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00:00I just wanted to start by asking you for your take on the overall US approach to this newly
00:07begun dialogue with Russia.
00:09Yeah.
00:10Thanks, Tom, for having me back.
00:12It's great to be with you.
00:14At face value, the approach of the United States is tectonically different from anything
00:19in the past.
00:20And as you and I have discussed before, I was raised as a cold warrior.
00:23For us, we would never imagine any negotiations about a country or without that country being
00:29at the table.
00:30And we'd certainly never imagine a negotiation about a conflict in Europe without our European
00:35allies.
00:36So at first blush, it's a shocking approach that would appear to play right into Russia's
00:42hands of dividing the United States from its European allies.
00:46Now the Trump administration will resoundingly disagree with what I just said.
00:51What they'll say is that this is the first discussion with Putin.
00:54They're trying to...
00:55With Putin, both Russia, trying to set up a meeting between Putin and Trump and trying
00:59to coax the Russians to the table at a moment when Putin seems intent on continuing the
01:04war.
01:05He's got his economy completely on a war footing.
01:07He feels he's starting to generate offensive momentum.
01:11And he believes that if the Trump administration behaves the way Trump the candidate did, time
01:17is on Russia's side because the United States will cut support to Ukraine.
01:21So if Trump is correct that he's just trying to coax Putin to the table when Putin thinks
01:26he's winning, this might be a good approach.