Human Events Daily with Jack Posobiec - The Anchorage Accords： The Historic Meeting of Trump and Putin in Alaska

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00:00:25.780 The Poso Daily Brief.

00:00:30.000 This is what happens when the fourth turning meets fifth generation warfare.

00:00:40.380 A commentator, international social media sensation, and former Navy intelligence veteran.

00:00:47.040 This is Human Events with your host, Jack Posobiec.

00:00:50.100 Christ is king.

00:00:54.520 President Trump scheduled to meet with Vladimir Putin on U.S. soil.

00:00:57.860 The leader is set to meet on a U.S. military base in Anchorage, Alaska, expected to discuss

00:01:02.600 terms for ending Russia's invasion of Ukraine, along with nuclear arms control and trade agreements.

00:01:08.380 I think that President Putin would like to see a deal.

00:01:11.760 I think if I weren't president, he would take over all of Ukraine.

00:01:14.740 But I am president, and he's not going to mess around with me.

00:01:17.500 Putin is praising Trump's, quote, energetic and sincere efforts to stop the hostilities.

00:01:22.060 Ukrainian President Zelensky was not invited to today's summit.

00:01:26.240 President Trump suggesting the meeting with Putin could open the door for a second meeting

00:01:30.280 that would include Zelensky.

00:01:31.880 I think it's going to be a good meeting, but the more important meeting will be the second

00:01:35.060 meeting that we're having.

00:01:36.000 It's the first time, I should add, in about a decade or so, that the Russian leader will

00:01:40.680 be on U.S. soil.

00:01:41.920 And there is the president making his way up to the top of the steps there for Air Force

00:01:53.340 One, making a wave.

00:01:57.860 We also know, guys, who the president's going to be traveling with.

00:02:01.240 Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Commerce Secretary Lutnik, Treasury Secretary Besson, and CIA Director

00:02:07.220 Radcliffe will be part of the enclave.

00:02:09.320 Zelensky, concerned about Trump's support for an exchange of territory, is calling for

00:02:14.320 a ceasefire first, and then negotiations.

00:02:17.620 The Ukrainian president, backed by European leaders, also demanding security guarantees.

00:02:22.900 Trump said today that he estimates the chance of failure in the negotiations at 25 percent.

00:02:27.900 And what is our assessment?

00:02:29.420 We never make any predictions in advance.

00:02:31.400 We know that we have arguments.

00:02:32.900 We have a clear and understandable position, and we will present it.

00:02:36.100 I'm not doing this for my health, okay?

00:02:38.240 I don't need it.

00:02:39.820 I'd like to focus on our country, but I'm doing this to save a lot of lives.

00:02:43.680 And now we're taking a look at Alaska Live right now, in anticipation of the presidential

00:02:52.000 summit with Vladimir Putin of Russia, which should be happening just any moment now.

00:02:56.480 We'll keep you posted on that.

00:02:57.620 Welcome to Human Events.

00:02:58.600 I'm Beau Davidson, filling in for the great Jack Posobiec, who is on Air Force One right

00:03:03.320 now as part of the RAV delegation covering this historic meeting of President Trump with

00:03:08.820 Russian President Vladimir Putin.

00:03:10.340 And the weight of peace hangs in the balance in Alaska today.

00:03:15.040 These are the historic Anchorage Accords.

00:03:17.960 We are expecting Air Force One to land in Anchorage, as I said, at any moment.

00:03:22.500 And the stakes, folks, could not be any higher.

00:03:25.480 There are reports that both President Trump and President Putin will touch down within just

00:03:30.660 minutes of one another.

00:03:32.040 And then we'll have an epic moment on the tarmac before the private meeting that could

00:03:37.100 potentially, potentially, ladies and gentlemen, change the fate of millions around the world. 0.96

00:03:42.120 Now, how will this conversation go?

00:03:44.280 Well, President Trump has indicated that if it goes poorly, it will be short and he will

00:03:49.140 depart swiftly back to D.C.

00:03:50.600 But we pray that that's not the case today.

00:03:53.100 We hope and pray for peace and a lasting peace and an end to the killing.

00:03:57.560 That's what President Trump has indicated.

00:03:58.840 Now, overnight, Russia launched two ballistic missiles into Ukraine and sent ground troops

00:04:04.240 into Donetsk, an area of eastern Ukraine.

00:04:06.820 So the tension could not be any more palpable.

00:04:10.380 And let's talk about some of the history here in this conflict.

00:04:13.380 This will be the sixth meeting between President Trump and Putin.

00:04:16.780 The first two were in 2017 and then Helsinki and the G20 in 2018 and then 2019 in Osaka.

00:04:23.880 So this is meeting number six between the two and the most consequential of them all,

00:04:28.300 hands down.

00:04:29.500 Some out there have already nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, which seems to

00:04:33.940 be very well, well deserved.

00:04:35.760 But this is his biggest test yet.

00:04:38.160 If he can thread that needle with two nations at war, depleted in manpower and resources,

00:04:44.080 this is a story that is three years in the making.

00:04:47.120 And it harkens back to 1945 when the Security Council met to end World War Two.

00:04:52.720 That is what is at stake today.

00:04:55.980 And earlier today, to that point, Vladimir Putin made a very rare public appearance at

00:05:00.440 a monument honoring U.S. cooperation during World War Two, just hours before this upcoming

00:05:05.620 summit with President Trump.

00:05:07.480 The significance of this cannot be overstated because we were once allies and we can be again.

00:05:14.000 That's what's on the table today.

00:05:15.920 And let's talk about some of the possible outcomes from this summit.

00:05:20.140 Well, I mentioned the undesirable one, which is that they meet, it goes poorly, and they

00:05:25.260 go home.

00:05:26.020 That likely means more war, more casualties.

00:05:29.280 But there are other options on the table.

00:05:31.900 What has been called closure of the skies.

00:05:34.560 I mentioned that Russia's ballistic missile attacks happened last night.

00:05:37.980 A win would be stopping the air attacks.

00:05:40.520 That's big for Ukraine.

00:05:41.960 And then there is this idea of land for peace or territorial swaps.

00:05:46.480 That is on the table, too.

00:05:48.420 Donald Trump has indicated that he's not there to negotiate for Ukraine, but he is there to

00:05:53.520 get the two sides to the table and create peace.

00:05:57.040 Putin has stated that he thinks President Trump is making, quote, sincere efforts for peace.

00:06:02.360 Zelensky has agreed to a ceasefire already, but Vladimir Putin has not.

00:06:06.940 That's why today's Anchorage Accord is so very important.

00:06:10.740 Now, Russia's economy is in trouble.

00:06:13.220 The price of war is steep.

00:06:14.980 But it's not just the billions of dollars wasted on death.

00:06:18.180 It's the millions of lives wasted because of low IQ Joe Biden, his administration that

00:06:22.480 allowed this to happen.

00:06:23.780 An entire generation of Ukrainians is gone, wiped out.

00:06:27.460 Zelensky can't find soldiers to fight, no matter how many missiles we send them.

00:06:31.620 And President Trump also spoke with Belarusian President Lukashenko.

00:06:35.420 Shout out to Tanya Tay, who facilitated the release of 16 Ukrainian prisoners.

00:06:41.100 Now, they're discussing now the release of 1,300 more.

00:06:44.060 That's clearly a good sign.

00:06:46.180 But not attending today's summit is Volodymyr Zelensky.

00:06:49.440 The meeting between him and Putin could take place.

00:06:52.360 I mentioned could take place after this, depending on how things go today.

00:06:56.880 But he says the Ukrainian constitution prevents him from ceding any land to Russia.

00:07:03.160 So here we are now, just moments away.

00:07:05.700 Scott Besant, who made inroads with Zelensky several months ago on rare earth minerals,

00:07:09.900 is on board Air Force One as well.

00:07:12.100 So in the name of peace, you have to wonder, what carrots will President Trump be dangling

00:07:16.340 to try to close the deal?

00:07:18.120 Will it be oil?

00:07:19.080 Will it be rare earth minerals, land swaps, security assurances?

00:07:22.520 What's it going to take to end the carnage?

00:07:24.980 We'll have those questions and answers for you.

00:07:27.720 Nothing will stand in our way, and our golden age has just begun.

00:07:32.240 This is Human Events with Jack Posobiec.

00:07:34.020 Now it's time for everyone to understand what America First truly means.

00:07:38.660 Welcome to the second American revolution.

00:07:43.520 What will make a success of this summit today?

00:07:47.200 I can't tell you that.

00:07:48.680 I don't know.

00:07:49.660 There's nothing set in stone.

00:07:53.040 I want certain things.

00:07:54.340 I want to see a ceasefire.

00:07:55.760 This is not to do with Europe.

00:07:57.820 Europe's not telling me what to do.

00:07:59.880 But they're going to be involved in the process, obviously, as will Zelensky.

00:08:03.980 But I want to see a ceasefire rapidly.

00:08:06.480 I don't know if it's going to be today, but I'm not going to be happy if it's not today.

00:08:10.200 Everyone said it can't be today, but I'm just saying I want the killing to stop.

00:08:14.380 I'm in this to stop the killing.

00:08:15.740 They lost, last week, 7,011 people were lost.

00:08:22.540 Almost all soldiers.

00:08:24.480 36 people in a town which got hit by a missile.

00:08:28.120 But 7,000, over 7,000 soldiers.

00:08:31.920 It's crazy.

00:08:32.580 Welcome back to Human Events on a historic day, as we watch the president land in Anchorage

00:08:37.700 for the Anchorage Accords, meeting soon with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

00:08:42.380 That clip of the video that you just saw comes from Air Force One, in which President Trump

00:08:46.660 is asked what a successful meeting would look like.

00:08:49.140 And pretty simply, he says, to stop the killing.

00:08:52.720 Well, joining me now is Steve Gruber, host of America's Voice Live.

00:08:56.120 Steve, what a day.

00:08:57.200 What a day.

00:08:57.680 What an occasion with peace hanging in the balance.

00:09:00.680 Now, Trump says that success would be a ceasefire and a stopping of the killing.

00:09:05.160 What is your take on where we are today ahead of this monumental summit?

00:09:10.260 Bo, it is a remarkable day, to say the least.

00:09:12.880 Look at the irony of it all.

00:09:14.720 Meeting in Alaska, former Russian territory.

00:09:17.520 Russia lost the Crimean War in 1867 and sold Alaska to us for $7.2 million, 15 cents an acre.

00:09:23.500 And then he invites Mr. Putin back to Alaska with all those Russian Orthodox churches sprinkling 1.00

00:09:31.500 the landscape.

00:09:32.340 It really is an ironic place to meet.

00:09:34.860 And Alaska, the center of the universe for the year of Alaska, Accords, look, my advice

00:09:39.320 to people watching today is the same as it's been for a while.

00:09:42.740 Do not underestimate Donald Trump as president of the East United States.

00:09:46.900 59% of the poll I just saw today don't believe he's going to get anything out of today.

00:09:50.700 Maybe that's true.

00:09:52.060 Maybe it is.

00:09:52.660 But he's there.

00:09:54.240 He's on the ground.

00:09:55.120 He's present.

00:09:55.780 He's working.

00:09:56.380 And like he said in Air Force One, there's nothing in this for him.

00:09:59.300 He could be working on the economy or the border or what happens next with investment in the

00:10:03.360 United States.

00:10:03.840 There are a hundred other things that he could be doing in the Oval Office today.

00:10:06.080 But instead, he's trying to end a war that kills 5,000 people a week, 20,000 people a

00:10:11.040 month.

00:10:11.340 More people have died in this war than died in the first two years of the war in Europe in

00:10:17.740 1939 and 1940.

00:10:19.540 Think about that.

00:10:20.260 Put that into perspective.

00:10:21.320 That's the war he's trying to end now.

00:10:23.660 Having said that, I don't believe Crimea is ever going back to Ukraine.

00:10:26.760 It's been Russian territory since 2012.

00:10:29.780 I don't believe that Donbass is going back to Ukraine.

00:10:32.420 I believe that this is the same situation we've been in since the Biden administration

00:10:36.020 turned down a deal a few weeks into this war back in 2022.

00:10:39.180 It's very complex, as Donald Trump has said for a few days.

00:10:42.520 But think back, Bo.

00:10:44.100 We didn't even have this on our dance card a week ago.

00:10:48.040 This doesn't work.

00:10:49.240 He puts it together.

00:10:50.080 He straights it.

00:10:50.660 And all of a sudden, he pulls off a summit in Alaska.

00:10:54.040 First time in 10 years that Vladimir Putin's been on American soil.

00:10:58.240 And it is ironic that it's former Russian soil.

00:11:01.160 I think that you cannot lose that irony.

00:11:03.400 And Donald Trump does these things for a reason.

00:11:05.960 And I don't think this was accidental at all.

00:11:08.620 Yeah.

00:11:08.880 Ye of little faith, beware. 0.99

00:11:10.380 Right?

00:11:10.860 Don't underestimate him.

00:11:12.140 I think Mike Pompeo said just as much when he was meeting with President Trump and Kim

00:11:16.780 Jong-un.

00:11:17.580 And they met.

00:11:18.160 And a couple minutes later, they said, this guy, we're out of here.

00:11:20.780 We're out of here.

00:11:21.280 And so that could happen today.

00:11:22.680 We pray that that doesn't happen.

00:11:24.100 We pray that that doesn't happen.

00:11:25.500 We pray that Vladimir Putin comes in peace and it's sincere peace.

00:11:28.600 Steve, I want to play a bit of video here of the Russian foreign minister on this topic.

00:11:32.640 Let's roll that clip. 0.89

00:11:36.320 Trump said today that he estimates the chance of failure in the negotiations at 25 percent.

00:11:42.020 And what is our assessment?

00:11:43.460 We never make any predictions in advance.

00:11:46.260 We know that we have arguments.

00:11:48.300 We have a clear and understandable position.

00:11:50.040 And we will present it.

00:11:52.200 A lot has already been accomplished here during Stephen Witkoff's visits.

00:11:56.340 The president mentioned this.

00:11:57.960 And Witkoff spoke on behalf of President Trump.

00:12:00.860 I hope that today and tomorrow we will continue this very useful conversation.

00:12:06.000 So, Steve, Trump says there's about a 25 percent of failure.

00:12:09.500 Well, that means a 75 percent of success, I would say.

00:12:11.940 The Russian foreign minister does not like playing FanDuel or craps or blackjack, I suppose, Steve.

00:12:17.360 He says they make no predictions.

00:12:18.920 But what do you make of his assessment and the steps that Steve Witkoff has taken to get us here?

00:12:24.140 Are we at the precipice of real peace?

00:12:27.480 Potentially.

00:12:28.140 And let me focus on Witkoff for a moment.

00:12:30.300 And let's focus on what the left has said about Witkoff from day one.

00:12:33.660 They call him a rookie, an amateur, a guy out of his depth, a guy that didn't belong in these high-stakes negotiations.

00:12:40.080 Every place that Witkoff has gone around the world, we've found peace seven times over, whether it's in Central Africa or it's Indian Pakistan or it's, pick your place, Armenian Azerbaijan, which happened just last week.

00:12:52.140 Steve Witkoff has been instrumental in all of those negotiations.

00:12:55.260 So for the left, I say again, don't underestimate Donald Trump.

00:12:58.980 Do not underestimate his team.

00:13:01.340 They do their homework.

00:13:02.300 They work really hard.

00:13:04.080 I mean, how many times is Donald Trump in the Oval Office at five in the morning?

00:13:07.160 Just about every day.

00:13:08.420 I mean, that Marine is based outside that Oval Office just about every day, 5, 530 in the morning.

00:13:12.660 He comes in.

00:13:13.260 He gets work done.

00:13:14.320 He makes things happen.

00:13:15.260 And I want to go back to the fact that a week ago, we didn't even see this on the horizon.

00:13:19.800 This is Donald Trump.

00:13:20.960 And look, this guy is 79 years old.

00:13:23.620 He runs circles around the whole world, Bo.

00:13:26.460 I mean, it is remarkable what he's doing.

00:13:28.200 And he's thinking all the time.

00:13:29.860 And look, failure is impossible.

00:13:31.860 Sure.

00:13:32.720 But I want to give credit to Witkoff.

00:13:34.180 I want to give credit to Donald Trump for picking him to get all of these important negotiations done because he has exceeded expectations, certainly of those on the left,

00:13:41.580 who have derided him and considered him, again, a rookie, a guy over his head.

00:13:47.240 Clearly not true.

00:13:48.460 So that's really important.

00:13:49.760 And here's something else that's on the table today that I haven't heard you mention yet, and we should.

00:13:54.520 Not only are we possibly looking at the end of the war in Ukraine, we're also looking at the possibility of an expanded nuclear arms agreement.

00:14:01.860 That's been mentioned.

00:14:03.060 And that was mentioned by Vladimir Putin on Russian television.

00:14:05.760 Wouldn't that be remarkable?

00:14:07.340 I mean, look at what Donald Trump has done in seven different wars around the world.

00:14:11.020 If he can bring the Ukraine war to an end, it is time for the Pulitzer Prize.

00:14:14.740 Stop the games.

00:14:16.160 Stop making the Pulitzer Prize some sort of a virtue signal for those on the left.

00:14:20.200 Donald Trump has earned it.

00:14:21.380 As I recall, Barack Obama solved exactly zero wars before getting the Nobel Peace Prize.

00:14:27.060 Donald Trump is working on it every day.

00:14:28.800 And in places, I mean, do you really know much about the Republic of the Congo and Rwanda?

00:14:35.640 Most people don't, but he went there and stopped a war.

00:14:38.500 Armenia, Azerbaijan, who knows much about that?

00:14:40.540 Most people don't.

00:14:41.880 Donald Trump went there and stopped a war.

00:14:43.920 This is what he does.

00:14:44.700 He is the most peace-obsessed president of my lifetime.

00:14:50.280 The most peace-obsessed president, maybe, of the last 100 years.

00:14:54.920 It's pretty remarkable what we're watching.

00:14:57.260 India, Pakistan, Cambodia, Thailand.

00:15:00.040 You know, the list just goes on and on and on.

00:15:02.380 And you're right.

00:15:02.880 This wasn't even really on our dance card a week ago.

00:15:06.020 You can't underestimate this guy.

00:15:07.800 It's absolutely true what you're saying.

00:15:09.400 I think that we're at a moment of such uniqueness for so many different reasons.

00:15:14.040 The arms deal that you mentioned as well.

00:15:15.940 And you're right.

00:15:16.400 Peace-obsessed.

00:15:17.520 I haven't really heard that phrase, but that's so apropos. 0.61

00:15:20.140 Peace-obsessed.

00:15:21.000 And everybody thought that Donald Trump was going to get us involved in World War III.

00:15:24.060 And that just hasn't happened.

00:15:25.420 Steve, I've got to get your take, though, on what is the Russian perspective.

00:15:29.000 A lot of people are not going to talk about this today.

00:15:30.620 They're going to be talking about our perspective, and understandably so.

00:15:33.040 But what does a win look like for them?

00:15:35.440 Because their economy is struggling.

00:15:37.200 They had to quadruple pay to their soldiers.

00:15:39.120 So will it be some sort of financial incentive that Trump can offer that gives Putin a possible win?

00:15:45.500 Well, one cannot avoid the echoes of Yalta 1945, which occurred, obviously, in Russia at that time on the seacoast resort of Yalta.

00:15:55.200 You look back, and you wonder what's going to happen today, because, as you know, Zelensky was not invited to the discussion today.

00:16:01.560 He's not been invited to the party.

00:16:03.040 He has, in advance, rejected anything that comes out of it.

00:16:06.640 Not a good card to play.

00:16:07.880 Look, it's in everyone's best interest to stop killing.

00:16:11.400 It's a slow grind.

00:16:12.700 It's 5,000 people a week, 20,000 people a month, 1.5 million people killed or wounded so far.

00:16:19.060 It is a horrible war.

00:16:20.240 And for Russia, I believe, saving face here, saying we're going to keep Crimea, we're going to keep sections of Donbass, whatever it might be. 0.58

00:16:28.720 That's what success looks like.

00:16:30.040 At least they got something out of it.

00:16:32.040 For Ukraine, not quite as clear.

00:16:34.280 They're going to cede territory.

00:16:35.840 Zelensky can say they're not going to.

00:16:37.620 I don't see any other way around this.

00:16:39.560 I think it's inevitable.

00:16:40.640 Look, Crimea was taken when Barack Obama was president in 2012.

00:16:45.480 It's been in Russian hands for 13 years.

00:16:47.720 It's not going back.

00:16:48.680 It's their seaport.

00:16:49.360 They're not going to give that up.

00:16:50.440 It's critical to their, well, to their trade, to their military, to all their infrastructure.

00:16:55.400 They're not giving that back.

00:16:56.580 You can see the map here.

00:16:57.700 It's not going back.

00:16:58.880 You look at the Donbass, you look at the eastern regions of Ukraine that have been under Russian control for the most part since February of 2022.

00:17:05.780 It's not going back.

00:17:07.480 I don't believe.

00:17:08.280 I don't see how you could get there successfully.

00:17:10.780 Now, having said that, we did hear Donald Trump make a comment here a couple of days ago.

00:17:15.260 There could be some swapping of territory.

00:17:17.320 It's complicated, he said.

00:17:18.600 And so we might see a little give and take in that area.

00:17:20.760 But when it's all said and done, whether peace is found today or at some point in the future, I believe those territories have been ceded to Russia already.

00:17:32.040 You don't have enough people left in Ukraine to fight the war.

00:17:35.120 The Russians don't want to fight this war anymore either. 0.76

00:17:37.400 It's miserable.

00:17:38.540 People are dying out there.

00:17:39.540 It's a miserable fight that they don't really want either.

00:17:41.900 Look, a lot of these families are related.

00:17:45.120 I mean, there's some ways you could draw parallels to the United States civil war.

00:17:49.000 There are families on each side of this border that are long-term, you know, families.

00:17:52.980 You had cousins on one side and brothers on the other.

00:17:55.060 That's how divided, but is at the same time so closely related.

00:17:59.580 And that's also what's on the table here.

00:18:01.380 I believe peace is coming.

00:18:03.160 I'm an optimist today.

00:18:04.760 I'm not with the 59% that don't think it's going to happen.

00:18:06.160 So what's a win for Zelensky in Ukraine then?

00:18:07.980 You mentioned that they say they're not going to cede any territory.

00:18:10.480 There could be this land swap.

00:18:11.560 What's a win for Ukraine?

00:18:12.640 Just stopping the killing?

00:18:14.080 So they stop losing men in the war every single day?

00:18:16.280 You've got to look at that.

00:18:17.400 You've got to look at that.

00:18:18.980 Stop the missile attacks, the drone attacks, the attacks on its territory.

00:18:22.000 However, here's a loss for Ukraine.

00:18:24.060 If they give up that eastern portion of real estate, that's where all of the rare earth minerals are, the energy is, a lot of things that are real assets natural resource-wise are in eastern parts of that country.

00:18:35.680 So their hope is to retain something of value when you get to the end of the negotiation, something of value that they can take home.

00:18:43.380 Look, I'm not a fan of Zelensky.

00:18:45.680 I'm not a fan of Putin particularly either.

00:18:47.740 So I don't know what a win looks like for Zelensky.

00:18:51.200 I don't know if he can come out of this winning or not.

00:18:52.780 My guess is his time in office, his days are numbered.

00:18:56.460 I don't think he's going to be there much longer.

00:18:58.080 He doesn't have the open checkbook that the administration previously gave him from Joe Biden.

00:19:04.280 It's a different day.

00:19:05.880 And I don't know what a win looks like for Zelensky or for Ukraine.

00:19:08.660 And Steve, we may get into this later, but I think China's watching too with respect to Taiwan.

00:19:13.120 I think whatever happens today has much bigger global implications than people think about.

00:19:18.480 And I think it's a win for us, for America, to have this meeting today regardless.

00:19:22.300 Because that's what Donald Trump can do.

00:19:24.140 We'll be back in just a couple moments with more great coverage here.

00:19:26.580 Today, you know, they talk about influences.

00:19:30.920 These are influences.

00:19:32.840 And they're friends of mine.

00:19:35.160 Jack Posobiec.

00:19:36.680 Where's Jack?

00:19:37.640 Jack?

00:19:38.740 He's done a great job.

00:19:40.040 Welcome back to Human Events.

00:19:43.100 I'm Beau Davidson, filling in for Jack Posobiec, who is on Air Force One right now as part of our RAV delegation covering this momentous event.

00:19:51.500 It's all part of our collective team effort here at Real America's Voice, pulling out all the stops to give you the best and brightest coverage of the Anchorage Accords today. 0.97

00:19:59.500 Now, to touch off where we left off with Steve Gruber, these are Christians killing Christians. 1.00

00:20:04.040 They share the same religion, often some of the same family members. 0.94

00:20:07.200 That's why Steve said it's kind of like the Civil War.

00:20:09.560 This is human casualty.

00:20:10.740 Well, joining me now to further discuss today's summit is Ben Bergquam.

00:20:14.520 Ben, I'd like to get your assessment of where we are today and how peace or potentially more war are at stake.

00:20:21.640 And just this notion of the fact that there are families fighting against each other, very similar to our Civil War, and the fact that it is Christian brother against Christian brother.

00:20:31.380 Yeah, you know, I was in Ukraine not too long ago, just a couple years ago, in the middle of the fighting.

00:20:37.000 We went out to the front, and that's what you saw.

00:20:38.700 You saw these communities of people who identified with both.

00:20:42.660 You know, they had families that were on the Russia side.

00:20:46.000 They had families that were on the Ukraine side.

00:20:48.680 It sounds like Trump landed on you now because Trump, yeah, he just landed.

00:20:52.900 Yeah, let's take a look at this shot right now.

00:20:54.780 Air Force One has landed in Alaska, in Anchorage.

00:20:57.760 We're taking this now.

00:20:58.540 Ben, go ahead and complete your thought because we are talking about the fact that it is brother against brother.

00:21:02.880 And you were talking about you were in Ukraine.

00:21:04.400 Go ahead and finish that thought.

00:21:05.260 Yeah, I mean, that's really what we're up against.

00:21:09.220 You know, here in Cal, I'm actually in California reporting outside of Riverside.

00:21:12.940 And you go across the state here.

00:21:14.480 It's, you know, you're talking about people and neighborhoods that are as close as you can see the neighborhoods behind me.

00:21:20.640 You know, it's streets that separate some of these communities that once were Ukraine and now belong to Russia or once were Russia and became Ukraine.

00:21:29.000 But the people themselves, the families themselves, the religion, their culture, their identity, very, very similar.

00:21:35.720 And so it's a really ugly thing to see firsthand.

00:21:40.000 You talk about the generation lost, you know, million lost, over a million lost.

00:21:43.780 It's just it's tragic.

00:21:45.180 Nobody wants it.

00:21:46.080 And well, I shouldn't say nobody wants it.

00:21:47.860 Clearly, President Trump doesn't want it.

00:21:49.140 That's why he's been fighting to end it.

00:21:50.620 There are a lot of people that did want it.

00:21:52.020 Clearly, you know, in the last administration, we spent billions and billions of dollars to watch more people die.

00:21:57.000 And so that's my prayer is that this can end, that we can stop the killing unnecessarily.

00:22:01.340 And hopefully it becomes a win, win, win.

00:22:04.040 We'll see what the end holds and what kind of resolution, you know, what kind of peace negotiations they can come up with.

00:22:10.680 Obviously, that's the big question.

00:22:11.820 Yeah, there's so much hanging in the balance.

00:22:14.520 And again, we're talking about the battle of souls here, too.

00:22:16.920 You know, you got to focus on the soul component, too, of the life loss, too.

00:22:21.560 Well, Ben, you know, you deal so much with our southern border.

00:22:23.540 We've seen you down there, law and border.

00:22:25.120 So you know a lot about borders and their integrity and how important they are.

00:22:29.120 On the Air Force One gaggle earlier, President Trump was asked about territorial land swaps of Russia and Ukraine.

00:22:34.920 And maybe we can get this in a quad box since I know we have to keep an eye on Air Force One.

00:22:38.200 But let's take a listen to this clip from the gaggle, and I want to get your reaction on the other side.

00:22:42.380 Are the territorial swaps on the table?

00:22:45.600 Will you be discussing that?

00:22:46.820 They'll be discussed, but I've got to let Ukraine make that decision.

00:22:50.660 And I think they'll make a proper decision.

00:22:53.220 But I'm not here to negotiate for Ukraine.

00:22:56.280 I'm here to get them at a table.

00:22:57.580 And I think you have two sides.

00:23:00.220 Look, Vladimir Putin wanted to take all of Ukraine.

00:23:04.180 If I wasn't president, he would right now be taking all of Ukraine.

00:23:08.200 But he's not going to do it.

00:23:10.260 So, Ben, territorial land swaps.

00:23:12.480 Is that what you think we could see today?

00:23:14.760 Because, you know, Zelensky is saying he's not going to give anything else up.

00:23:18.380 That's what he says.

00:23:19.420 But is this what we could see today as a possible outcome, as a land swap?

00:23:25.420 Well, Zelensky's in a tough spot.

00:23:27.920 I mean, he's putting himself in this position.

00:23:29.720 He's made a lot of big claims about this.

00:23:31.480 And getting back to the last question you asked me about the proximity of a lot of these communities.

00:23:37.280 There's proximity.

00:23:38.260 There's love in some of these communities.

00:23:40.260 There's connection to families in some of these communities.

00:23:42.160 There's also a lot of hate.

00:23:43.320 There's a disdain for the Russian Empire, for the USSR, for the history of that, for the KGB and what Russia was to a lot of these communities.

00:23:51.580 And so there is, on the Ukraine side, there are a lot of people that don't want to give up anything.

00:23:57.300 But you're also in a position where, if you don't, how many more deaths, how many more lives, how many more young people are you going to lose?

00:24:03.800 How much more of this generation will you not be able to replace? 0.89

00:24:08.020 So, clearly, it's on the table.

00:24:10.020 How much will they give up?

00:24:12.000 I agree with Steve.

00:24:13.880 I don't think Russia is going to give back anything that they've taken.

00:24:16.240 And the saddest part about this is this really started because of forces, external forces, NATO basically going into Ukraine saying, we'll bring you to the table.

00:24:26.140 And Russia saying, that's a deal breaker.

00:24:27.480 You're going to start a war. 0.51

00:24:28.880 And we allowed that to happen.

00:24:30.740 We were a part of it under Obama, pushing those conversations.

00:24:34.020 And now we've seen over a decade of lives lost because of it.

00:24:37.700 So when it comes to it, you've got to ask the question, what's more important, land or lives?

00:24:42.440 And I think that's the big, the question that's going to be asked and the answer that's going to have to be answered by both sides.

00:24:50.980 Yeah, I mean, look, you have to respect the Ukrainians.

00:24:53.740 They have fought valiantly.

00:24:55.600 They fought where people thought that this would end a long time ago.

00:24:58.660 And as I mentioned, it seems Zelensky is unwilling to yield any further land to Russia.

00:25:02.640 But Trump said he's not there to negotiate for Ukraine.

00:25:05.840 They've got to make that decision for themselves.

00:25:07.540 So do you think that Zelensky is as ready for peace as he stated, or are we going to find some sticking points?

00:25:17.180 I don't know what it's taken, how it's taken Zelensky this long to get to this point.

00:25:23.260 You know, again, when I was there two years ago, it was clear this was not going to end well.

00:25:28.440 I mean, we were getting bombed.

00:25:29.560 We had missiles landing in our neighborhood.

00:25:31.800 I mean, I was woken up to a missile landing less than a mile from where I was staying.

00:25:35.460 And I thought, how much longer can this country sustain this?

00:25:38.680 And the only reason they stayed in the war, they continued it, was because Joe Biden and the Democrats continued to pump arms into him.

00:25:44.660 And all of the globalists that want forever wars kept pumping money and arms into them.

00:25:50.380 I think having President Trump at the table, not negotiating for Ukraine, simply negotiating for peace,

00:25:55.820 I think Zelensky is in a place where he has to realize this is over.

00:25:59.940 He just has to come out, you know, figure out a way of coming out of it with the best option for his country.

00:26:05.140 I don't think he, you know, if he's coming into this with the best option for himself, I don't see any good options.

00:26:10.260 I agree with Steve.

00:26:11.060 I think his political days are numbered.

00:26:13.540 But he's simply got to come into it and say, how do I get the most for the people of this country if that's what his actual intent is?

00:26:20.460 And how do we get out of this thing in the fastest time possible?

00:26:25.200 I mean, it's been too long already.

00:26:27.820 But again, I can't speak for him just like President Trump can't.

00:26:30.140 Yeah, well, we've seen, you know, so many we've seen the Ukraine pins.

00:26:34.780 We've seen a lot of Democrats voice unending support for Ukraine.

00:26:38.400 My question is, OK, we know Vladimir Putin is probably not a guy to be trusted.

00:26:41.640 But is is Vladimir Zelensky a guy to be trusted?

00:26:44.540 We saw what happened when he came to D.C.

00:26:46.480 That didn't work out so well.

00:26:48.100 He didn't seem like he came in earnest ready for peace.

00:26:50.540 So is this a guy that can be trusted?

00:26:55.180 Well, look, I'll say the same thing I said when I went to Ukraine when I was there.

00:26:59.080 I don't trust Vladimir Putin any more than I trust Vladimir Zelensky any more than I trusted Joe Biden at the time.

00:27:04.760 I didn't trust any of them.

00:27:06.300 And it's one of those things.

00:27:08.020 It's it's the trust but verify Reagan model.

00:27:11.080 I don't think you trust him at all.

00:27:12.640 I think you set some boundaries and you follow those boundaries.

00:27:15.400 If you come up with a peace deal, there's got to be some clear boundaries that those will be decided.

00:27:19.940 And then if they are broken, then obviously, you know, there's there's consequences to that.

00:27:25.100 But no, to short answers, I don't trust any.

00:27:27.220 I mean, I trust President Trump, but the other two, I don't trust Putin or Zelensky. 0.96

00:27:31.400 But they're in a place now where they just have to make a decision for their what's best for their country.

00:27:35.480 So hopefully they make that.

00:27:37.280 And what cost will that be?

00:27:39.440 Yeah, exactly.

00:27:40.240 At what cost will that be?

00:27:41.240 Especially because.

00:27:41.880 And as Steve Gruber said, if.

00:27:43.860 Yeah, go ahead.

00:27:45.900 Go ahead.

00:27:46.240 Well, no, I mean, you look at what President Trump's already doing with Thailand.

00:27:49.940 And Cambodia and all of these peace deals that are already going on.

00:27:52.640 That's clearly his desire to see peace in the world, to see these countries, you know, not be killing themselves, to see economic prosperity, not just in our country, but globally.

00:28:01.300 And so that's that's my prayer is for not just that region, but for the entire globe.

00:28:07.060 Yeah.

00:28:07.200 And Russia seems to have been winning the war of attrition on this.

00:28:09.620 There seemed to be able to outlast it for this particular period of time.

00:28:12.500 And there's this idea that Jack Posobiec has spoken about.

00:28:15.300 The reason Trump has been kept moving the deadline up and up and up is because if he didn't, Ukraine's going to run out of people.

00:28:21.040 They're going to run out of troops.

00:28:21.880 And they're just they're on their last thread.

00:28:23.840 So that's something we do want to discuss as we keep going on here.

00:28:26.400 I do think we have Brian Glenn now, who was on Air Force One.

00:28:30.280 Brian, can you hear me OK?

00:28:32.060 Nope.

00:28:33.580 Hey, Bo, I can hear you.

00:28:34.900 I did not travel in on Air Force One this time.

00:28:37.960 So I came in yesterday prior to the president.

00:28:40.800 Just yeah.

00:28:42.280 Sure.

00:28:42.740 OK.

00:28:42.960 Well, even so, you got there a day early.

00:28:45.880 Brian, set the scene for us about what's going on right now.

00:28:48.860 You know, he said if this meeting goes poorly, that it'll be in and out and he'll head back to D.C.

00:28:53.140 He's got bigger fish to fry.

00:28:54.660 But what's your take?

00:28:55.880 Do you think this is going to be a two minute meeting and he's going to turn around and go back?

00:28:58.740 Or are you more optimistic?

00:29:01.980 I'm a little bit more optimistic than I was maybe six months ago on this.

00:29:06.480 I think these conversations do extend longer than you would think.

00:29:12.400 I do am optimistic as far as who's coming with President Putin.

00:29:17.240 We've got some business leaders, some business, huge financial people in Russia traveling with Putin to come here,

00:29:24.660 which makes me think that there is some type of maybe economic deal that will develop in regards to achieving peace with Ukraine.

00:29:33.660 Let me set the scene for you real quickly where I'm at.

00:29:35.880 I'm inside the media tent here just outside where the arena there, the stage, if you will, is right behind me where the two will meet.

00:29:45.820 This is kind of a makeshift media tent that the military here has set up.

00:29:49.540 They've also got kind of a mess hall, if you will, kind of a break room.

00:29:52.640 It's got food, snacks, drinks, coffee, things like that.

00:29:54.880 So they've really done a good job accommodating the media.

00:29:57.400 Now, the amount of media here today is like no other event that I've ever been to, obviously.

00:30:01.800 This is just, I would say, hundreds, if you will.

00:30:04.900 I'm on the U.S. side, obviously.

00:30:06.980 Across from me over there, that is the Russian media.

00:30:09.560 We've got two separate areas, two separate work tents, but we're all working together under one tent.

00:30:14.720 And, of course, I think all of us want us to see peace come out of this deal a little bit later today.

00:30:21.460 What's the feeling like there?

00:30:22.940 I know you're on the U.S. media side.

00:30:24.540 Could you cut the tension with a Ginsu knife at this point?

00:30:27.040 You know, I would say everyone's kind of silent.

00:30:33.160 You know, the three-hour process it was to get in here as far as going through security, sweeping the buses and things like that.

00:30:39.720 It was a process this morning to get to here.

00:30:42.280 Once the media arrived here, then it was everyone had to find a place to set up, get situated with the staging area behind me.

00:30:49.320 So it's been a very, very busy last hour and a half.

00:30:53.120 So it hasn't been a whole lot of conversations going on.

00:30:56.800 A lot of people are just trying to get the workspaces up.

00:30:58.900 But, obviously, everyone is, you know, anticipating this meeting.

00:31:02.440 Now, just moments ago, we heard a plane land.

00:31:05.140 I'm presuming it's Air Force One because he was scheduled to land at 1010 here local time.

00:31:11.080 And it was about 1010 when that happened.

00:31:12.860 So I'm assuming that President Trump is on the ground here.

00:31:16.060 Now, President Putin is scheduled to land at 11 a.m. here local time.

00:31:20.880 So really, probably here in just a few minutes, we should hear another plane start to land.

00:31:25.720 So once we have these two leaders on the ground, Beau, then they're going to go into a bilateral meeting.

00:31:30.240 And as this whole conversation has developed, how long will the meeting last?

00:31:34.460 President Trump has said numerous times that he's going to be able to know in the first two minutes or so whether or not President Putin is there to negotiate.

00:31:41.520 And, of course, Zelensky, from all the things that I have read today, a lot of analysis of people who have been following this engagement for a long time say,

00:31:50.940 look, you know, President Zelensky does not have the cards.

00:31:54.680 And that's exactly what was told to him in the Oval Office.

00:31:57.780 He simply does not have it.

00:31:59.100 And I agree with Steve Gruber.

00:32:00.560 His political career is coming to an end.

00:32:02.820 I feel like he knows this.

00:32:05.620 And I feel like he needs to do what's best to end the bloodshed.

00:32:08.640 And that's one thing that President Trump has said from day one.

00:32:10.940 This isn't about U.S. lives being lost.

00:32:14.100 We don't have one U.S. soldier over there in that fight in that particular capacity.

00:32:19.060 Matter of fact, we're making money through selling weapons to NATO on this.

00:32:24.480 So this is something he wants to see end to save lives.

00:32:28.180 And, of course, we want peace in that region.

00:32:30.340 I do, however, said, and I do think this is one of the reasons why Putin is here.

00:32:34.380 You know, with these sanctions that have been on Russia for so long and also with the new tariff and the sanctions that have been put on India and any other country selling goods, oil, things like that to Russia, that has put them in a financial crisis.

00:32:48.680 So I do think Putin is coming here to make a financial deal with the U.S.

00:32:53.460 And we definitely want to make sure that they get – I'm hearing a plane right now.

00:32:59.600 I think we have – we've got some Russian media that are making their way through here.

00:33:04.100 So I think they've just got the indication that Putin has just landed here at the base.

00:33:09.120 But to wrap it up here as far as the meaning is concerned, I think that we're going to see peace through an economic deal.

00:33:17.580 That's just my personal take on it, taking a look at all the financial situations for both those countries.

00:33:22.640 I think they both want peace.

00:33:24.040 I do.

00:33:24.920 But I think there will both be some economic takeaways as well.

00:33:27.340 Well, Brian, it was Air Force One that landed just a couple moments ago, and our very own Jack Posobiec was on Air Force One.

00:33:34.060 We do have a clip from him that we want to play right now.

00:33:35.960 Let's get that.

00:33:37.320 Jack Posobiec just landed here.

00:33:41.100 Anchorage, Alaska, Elmworth Air Force Base.

00:33:44.360 Air Force One directly behind him.

00:33:48.000 First plane of the Russian delegation directly across the tarmac.

00:33:51.440 Peace to see you are waiting for President Trump to disembark.

00:33:54.200 We've got a full outfit.

00:33:59.780 The military delegation here to meet the President of the United States and the President of Russia.

00:34:07.700 Well, that's some footage that you don't get to see very often.

00:34:12.540 Our very own Jack Posobiec on Air Force One.

00:34:14.340 Usually, Brian, it's you, and you're the one that's painting the scene for us.

00:34:17.460 And I guess you can only hear the plane come in rather than see it.

00:34:19.840 But we are keeping an eye on Air Force One.

00:34:22.060 President Trump has not disembarked just yet.

00:34:24.260 I would like you, Brian, to get a reaction from you off some audio from Air Force One earlier in the gaggle.

00:34:29.920 Let's take a quick listen to that.

00:34:30.920 So, Brian, you can hear that Trump says we could provide some security assurances to Ukraine, but not in the form of NATO.

00:34:53.440 It seems that NATO must be kept out of all of this for it to be successful or it may draw Putin's anger.

00:34:59.300 What's the prevailing wisdom there with respect to NATO since you mentioned it earlier?

00:35:04.540 Yeah, well, I think it does.

00:35:05.860 When you kind of look at what that area looks like, I even said this, a post-Trump administration.

00:35:11.960 What does that region of the world look like?

00:35:14.060 And I think if they would – obviously, I think Zelensky would love to have some type of military – I say military, but if you say support, security, people in that region to make sure that peace is maintained.

00:35:27.880 And you think about these raw earth minerals, the deal that we have with Ukraine as far as getting some of the money back that we've put into that country, $380-plus billion.

00:35:38.180 So, Bo, there may require some type of security backup for that region because that is a – it's a very volatile area.

00:35:49.960 And so you're going to have personnel in there mining these rare earth minerals.

00:35:53.700 So I think that it's definitely an option.

00:35:55.880 I think he just wants NATO to have nothing with that and wants that to be on the U.S.

00:36:01.300 But we'll see how that side of negotiation goes, and I'm sure that discussion will take place as well.

00:36:06.040 And we don't know that those discussions have not already taken place.

00:36:09.260 Or if you remember, Bo, just a few days ago, President Trump had a phone call with European leaders and Zelensky to talk about several things.

00:36:17.300 So maybe this was a part of it.

00:36:18.660 He was very, very tight-chested on what they talked about.

00:36:22.380 Yeah, and, you know, Brian, I do want to get your reaction to this, too.

00:36:25.340 And I don't know if you've seen it yet, but Hillary Clinton, of all people, said that she would nominate Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize if he can put an end to this war,

00:36:33.740 or if Ukraine doesn't have to cede any more territory.

00:36:36.500 Now, isn't this rich that this comes from a woman who started Russiagate and said, we came, we saw, he died?

00:36:43.540 What are your thoughts on that claim and coming from a warmonger like her who has no regard for human life?

00:36:50.840 Yeah.

00:36:51.240 The next time I see Hillary Clinton, I want it to be in front of an oversight committee on her testimony for what, with the Russia, Russia, Russiagate. 1.00

00:36:59.500 I don't care what she has to say right now.

00:37:01.360 I think it's, I think what she's trying to do is reach for a headline, any type of positive headline.

00:37:06.240 The approval ratings right now for Democrats is at a historical low.

00:37:09.500 So for Hillary Clinton or any Democrat to come out right now and start pushing for this peace, Nobel Peace Prize for President Trump, 0.98

00:37:18.220 they're just trying to grab some type of positivity in connotation to their party.

00:37:23.560 So, you know, I want to see her in the oversight committee for the collusion and all that stuff that they mustered up and peddled to the media.

00:37:30.960 That's where I want to see her speak.

00:37:32.440 But other than that, I'm glad that she's had a come-to-Jesus moment. 0.94

00:37:36.080 But Hillary Clinton can sit down and shut up right now. 1.00

00:37:38.720 President Trump is in charge of all this.

00:37:40.820 Well, yeah, not only that, but what she's proposing is something Trump could actually pull off.

00:37:44.420 So I think she might have put her foot in her mouth a little bit. 0.95

00:37:47.600 Brian, we are awaiting President Putin to touch down.

00:37:50.480 Once he lands, we're going to have some sort of basically ceremonial handshake, a little bit of a meeting,

00:37:55.420 and then they're going to go into this meeting that you talked about, this bilateral meeting.

00:37:58.860 How long do you think, and I know there's no way of you knowing this, but how long do you think that meeting could take?

00:38:03.720 You know, Vladimir Putin said it could be six hours.

00:38:05.820 He's just, that's kind of his way to say things.

00:38:08.580 President Trump says he'll know within about 30 seconds whether he's serious or not.

00:38:12.580 How long do you think that that meeting will go?

00:38:14.660 And do you think he'll give a presser to you and all the other reporters there after it's over?

00:38:18.700 I do think, you know, the press conference that's scheduled here, there's two podiums on that.

00:38:26.600 I wish we had a shot of that.

00:38:27.640 I don't know if we could take the White House poll feed if there's a shot of that.

00:38:30.700 Because right now there is two podiums set up, obviously for President Putin and President Trump.

00:38:36.200 Now, if this initial conversation after the, you know, handoff, the welcoming at the tarmac,

00:38:43.120 when they go into their meeting, if there's any indication that President Trump feels like there's not going to be a deal,

00:38:48.340 there's no need to move forward, then I don't think you'll see President Putin behind that podium.

00:38:54.480 That's just me.

00:38:55.420 I don't think President Trump's going to give him the opportunity to be in front of the world like that.

00:39:01.420 I think President Trump would pump the brakes on that and just say, thanks for coming, we're going to move on.

00:39:06.500 But I don't think that's going to happen.

00:39:08.720 I really don't.

00:39:09.580 So you're telling me that there are two podiums, there are two podiums side by side,

00:39:14.520 meaning the anticipation or maybe the optimism is that these two leaders will stand side by side

00:39:19.980 and address the media after it?

00:39:23.600 Correct.

00:39:24.220 They're about six feet apart.

00:39:25.920 There's two podiums that flags behind the podium.

00:39:27.960 So this is a buildup of an anticipated press conference with both of them.

00:39:32.960 But I know this for a fact, that if this meeting does not go well,

00:39:36.040 you will only see one president behind that podium, and that will be President Trump.

00:39:40.420 Wow.

00:39:41.080 Well, Brian, I want to give you a sports analogy, because I know you and I have talked sports before.

00:39:45.460 Mariano Rivera, the great closer of the New York Yankees, is Trump the Mariano Rivera of this deal?

00:39:51.280 Is he the guy who can get this done for a time such as this?

00:39:55.360 He is.

00:39:58.520 He might even throw a Nolan Ryan in there, too.

00:40:00.720 He'll throw a fastball inside, high and inside on any batter.

00:40:05.720 So I think that he would be compared to a closer, but also would compare to someone that's going to throw

00:40:10.660 the meanest, hardest fastball that you would ever face.

00:40:13.740 That's what this is.

00:40:14.620 But that's what it takes.

00:40:15.480 If you look at the foreign policy under Joe Biden, and really any other Republican president,

00:40:20.280 this is something we have not seen in the Republican Party in a long time.

00:40:25.160 And it's strength.

00:40:26.840 And I think that the warmongers of D.C. and the military industrial complex are going to have to check themselves for a little bit.

00:40:34.020 This is not a war that we want to get into.

00:40:36.180 This is a war that we want to end.

00:40:37.620 This is Biden's war.

00:40:39.100 Biden started this war, not President Trump.

00:40:41.800 Now, I know a campaign promise, Beau, he did say on day one he would stop this war.

00:40:46.280 And a lot of people on the left, the Democrats, love to criticize and say, well, it didn't happen on day one.

00:40:51.140 Whatever happened, you overpromised.

00:40:52.480 Can you really do it?

00:40:53.660 And we've had several conversations about that.

00:40:55.720 But this is it today.

00:40:57.540 And it's got to happen today.

00:40:58.780 We must have progress today.

00:41:00.280 Or I do think if this thing does go south in a couple of hours, I don't think you're going to see.

00:41:06.700 I think we are going to fold our cards, walk away, cut bait, however you want to say it.

00:41:10.660 We'll be done with this conflict.

00:41:12.020 And they'll just lead up to these two leaders.

00:41:14.660 Sadly, more people will die.

00:41:16.280 At the end of the day, this is a stop the war that's going on right now.

00:41:19.640 He often says this is not about American lives.

00:41:22.640 This is about human lives on Ukraine and Russia's side.

00:41:26.000 We must stop the bloodshed.

00:41:27.260 And that's all he wants to do today.

00:41:28.640 But I will say this.

00:41:30.280 I think it's an economic opportunity for everyone right now.

00:41:35.240 An economic opportunity for everyone right now.

00:41:38.400 And peace will be the outcome of that.

00:41:40.400 Yeah, well, I want to bring back in our panel now, our previous guests, Steve Gruber and Ben Burkwam.

00:41:46.180 And, of course, we've got Brian Glenn, who we just heard from.

00:41:48.440 Gentlemen, I don't want to get ahead of ourselves here.

00:41:50.280 But, you know, we've seen President Trump broker peace deals already, which have earned him some Nobel Prize nominations.

00:41:55.620 Steve, you and I talked about that earlier, whether it's Rwanda and the Congo, Cambodia and Thailand, Israel and Hamas, India and Pakistan, or Armenia and Azerbaijan.

00:42:03.700 If he can do it, he seems to be a lot closer to that.

00:42:06.280 But as Brian said, the stakes are very high.

00:42:09.420 He kind of has to deliver on that.

00:42:11.200 So I know he's giving himself about a 75 percent chance of that happening.

00:42:15.680 So, Steve, I want to bring you back in here and just say, you know, I know there's got to be a lot of personal pressure he's putting on himself to do this, to get this done.

00:42:23.780 Because it was, as Brian mentioned, a campaign promise.

00:42:26.020 He said it would be done today.

00:42:27.380 That hasn't happened.

00:42:28.720 But at the same time, there's a lot of promise that he can get it done.

00:42:31.460 What do you think is on his shoulders today to get this done?

00:42:34.460 Well, clearly he wants the success here.

00:42:36.320 Clearly he wants this to happen.

00:42:38.160 And he has been angling for this from the time that he was campaigning up to November of 2024, as you know.

00:42:43.040 It was one of the routine things he said during his rallies along the way that he could get the war stopped.

00:42:46.940 And today, look, that was campaign hyperbole.

00:42:49.820 We understand that.

00:42:51.120 And he has worked diligently ever since.

00:42:53.040 And you forgot Egypt and Ethiopia, by the way, another little conflict that he stopped.

00:42:56.740 But there's seven on the board, all right?

00:42:58.520 I mean, that's a remarkable accomplishment for any president in eight years, right?

00:43:02.980 This is in 200 days.

00:43:05.100 This is an incredible accomplishment.

00:43:06.440 He has brought Vladimir Putin to Alaska, the former Russian territory.

00:43:10.640 It is incredible.

00:43:12.040 As we sit here and we watch Air Force One waiting for the president to emerge, it's an incredible accomplishment.

00:43:17.740 I do believe if he pulls this off.

00:43:19.420 And again, at the top of the broadcast, I said I'm an optimist.

00:43:22.620 A poll I saw said 59% of Americans do not believe that he can pull it off.

00:43:27.100 I'm of the mind that he can because that's what Donald Trump has done for 200 days is stop war, stop conflict, and stop killing.

00:43:34.080 And I think he's going to do it again today.

00:43:35.680 It may not be done today, but we'll take a great step forward.

00:43:38.220 And Ben, let's talk about some of the geopolitics of this as well.

00:43:41.700 I teased this with Steve earlier when we had him on, just in terms of let's look at how China is going to look at this.

00:43:46.680 Because they've, you know, they've got a relationship with Russia.

00:43:50.480 Obviously, Russia has been an ally of ours before.

00:43:52.960 But you look at what China wants to do with Taiwan.

00:43:55.240 They may be looking at this summit today saying, hmm, if it goes well for Donald Trump and for Vladimir Putin, maybe we shouldn't be toying around with Taiwan so much.

00:44:04.380 If it goes poorly and we bug out and we go home, maybe they say, hmm, maybe we should go take a closer look at bringing Taiwan back into our own fold. 0.93

00:44:12.200 How do you see this?

00:44:12.980 Because, see, I see this as having much bigger implications than just between Russia and Ukraine today.

00:44:17.540 How do you see that in terms of what China could do, what the CCP could do with respect to Taiwan?

00:44:21.960 Well, clearly, I mean, that's part of the decision making that China is making.

00:44:30.940 You look at what we had under the first four years of President Trump, no new wars.

00:44:34.540 And you saw what we had under Joe Biden, endless wars, new wars, conflict everywhere because we didn't have that.

00:44:39.540 There was that power vacuum in the world.

00:44:41.580 President Trump seals that.

00:44:43.100 He's the one who comes in and is that stabilizing force globally.

00:44:47.120 You'll have the left.

00:44:47.780 What's crazy is you think about this.

00:44:49.420 President Trump is ending these wars.

00:44:50.600 We've got peace around the globe.

00:44:52.620 Hopefully, we have peace between Ukraine and Russia. 0.99

00:44:55.200 But the chaos we see is actually on the streets of the United States.

00:44:58.340 This is what's concerning to me.

00:44:59.800 You've got you asked about China.

00:45:01.080 We have more communists now in America that are trying to turn America communists.

00:45:04.880 Those are the enemies that I'm really concerned about.

00:45:06.860 And going back to our own border, you think about we've been talking about Ukraine's border and Russia's border.

00:45:11.460 Well, we just gave up our border for four years.

00:45:13.380 President Trump is the one who came in, secured our border, and I believe he's the only one globally that can help bring peace, not just to Ukraine and Russia, but globally because he is that stabilizing force that other countries look at and say, well, if we do that, we're screwed because this guy is actually going to come and actually do what he says.

00:45:30.240 He's got the power.

00:45:31.460 And look, he's got the track record to prove it.

00:45:35.160 And that's, I think, what we're seeing today.

00:45:37.540 Hopefully, we see an end to this conflict.

00:45:39.920 And China, you know, they have to look at that and recognize that.

00:45:43.240 And I think we saw that in the first four years.

00:45:45.000 I think we're going to see that these four years as well.

00:45:47.000 Brian, you mentioned earlier that there are some Russian businessmen that are coming with Vladimir Putin today.

00:45:53.580 What sort of financial package or economic incentives do you think that President Trump can dangle in front of them that would incentivize them?

00:46:02.720 And potentially, could we see a reentry into the G8 in terms of becoming a trading partner with them?

00:46:09.340 I think you just nailed it.

00:46:11.200 I think that's exactly what I'm thinking is going to happen.

00:46:13.760 Imagine if he was to say, President Putin, we are going to lift all sanctions against your country.

00:46:19.460 We want you to be a strong, vibrant partner with the U.S.

00:46:23.880 We've got one of the two biggest economies in the world.

00:46:27.140 Let's get back to doing business together.

00:46:29.840 Let's get that in the G8.

00:46:31.480 Let's get everything unified.

00:46:33.420 I think opening up the U.S. markets and opening up trade amongst the two countries would build a trust again.

00:46:39.640 I think it would also give Putin a financial motivation to do a negotiation in Ukraine in terms of this war.

00:46:50.760 I think it stops through economic policy.

00:46:53.860 I really do.

00:46:54.660 I think that at the end of the day, both sides are tired of the bloodshed.

00:46:59.060 There's no doubt about that.

00:47:00.020 I mean, there's reports coming out of Ukraine where they've got seniors and they're taking people that are 60 years and older to fight and people that have certain handicaps.

00:47:08.040 I mean, they're down to that recruitment level.

00:47:10.780 So they don't have any more, I think, a whole lot of fight left in them on this.

00:47:15.780 But if we can do some type of economic deal that would open up opportunities within the U.S., between the two countries, does that – that might offset – you know, that might offset a little bit of what he is looking to do in Ukraine.

00:47:31.800 So I know it's complicated.

00:47:34.120 It's got multilayers on it.

00:47:35.480 But I do think it comes through economic policy that stops this war.

00:47:41.800 And, of course, Ukraine with the mineral rights has been one of the things they've negotiated back.

00:47:46.280 So we'll see.

00:47:47.580 But, you know, he's traveling with some economic and business leaders from Russia.

00:47:51.340 So I'm kind of reading into that as well, of who's coming with them and also who's coming with President Trump as well.

00:47:58.980 I think that's important to note, of those involved on Air Force One.

00:48:03.580 Scott Bessent, right?

00:48:04.700 He's with them.

00:48:06.760 Yeah.

00:48:07.460 Yeah.

00:48:08.120 So that says something.

00:48:09.820 That says something about a potential business deal in the making.

00:48:12.500 Steve, I just want to ask you just straight up because I think to get in the mind of Vladimir Putin is difficult.

00:48:20.740 He's a Russian KGB guy.

00:48:23.060 Is President Putin really looking for peace today?

00:48:26.060 Or do you think he thinks he can just hold out because the war of attrition is on his side?

00:48:30.520 He knows Ukraine is bleeding troops.

00:48:32.520 He is too, but not to the extent.

00:48:34.420 Is he really looking for peace today?

00:48:36.740 Well, you've raised a good question there, Bo.

00:48:39.200 Look, his economic outlook for his country is not good.

00:48:43.460 Him recruiting people to be in the Russian army right now, not good.

00:48:46.560 This has been tiring.

00:48:47.620 Look, this is fatigue at this point, three and a half years on.

00:48:51.580 Vladimir Putin would like a way out of this war as well, I believe.

00:48:54.340 It would loosen the purse strings from America and Eastern and Western Europe on his country.

00:49:00.140 The sanctions would be lifted.

00:49:01.680 The energy could flow again.

00:49:03.200 His oil could go more freely to China and elsewhere without the restrictions and the global sanctions that are in place.

00:49:09.060 Look, Donald Trump has made it clear that if there's not a deal put together here, it's going to be very difficult for Vladimir Putin to move forward economically.

00:49:17.400 And look, the country is already impoverished.

00:49:19.640 This war has cost them billions of dollars and thousands of lives.

00:49:23.920 We know that the cost in life and treasure has been very high for Russia.

00:49:28.140 So can I get into the mind of Vladimir Putin? 0.98

00:49:30.400 No, he's a snake. 1.00

00:49:31.800 He is a wolf.

00:49:34.000 He's out there trying to eat the chickens.

00:49:36.000 That's what he's been trying to do.

00:49:37.140 And let's be honest, Bo, let's go back to February of 2022.

00:49:41.360 Most people, myself for sure, anticipated that this war would go about two weeks, maybe three, maybe four at the most,

00:49:47.700 because we felt that Russia, being the most powerful military in that part of the world, would run over Ukraine.

00:49:52.920 It didn't.

00:49:53.720 They found a lot of problems with corruption and so forth.

00:49:56.100 Their MREs, their meals ready to eat, were contaminated because they were past their due date by not just a few days, but by a few years.

00:50:03.460 Their ammunition didn't work.

00:50:04.820 We saw their tanks getting destroyed.

00:50:06.780 Their military is not at all what we imagined it to be.

00:50:09.400 That's an embarrassment for the Russians. 0.99

00:50:11.200 And I don't believe they're ever going to Poland or anywhere else in Europe because I don't think they have the capability.

00:50:15.240 I think we've seen that.

00:50:16.320 The scary thing, the wild card, of course, is that they have the biggest nuclear arsenal in the world.

00:50:21.820 I don't think Vladimir Putin would use it, not at this point.

00:50:24.920 You have to assume that your enemy is rational.

00:50:27.260 That's part of the art of war.

00:50:28.400 You have to know that your enemy is rational.

00:50:29.860 I believe, if nothing else, he is rational.

00:50:32.000 And what good would it do him to launch some sort of a nuclear offensive?

00:50:35.220 So, the best exit for Vladimir Putin is to take Crimea.

00:50:39.040 It's to take the Donbass and whatever pieces of real estate he can take off the eastern edge of Ukraine.

00:50:43.900 Say, this is why we did it.

00:50:45.220 We returned Russian territory because he believes it is. 1.00

00:50:47.900 He believes it's Russian territory.

00:50:49.480 Return it to the Russian Federation and hang on to it and put that on the mantle as his prize. 0.99

00:50:55.180 I think he'd like to bow out of this gracefully.

00:50:57.180 And look, everything's on the table if he does not, economically speaking.

00:51:01.560 And we'll see where it goes from here.

00:51:03.120 We know that Donald Trump has pushed NATO into investing in its military in all the countries, Germany, France, the U.K., and so forth.

00:51:10.180 Donald Trump has done several key things.

00:51:13.540 He's increased spending by NATO to what they agreed to originally.

00:51:16.660 He's held Russia to where they are without them going further.

00:51:20.260 And I do believe what he says.

00:51:22.360 If not for Donald Trump, this war would be going a lot more aggressively towards Russia.

00:51:26.500 It's been a stalemate, is a fair way to put it.

00:51:29.800 But I don't know where Vladimir Putin goes.

00:51:32.060 He's come to Alaska.

00:51:33.620 I think that's a step in the right direction.

00:51:35.920 And like everyone else here on the panel today, I'm hopeful, I'm prayerful that we can find peace in Ukraine today.

00:51:43.340 And, Ben, from the American perspective, let's go America MAGA style right now.

00:51:49.780 I mean, to me, this is a win just by getting Putin to come to the table.

00:51:53.820 Steve and I said a week ago this was on nobody's dance card that this could even happen.

00:51:58.380 And he's had detractors, and he has people doubting him every single day.

00:52:02.020 But he's negotiated all of these peace deals up until this point.

00:52:04.860 I know a lot is on his shoulders.

00:52:06.620 But what does success look like to us?

00:52:10.400 Let's take a look right now.

00:52:11.520 Putin's plane is landing right now in Anchorage.

00:52:14.020 We're taking a look of that live right at this moment.

00:52:16.660 He is right on time.

00:52:18.120 Putin is traditionally not on time for things, but he is on time if not four minutes early.

00:52:22.760 It is 3 p.m. Eastern time, I believe about 11 a.m. in Alaska right now.

00:52:28.280 So we're taking a look at that plane land right now of Vladimir Putin.

00:52:32.100 And shortly we will see the summit of these two leaders.

00:52:35.340 And as Steve said, prayerfully, we're hoping that some great things will come out of this.

00:52:39.560 So, Ben, from the American perspective, what's success today for Donald Trump?

00:52:43.240 I think it's successful he even got this meeting to begin with.

00:52:46.320 Is a second meeting success?

00:52:47.940 Well, I think from the MAGA base standpoint, ending our dollars being spent on killing any other country's countrymen is the only success.

00:53:00.300 The ultimate success that we're looking for is taking our dollars out of continuing these wars and putting them back into the wars that matter.

00:53:07.780 Our own southern border, our own country, defeating the enemies within our own country, increasing our economic benefit.

00:53:13.960 But I think there's also economic benefits that Brian Glenn brought up, that Steve Ruber brought up, that you brought up, that Jack's been talking about.

00:53:21.880 All of this, you know, this idea that we can just pump money into these countries year after year after year endlessly, our own dollars, our own tax dollars.

00:53:30.160 When our countries and our cities are going broke, you drive across California and it's bums everywhere. 1.00

00:53:35.180 You got illegals everywhere. 1.00

00:53:36.520 Why are we wasting any more of our own money?

00:53:38.600 If anything, we need to be making money.

00:53:40.040 We need to be creating deals.

00:53:41.840 And again, you got the art of the deal there with Vladimir Putin.

00:53:45.400 I don't think I think success means the end of the war, but also economic benefit for the United States, primarily between these countries, both with Russia.

00:53:55.280 Hopefully, again, I agree with Steve.

00:53:57.560 I don't trust Putin.

00:53:59.080 You keep him at arm's length.

00:54:00.540 You use sanctions when they're necessary.

00:54:01.960 But if we can create some trade deals, great, let's do it.

00:54:04.600 And the same with Ukraine.

00:54:05.380 Look at ways that every single one of these decisions, every single problem that President Trump faces needs to be looked at through the lens.

00:54:13.220 And I believe he looks at it through this lens of what is best for the American citizens, what is best for our people, for our country.

00:54:19.380 That's why it's America first. 0.99

00:54:20.840 And that's what every leader should be saying.

Human Events Daily with Jack Posobiec - August 15, 2025

The Anchorage Accords： The Historic Meeting of Trump and Putin in Alaska

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