Putin Is Not Doing Anything Because He Loves Peace

People want peace. He doesn't want peace, he wants conquest. But he may want to pause. Zelensky would be very well served with the pause.

Tony is joined with Cliff May, the founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, to talk about where the U.S. and Ukraine go after President Trump’s and Volodymyr Zelensky’s dust up in the oval office.

Tony Katz:

So, what is actually salvageable. Now, I say that with a little bit of tongue in cheek, because if we’re discussing the relationship between the United States and Ukraine, Ukraine needs the relationship. So, what is salvageable is what it is Ukraine’s willing to do to have that relationship. After the dust up in the Oval, which I will reiterate my position again, that you can argue that Trump could have responded in a myriad of ways, but the idea that the explosion there is his fault because of his reaction is to be completely unaware of the situation. It is to be purposeful in avoiding the fault that exists on Volodymyr Zelensky for this insistence on the security apparatus being changed and is looking at Vice President JD Vance and stating “what diplomacy do you speak of?”… Cliff May joins me right now….You’re a believer, certainly like I am. It seems that it is best that Vladimir Putin not get a victory in any way, shape or form. But it is equal.. or I should say it is also valuable that Ukraine be somebody who’s actually interested in trying things, even if they don’t like the way it’s being tried…

Cliff May:

I think we need to consider what is the American interest here and how do we pursue the American interests here. And I would agree with what I think you just said, which is it is not in the American interest has never been would never be for Vladimir Putin to conquer and swallow Ukraine, a fledgling democracy whose cardinal sin is that it wants to be part of an American led free world. I’ve been following Vladimir Putin for a long time. I think I’m consider myself a an amateur Putin-ologist just I’ve been following the Soviet Union and Russia even longer… He sees himself as a czar. He wants to restore the Russian Empire, which became the Soviet Empire… People want peace. He doesn’t want peace, he wants conquest. But he may want to pause. And I think Zelensky would be very would be well served with the pause.