement

19:40

because we needed what they had and our country is now treated fairly.

19:46

Biden didn't do that. Biden, he didn't know what the hell he was doing. This should have never happened. This should have never started.

19:52

But sure the answer is yes, but hopefully we won't have to send much

19:57

because I'm looking forward to getting it done quickly. Very quickly.

20:03

The Press: Does that mean you'll provide security guarantees, Mr. President? President Trump: I don't want to talk about security yet because I want to get the deal done.

20:10

You fall into the same trap like everybody else a million times. You said over and over. I want to get the deal done.

20:16

Security is so easy. That's about 2% of the problem. I'm not worried about security.

20:21

I'm worried about getting the deal done. The security is the easy part. Security is very nice. Everybody stops shooting.

20:28

And now will Europe put people there? I know France is going to, I know the UK is going to,

20:33

I know other countries are going to and they happen to be right next door. We haven't committed, but we could conceivably.

20:39

We have security in a different form. We'll have workers there digging, digging, digging, taking the raw earth

20:47

so that we can create a lot of great product in this country. So in that sense you have something

20:53

but we haven't determined that yet. I will say in speaking to France,

20:58

and they were here as you know last week and just the other day, they have committed to a lot of security.

21:07

I don't think you're going to need much security. I think once this deal gets done, it's over. Russia is not going to want to go back

21:12

and nobody's going to want to go back. The Press: President Zelenskyy is shaking his head [inaudible]. President Trump: When this deal ends. I really believe this deal is going to be over.

21:18

President Zelenskyy: [inaudible] Yeah, thank you. Thank you so much [inaudible]. President Trump: Question? Yeah, please, go ahead. Go ahead. The Press: Mr. President, thank you.

21:24

You hosted McCron and Keir Starmer at the White House this past week, both of whom praised your courage and conviction

21:30

to lead the pathway towards peace. President Trump: Yes. The Press: Part of that involved though re-engaging Russia in diplomatic relations,

21:36

something that previous leaders lacked the conviction to do. So what gave you the moral courage and conviction to step forward and lead that?

21:42

President Trump: Well, I love this guy. Who are you with? The Press: One American News, sir. President Trump: Well, that's why I like him.

21:48

One American News does a great job. I like the question. I think it's a very good question.

21:53

It's a pathway to peace. It's a pathway to getting something solved.

21:59

And I feel that as the head of this country, I have an obligation to do that. Plus, we're very much involved.

22:05

We got involved. It's too bad we got involved because there should have been no involvement

22:10

because there should have been no war. And there shouldn't have been October 7th. That would've never happened. As you know, Iran was broke,

22:17

they had no money to give to Hezbollah, they had no money to give to Hamas. They were stone-cold broke and then under Biden

22:25

they became rich as hell. They went from no money to $300 billion

22:32

in a period of four years and they gave a lot of that money away. And you see what happened.

22:37

And that's a real mess also that we hope to be able to solve. But no, I appreciate your question very much.

22:44

It's just I feel I have an obligation to try and do something to stop the death.

22:51

President Zelenskyy: If I can answer. Yes, if I can answer. Sorry. President Trump: Please, go ahead. President Zelenskyy: Please, please.

22:56

President Trump: And I do like your clothing by the way. President Zelenskyy: Really? President Trump: I think he's a great guy by the way.

23:01

But I don't know if you two like each other, but you know what? I think he's dressed beautifully.

23:06

I think he's dressed beautifully. President Zelenskyy: No, no, I like this guy. I don't know him. So I have more serious things than answer on side question.

23:13

I will answer on more serious questions if I can. Yeah. So please about security guarantees

23:20

and about the ceasefire. We can't just speak about ceasefire and speak and speak.

23:25

It will not work. Just ceasefire will never work because I'm like the president.

23:30

I have this experience and not only me, Ukraine, before my presidency from the 2014 Putin broken 25 times.

23:41

25 times. He broken his own signature 25 times,

23:46

he broken ceasefire, it was [inaudible] President Trump: But he never broke to me. He never broke to me. President Zelenskyy: No, no. You were the president.

23:52

President Trump: He never broke to me. President Zelenskyy: In 2016 you been the president, Mr. President. You've been the president.

23:58

But he had, of course, not with you, but he had during those period,

24:03

he had conversations with our side and we had Normandy format, the France, Germany, Ukraine, and Russia.

24:10

And he broken 25 times. That's why we will never accept just ceasefire.

24:16

It will not work without security guarantees. Security guarantees, maybe president is right

24:21

about this document and other, but this document is not enough. Strong army is enough because his soldiers afraid.

24:29

Putin's soldiers afraid of our soldiers when we strong enough. If we are not strong enough, we are empty,

24:35

if our storage is empty, we can't defend our land. Today, all the world knows that we have meeting, yes?

24:44

Why he's using ballistic? Putin today using ballistic on our hospital schools

24:49

and et cetera. Ballistic. So he knows that we are here and that President Trump really have good will to stop this war.

24:59

And you hear now the president, so why he's using? So he doesn't want to stop. He doesn't want.

25:05

But I hope that we will do it, really we'll do it. Security. When we speak about security guarantees,

25:10

when the Europeans are ready for contingents, they need USA backstop.

25:18

If they will not be United States, we will not never have any strong contingents from the Europeans

25:23

because they don't want to divide alliance connection between the United States, the main and strongest ally,

25:31

and Europeans. This is crucial. This is supportive. That what we want to speak about very much.

25:37

This is very important and air defense. So air defense, really we have big deficit with all the systems

25:45

and we need to provide this. We need it very much. Otherwise, Putin will never stop and will go further and further.

25:53

It doesn't work. He hates us. It's not about me, he hate Ukrainians.

25:58

He thinks that we are not a nation. He thinks and he shared his thoughts, I think maybe with your team also?

26:04

I don't know. But with all the Europeans, in media, official, and not, he always said that there is no such country,

26:12

such nation, such language and such life, like Ukrainian. No, he really doesn't respect all the Ukrainians,

26:21

and he wants destroy us. And you are right Mr. President, that's [inaudible 00:26:33].

26:29

This document, maybe other documents, it's very good start, very good, but it will not enough to stop this person.

26:37

The Press: Should Russia pay to rebuild Ukraine? The Press: Mr. President under these… The Press: Should Russia pay to rebuild Ukraine?

26:43

President Zelenskyy: They have to pay. This is the rule. This is rule of the war. This is the rule of the war.

26:49

During all the centuries, all the history, this is the rule of the war. Who began, those pay.

26:55

The Press: Do you agree President Trump? President Zelenskyy: This is the rule. Putin began this war. He has to pay all money for invasion. He has to pay.

27:02

Of course some Russian assets, what we have in Europe, about 300 billions.

27:08

We can use them. We can use for invasion and buy military support from the United States also.

27:14

We can do it, but it's not enough. It's not. The Press: Do you envision the trilateral [inaudible]

27:22

wouldn't end President Zelensky? President Trump: Wait one second. The Press: I ask this question that you didn't flag

27:27

because I wanted to know if you want to position yourself in the middle between Russia and Ukraine…

27:33

President Trump: Yes. The Press: Or only Ukraine's… President Trump: No, I'm in the middle. I want to solve this thing. I'm for both.

27:39

I want to get it solved and it's wonderful to speak badly about somebody else,

27:46

but I want to get it solved. If we can solve it, great. If we can't solve it, they're going to have to fight it out

27:52

and who knows what's going to happen, but I want to see it get solved. The Press: May I follow up?

27:57

One more question about US troops in Europe. After Russian invasion of Ukraine,

28:04

your predecessor sent additional troops to Eastern Europe, including Poland, my country.

28:09

Are you committed to keeping these troops on the eastern flank of NATO in the future?

28:18

President Trump: I'm very committed to Poland. I think Poland has really stepped up and done a great job for NATO.

28:24

As you know, they paid more than they had to. They are one of the finest groups of people

28:30

I've ever known. I'm very committed to Poland. The Press: What about Baltics? President Trump: Poland's in a tough neighborhood you know?

28:35

The Press: What about Baltics, the Baltics? President Trump: The Baltics, they got a lot of,

28:42

it's a tough neighborhood too, but we're committed. We're going to be very committed and we're committed to NATO,

28:48

but NATO has to step up and the Europeans have to step up more than they have and I want to see them equalize

28:53

because they are in for far less than we're in and they should be at least equal.

28:59

You understand that? Why is the United States, we have an ocean in between. Why is the United States in for so much more money

29:05

and other things as Europe? With that being said, and as you said, they've also been obviously very helpful,

29:13

but we have put in far more than they have and I think they should equalize.

29:18

The Press: Mr. President, [inaudible]. President Trump: Please go ahead. The Press: Going to ask you about the agreement again today. What changed between the first time that Secretary Bessent

29:25

gave President Zelensky the agreement and today for the signing? President Trump: We made a deal.

29:30

And I'm just, I'm a business person. We made a deal. That's what changed.

29:36

I didn't think we were going to make a deal and we ended up making the deal. So that changed.

29:41

The Press: Mr. President, what and how do you envision a trilateral summit with President Zelensky and Putin under these circumstances?

29:46

President Trump: I don't know. Well, they don't like each other. I can tell you that they do not like each other.

29:52

This is not a love match and it's unfortunate. That's why you're in this situation.

29:58

The United States should not have allowed this to happen. Okay? The United States run by a man that didn't know much.

30:08

I'm going to be very nice. Run by an incompetent person. Very incompetent person.

30:14

Should never have allowed this to happen. I've stopped wars, I've stopped many wars.

30:19

My people will tell you I stopped wars that nobody ever heard about. I stopped wars before they ever started.

30:25

You can look at some of, some of… I could give you a lot of nations that would tell you right now they were probably going to war.

30:31

I could tell you right now there's a nation thinking about going to war on something that nobody in this room

30:37

has ever even heard about. Two smaller nations, but big still. Still big. And I think I've stopped it,

30:45

but this should have never happened. The Press: Mr. President… President Zelenskyy: [inaudible]. Sorry, just a second. About any negotiations…

30:54

First of all, I want really to tell you, and I think that everybody understand that Ukraine,

31:00

more than Ukrainians, nobody wants to stop this war, but the future, any negotiations,

31:06

it's understandable that two sides of the war,

31:11

not Russia and the United States because this is not the war between Russia and the United States. This is war of Russia against Ukraine and Ukrainian people.

31:20

So these two sides will be, any way will be at the negotiation

31:26

and negotiation table. Then of course, United States like the strongest partner

31:31

of the Ukraine and of course Europe. I think Europe is very important. I want to speak about it with the President.

31:39

Yes. Europe is very important for us because we really defend Europe for today, all Europeans are really recognized

31:46

that we are defending the line and they have real life and our people are dying. That's why they helped us. And also it's about the need.

31:56

Yes, between… Like the President said, you have big nice ocean.

32:01

Yes, between us, but if we will not stay, Russia will go further to Baltics

32:08

and to Poland by the way. But first to the Baltics. It's understandable for them because they've been in the USSR,

32:17

one of the republics of the USSR, and Putin wants to bring them back to his empire.

32:23

It's a fact. And when he will go there, if will not stay, you'll fight your American soldiers.

32:30

It doesn't matter do you have ocean or not. Your soldiers will fight. The Press: Mr. President,

32:36

would you be willing to visit Ukraine? Maybe Kiev or Odessa, which is known to be a 30-year [inaudible]. President Zelenskyy: It was my question.

32:42

President Trump: I'm sorry. I don't want to talk about Odessa now. Let's not talk about Odessa.

32:47

I want to talk about making a deal, getting peace. We don't have to talk about Odessa,

32:53

but a lot of cities have been destroyed. A lot of cities that are not recognizable.

32:58

There's not a building standing. President Zelenskyy: Oh, no. You have to come Mr. President. You have to come and to look.

33:04

No, no, no. We have very good cities. Yes, a lot of things have been destroyed, but mostly cities alive and people work

33:12

and children go to school. Sometimes it's very difficult, sometimes closer to the front line. Children have to go to underground schools or online.

33:21

But we live, Ukraine is fighting and Ukraine lives. This is very important and maybe it's Putin

33:28

who sharing this information that he destroyed us. He lost 700,000 people, 700,000 soldiers.

33:36

He lost everything. Yes. The Press: Mr. President. The Press: Mr. President, one more.

33:42

President Trump: Please go ahead. The Press: When did you last speak with President Putin and what did he say that…? President Trump: A couple of days ago.

33:48

The Press: And what did he tell you that gave you the assurance that he wanted peace? President Trump: Well, that's what I do. My whole life is deals, I know pretty good.

33:57

And I really, I've known him for a long time. I've dealt with him for a long time.

34:02

He had to suffer through the Russia hoax. You know, Russia, Russia, Russia was a hoax.

34:07

It was all Biden. It was nothing to do with him. So he had to suffer through that and he was able to do that.

34:14

I think that he wants to make a deal and he like to see it end. That's all I do, that's what I do.

34:20

My whole life, that's what I do is make deals. I'm in the middle of a mess because this is a real mess.

34:26

It's a very dangerous one. If this doesn't get solved now, it's not going to get solved for a long time.

34:33

So I hope we're going to get it solved. In the back please. The Press: Thank you, Mr. President. Prime Minister [inaudible 00:34:44]

34:39

repeatedly that his government believes in free speech and was not engaged in the censorship, but his country's government arrests

34:45

people for memes and thought crimes. And even more worrisome is pressuring American companies to censor Americans on its behalf.

34:54

How can he be a reliable, trustworthy partner when he says things that are demonstrably false on such an important topic?

35:00

President Trump: Well, we actually spoke to him about that yesterday and we thought they took it very much too far.

35:05

JD was very strong on it. So was I, so was Marco,

35:11

and we've been speaking to him about it. Marco, would you like to say something about that? Mr. Rubio: Yeah. We have concerns obviously with the conduct of,

35:17

particularly as it impacts Americans, and there's real concern that American speech, which is online, could fall into the hands of British

35:24

or any country's jurisdiction. And so this is a point the Vice President made of Munich, and I think it's a very compelling one

35:30

that what unites us with Europe as much as anything else is these shared values and one of them being free speech.

35:36

And so if Americans are threatened by it. We're going to need to take action in that regard. The Press: Mr. President.

35:43

President Trump: Its actually a very important question. Vice President Vance: We spoke about this in detail with the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and others at lunch yesterday,

35:50

and I know that Secretary of Commerce Lutnick followed up in private meetings last night.

35:56

This is really important. We believe Americans have the right to speak their mind. Even if we in this room disagree with them,

36:02

they have the right to speak their mind and the public square, which is often online these days, and we're going to defend that right

36:08

as it pertains to American companies and American citizens vigorously if we have to. I do think that under the President's leadership,

36:14

we're going to find common ground with our friends in the UK on this question, but it remains to be seen.

36:20

The principle that will guide us is we believe in free speech in this country and we'll fight for it for American citizens.

36:26

The Press: Mr. President on the deal, is there any other oil and gas component to the deal? Is it all…? President Trump: A little bit. We'll see.

36:32

The Press: On LNG? President Trump: But we're not really looking for that so much. We got a lot. We have more than anybody in the world by far,

36:38

so no, we're not talking about it too much, but a little bit. I think it affects also, but for the most part, no.

36:45

The Press: And sir, is there any agreement from Ukraine to purchase US LNG

36:51

as part of the deal or is that on the table at all? President Trump: No, we don't need that. The Press: Mr. President, I just wanted to ask you about…

36:57

You just mentioned that you guys spoken to Vladimir Putin a couple of days ago. Just to be clear, that's a new call, not the one that you…

37:04

President Trump: I've spoken to him on numerous occasions. The Press: Okay, and how was the latest call? What did you discuss? How did it go?

37:12

President Trump: Are you serious with that question? The Press: I'd love to know. President Trump: It went well. I think we're going to have a deal.

37:18

The Press: On the minerals deal, Mr. President. Some of those minerals are in the east of Ukraine, not far from the front lines and in areas that Russia has occupied.

37:25

Will you direct President Putin to withdraw his forces from those areas if there's US interest? President Trump: Well, we'll take a look at the time.

37:32

We have a lot of area. It's a very big area we're talking about, so we'll take a look. I'll study that and I'll see.

37:38

The Press: And who would protect those minerals if they are US interests, would that be Ukrainian forces? European forces? President Trump: They will be protected.

37:43

The agreement will protect them. The Press: US forces? President Trump: The agreement. Yeah, we're signing an agreement. The Press: Right, but what if Russia tries to invade

37:49

or there's Russian [inaudible]? President Trump: I just told you I don't think that's going to happen. And if that were going to happen, I wouldn't make a deal.

37:55

If I thought that was going to happen, I wouldn't make a deal. The Press: Some people may wonder why… President Trump: You know, they ought to focus on CNN,

38:00

on survival, not asking me these ridiculous questions. The Press: Why do you have the confidence that…

38:05

President Trump: Focus on surviving cause CNN's got such low ratings. I don't think they're going to survive.

38:11

Let's go. Please go ahead. The Press: I already mentioned Poland,

38:16

that Poland was under Russian control for decades after the Second World War.

38:22

When I was a kid, I looked at the United States not only as a most powerful country,

38:29

richest country in the world, the country that has great music, great movies, great muscle cars, but also as a force for good.

38:39

And now I'm talking with my friends in Poland and they are worried that you align yourself

38:44

too much with Putin. What's your message for them?

38:50

President Trump: Well, if I didn't align myself with both of them, you'd never have a deal.

38:55

President Trump: You want me to say really terrible things about Putin, and then say, "Hi, Vladimir, how are we doing on the deal?"

39:02

That doesn't work that way. I'm not aligned with Putin. I'm not aligned with anybody. I'm aligned with the United States of America,

39:08

and for the good of the world. I'm aligned with the world, and I want to get this thing over with.

39:14

You see the hatred he's got for Putin. It's very tough for me to make a deal with that kind of hatred. He's got tremendous hatred.

39:20

And I understand that, but I can tell you, the other side isn't exactly in love with him either.

39:28

So it's not a question of alignment. I'm aligned with the world, I'm aligned with Europe.

39:36

I want to see if we can get this thing done. You want me to be tough? I can be tougher than any human being you've ever seen,

39:43

I'd be so tough. But you're never going to get a deal that way. So that's the way it goes. All right, one more question.

39:50

Vice President Vance: I will respond to this. So look. For four years in the United States of America, we had a president who stood up at press conferences

39:57

and talked tough about Vladimir Putin, and then Putin invaded Ukraine and destroyed

40:02

a significant chunk of the country. The path to peace and the path to prosperity

40:07

is maybe engaging in diplomacy. We tried the pathway of Joe Biden,

40:12

of thumping our chest and pretending that the President of the United States's words mattered

40:18

more than the President of the United States's actions. What makes America a good country is America engaging in diplomacy.

40:25

That's what President Trump is doing. President Zelenskyy: Can I ask you? Vice President Vance: Sure. President Zelenskyy: Yeah? Vice President Vance: Yeah.

40:30

President Zelenskyy: Okay. So he occupied it, our parts.

40:35

Big parts of Ukraine, parts of East and Crimea.

40:40

He occupied it on 2014. During a lot of years, I'm not speaking about just Biden,

40:48

but those time was Obama, then President Obama, then President Trump, then President Biden,

40:55

now President Trump, and God bless, now President Trump will stop him. But during 2014, nobody stopped him.

41:02

He just occupied and took. He killed people, you know? What the contact line- President Trump: 2015.

41:07

President Zelenskyy: 2014. Vice President Vance: 2014 to 2015. President Trump: 2014. I was not here. Vice President Vance: That's exactly right.

41:13

President Zelenskyy: Yes, but during 2014 till 2022

41:19

was the situation the same. People are been dying on the contact line. Nobody stopped him.

41:25

You know that we had conversations with him. A lot of conversation. My bilateral conversation, and we signed with him. Me.

41:33

Like a new president in 2019, I signed with him the deal.

41:39

I signed with him, Macron, and Merkel. We signed ceasefire. Ceasefire.

41:44

All of them told me that he will never go. We signed him gas contract. Gas contract.

41:52

Yes, but after that, he broken this ceasefire. He killed our people and he didn't exchange prisoners.

41:59

We signed the exchange of prisoners, but he didn't do it. What kind of diplomacy, JD, you are speaking about?

42:07

What do you mean? Vice President Vance: I'm talking about the kind of diplomacy that's going to end the destruction of your country.

42:12

President Zelenskyy: Yes, but if you do not stop- Vice President Vance: Mr. President. Mr. President, with respect, I think it's disrespectful for you to come into the Oval Office

42:18

and try to litigate this in front of the American media. Right now, you guys are going around and forcing conscripts to the front lines

42:24

because you have manpower problems. You should be thanking the president for trying to bring it into this conflict.

42:30

President Zelenskyy: Have you ever been to Ukraine that you say what problems we have? Vice President Vance: I have been to- President Zelenskyy: Come once.

42:36

Vice President Vance: I've actually watched and seen the stories, and I know that what happens is you bring people.

42:41

You bring them on a propaganda tour, Mr. President. Do you disagree that you've had problems bringing people into your military?

42:47

President Zelenskyy: Do we have problems? I will answer it. I will answer it. Vice President Vance: And do you think that it's respectful to come to the Oval Office of the United States of America

42:53

and attack the administration that is trying to prevent the destruction of your country? President Zelenskyy: A lot of questions. Let's start from the beginning.

42:59

Vice President Vance: Sure. President Zelenskyy: First of all, during the war, everybody has problems. Even you, but you have nice ocean and don't feel now.

43:08

But you will feel it in the future. God bless you will not have a war. President Trump: You don't know that. You don't know that.

43:14

Don't tell us what we're going to feel. We're trying to solve a problem. Don't tell us what we're going to feel. President Zelenskyy: I'm not telling you,

43:20

I'm answering on this question. President Trump: Because you're in no position to dictate that. President Zelenskyy: That's exactly what you're doing. President Trump: You're in no position to dictate

43:26

what we're going to feel. President Zelenskyy: You will. You will feel influence. President Trump: We're going to feel very good. We're going to feel very good and very strong.

43:32

President Zelenskyy: I'm telling you, you will feel influence. President Trump: You're right now not in a very good position. You've allowed yourself to be in a very bad position,

43:39

and he happens to be right about it. President Zelenskyy: From the very beginning of the war, I was- President Trump: You're not in a good position.

43:44

You don't have the cards right now. With us you start having cards. But right now you don't- President Zelenskyy: We're not playing cards.

43:49

I'm very serious, Mr. President. I'm very serious. President Trump: You're playing cards. You're playing cards. You're gambling with the lives of millions of people. President Zelenskyy: I'm the president in a war.

43:55

President Trump: You're gambling with World War III. You're gambling with World War III. President Zelenskyy: What do you [inaudible]

44:00

President Trump: And what you're doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country, that's backed you

44:07

far more than a lot of people said they should have. President Zelenskyy: I'm with all respect to your country. I'm with all Respect. Vice President Vance: Have you said thank you once, this entire meeting?

44:12

President Zelenskyy: A lot of times. Vice President Vance: No. In this entire meeting, you said thank you today? President Zelenskyy: Even today. Even today. Vice President Vance: You went to Pennsylvania and campaigned for the opposition in October.

44:18

President Zelenskyy: What? What are you speaking about? Vice President Vance: Offer some words of appreciation for the United States of America and the president who's trying to save your country.

44:27

President Zelenskyy: Please. You think that if you will speak very loudly about the war, you can- President Trump: He's not speaking loudly.

44:33

He's not speaking loudly. Your country's in big trouble. President Zelenskyy: Can I answer him? Can I answer- President Trump: Wait a minute. No no, you've done a lot of talking.

44:38

Your country is in big trouble. President Zelenskyy: I know. I know. President Trump: You're not winning. You're not winning this.

44:44

You have a damn good chance of coming out okay because of us. President Zelenskyy: Mr. President, we are staying in our country, staying strong.

44:50

From the very beginning of the war, we've been alone. And we are thankful. I said thanks in this cabinet, and not only in this cabinet. I said thank you.

44:57

President Trump: We gave you through, this stupid president, $350 billion. President Zelenskyy: You voted for your president. You voted for your president.

45:02

President Trump: We gave you military equipment, and your men are brave, but they had to use our military. President Zelenskyy: Yes. What about [inaudible] You invited me to speak

45:10

President Trump: If you didn't have our military equipment, this war would have been over in two weeks. President Zelenskyy: In three days.

45:16

I heard it from Putin, in three days. This is something- President Trump: Maybe less. President Zelenskyy: In two weeks. Of course, yes.

45:21

President Trump: It's going to be a very hard thing to do business like this, let me tell you. Vice President Vance: Just say thank you.

45:26

President Zelenskyy: I said a lot of times thank you to American people. Vice President Vance: Accept that there are disagreements,

45:31

and let's go litigate those disagreements rather than trying to fight it out in the American media when you're wrong. We know that you're wrong.

45:38

President Trump: But you see, I think it's good for the American people to see what's going on. Vice President Vance: I understand, sir. I understand. President Trump: I think it's very important.

45:43

That's why I kept this going so long. You have to be thankful. You don't have the cards. President Zelenskyy: I'm thankful.

45:49

President Trump: You're buried there, your people are dying. President Zelenskyy: I can tell you… I know. Don't, please, Mr. President- President Trump: You're running low on soldiers.

45:54

Listen. You're running low on soldiers. It would be a good thing- President Zelenskyy: Mr. President. President Trump: Then you tell us,

46:00

"I don't want a ceasefire. I don't want a ceasefire. I want to go and I want this." Look.

46:06

If you could get a ceasefire right now, I tell you you'd take it so the bullets stopped flying and your men stop getting killed. President Zelenskyy: Of course. Of course

46:12

we want to stop the war. But I said- President Trump: But you're saying you don't want a ceasefire. I want a ceasefire. President Zelenskyy: But I said to you with guarantees. President Trump: Because you'll get a ceasefire

46:18

faster than an agreement. President Zelenskyy: Ask our people about ceasefire, what they think. It doesn't matter for you what [inaudible]

46:24

President Trump: That wasn't with me. That wasn't with me. That was with a guy named Biden who was not a smart person. That was with Obama.

46:30

President Zelenskyy: But this is your president. It was your president. President Trump: Excuse me. That was with Obama, who gave you sheets, and I gave you Javelins.

46:36

President Zelenskyy: Yes. President Trump: I gave you the Javelins to take out all those tanks. Obama gave you sheets. In fact, the statement is,

46:44

Obama gave sheets and Trump gave Javelins. You got to be more thankful,

46:50

because let me tell you, you don't have the cards. With us, you have the cards, but without us, you don't have any cards.

46:56

The Press: One more question to Mr. Vice President. I'm sorry, here. President Trump: It's going to be a tough deal to make,

47:02

because the attitudes have to change. The Press: What if Russia breaks ceasefire? What if Russia breaks these talks?

47:09

What do they do them? I understand that it's a heated conversation, right? [inaudible] President Trump: What are you saying?

47:15

Vice President Vance: She's asking, what if Russia breaks the ceasefire? President Trump: What if anything? What if a bomb drops on your head right now?

47:22

The Press: But they have [inaudible] President Trump: Okay. What if they break it? I don't know. They broke it with Biden,

47:27

because Biden, they didn't respect him. They didn't respect Obama. They respect me. The Press: But [inaudible]

47:33

President Trump: Let me tell you, Putin went through a hell of a lot with me. He went through a phony witch hunt where they used him and Russia…

47:40

"Russia, Russia, Russia." You ever hear of that deal? That was a phony Hunter Biden, Joe Biden scam.

47:47

Hillary Clinton, shifty Adam Schiff. It was a Democrat scam.

47:52

And he had to go through that, and he did go through it. We didn't end up in a war, and he went through it.

47:58

He was accused of all that stuff. He had nothing to do with it. It came out of Hunter Biden's bathroom.

48:04

It came out of Hunter Biden's bedroom. It was disgusting. And then they said, "Oh. Oh.

48:11

The laptop from hell was made by Russia." The 51 agents.

48:16

The whole thing was a scam, and he had to put up with that. He was being accused of all that stuff.

48:22

All I can say is this. He might have broken deals with Obama and Bush,

48:27

and he might have broken him with Biden. He did, maybe. Maybe he didn't, I don't know what happened. But he didn't break them with me.

48:33

He wants to make a deal. I don't know if you can make a deal. The problem is, I've empowered you to be a tough guy,

48:41

and I don't think you'd be a tough guy without the United States. And your people are very brave- President Zelenskyy: Thank you.

48:46

President Trump: … but you're either going to make a deal or we're out, and if we're out, you'll fight it out.

48:52

I don't think it's going to be pretty, but you'll fight it out. But you don't have the cards.

48:57

But once we sign that deal, you're in a much better position. But you're not acting at all thankful,

49:03

and that's not a nice thing. I'll be honest, that's not a nice thing. All right, I think we've seen enough. What do you think? Yeah.

49:09

The Press: What's this negotiation [inaudible] President Trump: This is going to be great television, I will say that.

49:16

All right. We'll see what we can do about putting it together. Thank you.