Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio News.
Speaker 2: Last night we had a meeting This is with Surveillance
Speaker 2: Senior executive producer Eric Molow, Herder of Interns, yep, it's
Speaker 2: his new title, Herder of Interns. And we had a
Speaker 2: list of people and at the top of the list
Speaker 2: on Putin Trump in Alaska was Angela's Stent, her book
Speaker 2: Putin's World is absolutely definitive. We are beyond honored to
Speaker 2: have a conversation this morning with Angela Stent. Angela, if
Speaker 2: you were in Alaska for this meeting, what would you
Speaker 2: listen for from the.
Speaker 1: Two Well, I'm listening to see what it is that
Speaker 1: Putin is proposing to President Trump, and so far it
Speaker 1: seems that, you know, Ukraine is supposed to see territory
Speaker 1: to Russia that Russia doesn't even control and really not
Speaker 1: get very much a return, maybe a freezing of the
Speaker 1: cattle lines. And with Trump, I'm listening to see does
Speaker 1: he under really understand that Putin isn't willing to stop
Speaker 1: this war and that he's being played. So those are
Speaker 1: the things that I would be listening to.
Speaker 2: And I look Angela at this and of course in
Speaker 2: the Zeitgeist this morning, is the build article in Germany
Speaker 2: that they got the translation run.
Speaker 3: Do we have the process and apparatus to prepare for
Speaker 3: Friday's meeting? I mean, do we have said administration in
Speaker 3: place that can do this?
Speaker 1: So so far it doesn't appear that we do. I mean,
Speaker 1: normally these kinds of summits are well prepared in advance,
Speaker 1: they're experienced diplomats or involved in them. This is the
Speaker 1: result of, you know, a long conversation between Stephen Whitcoff,
Speaker 1: not a diplomat, not an expert on Russia, and Vladima Putin.
Speaker 4: We don't know the.
Speaker 1: Contents of it, and so we are really left in
Speaker 1: the dark about what the process is in this. And
Speaker 1: the concern is that President Trump will be and then
Speaker 1: he doesn't have all the backing he needs and the
Speaker 1: and the understanding going into this about what Pudent's actually
Speaker 1: trying to do.
Speaker 5: What is the role if any, for President Zelenski.
Speaker 1: Well, so far, President Zelenski of course, has been excluded
Speaker 1: from this. The US and Russia are talking about his
Speaker 1: own country. President Trump has spoken to him, He's in
Speaker 1: he Zelensky is in very close contact with the Europeans.
Speaker 1: The Europeans are trying to impress on President Trump that
Speaker 1: he has to go into this clear eye and realistic
Speaker 1: about what Putin is.
Speaker 4: Trying to do.
Speaker 1: But to think about two countries trading away another country's
Speaker 1: territory without that country being present, I think that bears
Speaker 1: a lot of thinking about.
Speaker 5: Does President Putin have any intention to sign a ceasefire
Speaker 5: on Friday or even discussing.
Speaker 4: I very much doubt it.
Speaker 1: I think what he's trying to do is to probe
Speaker 1: and see how much he can get from President Trump.
Speaker 4: So I would not hold you breath on.
Speaker 3: That, Angela. I get the drama.
Speaker 2: Max put writes it up in the Washington Post and others,
Speaker 2: and we don't need to do a history lesson in
Speaker 2: nineteen thirty eight Munich where Neville Chamberlain gave away a
Speaker 2: piece of Czechoslovakia and look what happened. But do you
Speaker 2: see that moment here? I mean, these two world leaders,
Speaker 2: do we, Angela? Do we know where they're going to
Speaker 2: meet in Alaska? Yet?
Speaker 4: I don't know where they're going to meet in Alaska?
Speaker 1: And it's interesting, Sofa Putin, all he has to do
Speaker 1: is fly over Russia if he were to meet Trump.
Speaker 1: In many other places he probably couldn't because there are
Speaker 1: a lot of countries he can't fly over because it's
Speaker 1: interesting interesting.
Speaker 4: So we don't know.
Speaker 2: Okay, so maybe they're going to meet on those two islands.
Speaker 2: They can wave at each other across the bearing straight
Speaker 2: Angela's stent discuss what's in the zeitgeist this morning of
Speaker 2: illusions to two years before World War Two.
Speaker 1: Well, I think you know, two years before World War two,
Speaker 1: if you think about Neville Chamberlain, I mean, he was
Speaker 1: trying to poss bone of war because you know, he
Speaker 1: and he believed that if he just gave Hitler what
Speaker 1: he wanted, which was you know, talking about what was
Speaker 1: happening to the Zudate land, then there wouldn't be a war.
Speaker 4: I think we may still be at that point.
Speaker 1: I think there's a not a full comprehension among the
Speaker 1: in the Trump administration that you know that from Putin,
Speaker 1: the subordination of Ukraine is the goal now, but it's
Speaker 1: the first step towards really retaking influence and land in
Speaker 1: what used to be the former Soviet Union, and Putin
Speaker 1: has expansionist aims, and I think maybe in nineteen thirty eight,
Speaker 1: mister Chamberlain didn't understand exactly what Hitler's expansionist aims were.
Speaker 1: So I think people need to understand what this is about.
Speaker 1: And I'm sure that that that's not fully appreciated in
Speaker 1: the White House.
Speaker 4: Yet.
Speaker 5: It seems, Angela, that most world leaders around the world
Speaker 5: have bent their need to President Trump, whether it's on
Speaker 5: tariffs other issues. That's not the case with mister Putin.
Speaker 5: How does he how do you think he've used President
Speaker 5: Trump and the administration.
Speaker 1: Well, I think he believes that mister Trump really wants
Speaker 1: to have a better relationship with Russia. Trump started out
Speaker 1: by saying we need to reset and improve relations. I
Speaker 1: think the Russians understand that there's inconsistency in the positions
Speaker 1: of the Trump administration. They're going to push as far
Speaker 1: as they can. This is the old, if you like
Speaker 1: Soviet style of negotiation. What's mine is mine and what
Speaker 1: is what's yours as negotiable. So I think they still
Speaker 1: believe that they can get President Trump to agree to
Speaker 1: terms that would be really very unfavorable for Ukraine and
Speaker 1: would give Russia most of what it.
Speaker 2: Wants, angel Ston, On the cover of your book, Putin's World, folks,
Speaker 2: it was my book. I think I can't remember, Paul
Speaker 2: if it was Book of the Year, Book of the whatever.
Speaker 2: Read the book Putin's World. Angela Stent with a new
Speaker 2: chapter out now. Bill Burns, who has a little bit
Speaker 2: of experience at CIA, says Putin's World is a definitive
Speaker 2: guide to understanding the tangled history of post Cold War
Speaker 2: Russia and its place in the world. You got a
Speaker 2: great photo on the cover, Angel I'm sure you picked
Speaker 2: it out of the forty seven foot table with mister
Speaker 2: Putin sitting at one end, and I think mister McCrum
Speaker 2: said at the other end. That's not going to be Alaska.
Speaker 2: Is it going to be all smilies and you know,
Speaker 2: arm padding and all that. I mean, is it going
Speaker 2: to be touchy feely?
Speaker 4: It may well be.
Speaker 1: I mean, you've seen the pictures of mister Whitcoff, and
Speaker 1: mister Whitcoff putting his hand on his.
Speaker 4: Heart, smiling, shaking his hand.
Speaker 1: I don't know what President Trump will do, but it's
Speaker 1: not going to be this long table, so that will
Speaker 1: be smiles at least for the public.
Speaker 3: As Oh, you're not old enough to remember this.
Speaker 2: I remember when Khrushchef took a shoe off and pounded
Speaker 2: in the UN. Have we treated Khrushchef or Bresenham or
Speaker 2: Stalin or dare I say Lenin? Have we treated them
Speaker 2: like the administrations treating mister Putin. It's absolutely original, isn't it.
Speaker 1: Oh, it's completely original. No, we were very suspicious of them.
Speaker 1: They were communists. We knew that they were at least
Speaker 1: officially committed to taking over the world.
Speaker 4: We were very wary with them.
Speaker 1: Having said that, you know, Nixon and Brezhnev, you know,
Speaker 1: did shake each other's hands, where all smiles. Bresna visited
Speaker 1: the US drove around in big costs, so there was
Speaker 1: some of that. But this is a very different feel
Speaker 1: to what it was like, I mean during the Cold War.
Speaker 3: This is just it's like the new season of slow Horses.
Speaker 2: I mean, mister Trump and mister Woodcoff and all should
Speaker 2: just watch slow horses.
Speaker 3: I mean, that's what the That's how they got prepared for.
Speaker 5: So, Angela, is there a scenario here where I don't know,
Speaker 5: some kind of deal gets signed between Russia and President Trump?
Speaker 5: And if I'm a Ukraine, I'm just sitting on the
Speaker 5: outside saying what.
Speaker 3: Do I do here?
Speaker 5: I mean, that is that even.
Speaker 4: Definitely a scenario.
Speaker 1: I mean, the Russian goal is to sign and agreeing
Speaker 1: with President Trump it's favorable toward Russia, and then blame
Speaker 1: the Ukrainians if it doesn't work out, because the Ukrainians
Speaker 1: are not going to sign onto a deal that status
Speaker 1: are advantageous for them, and the Europeans are going to
Speaker 1: back them in this. So that's definitely a scenario that
Speaker 1: some deal is signed between the US and Russia, but
Speaker 1: in fact the Ukrainians won't accept it.
Speaker 2: And just one final serious question. Then this goes back
Speaker 2: to mister Gates and Condaliza Rice. I believe in Belgrade.
Speaker 2: I mean, I get it. There's territory in eastern Ukraine
Speaker 2: and they've got four acres of Russia.
Speaker 3: Da da da.
Speaker 2: It comes back to the emotion of Crimea. Will that
Speaker 2: even be discussed at this meeting about the sheer reality
Speaker 2: of Crimea on the Black Sea?
Speaker 1: I don't know whether it'll be discussed, but it really
Speaker 1: doesn't seem to be an issue. I mean, I think
Speaker 1: the Trump administration is assuming that the Ukrainians can't do
Speaker 1: anything about the annexation of Crimea, and that they will
Speaker 1: at least day facto.
Speaker 4: I have to recognize you.
Speaker 3: Need from Secretary Rubio.
Speaker 1: Well, I think Secretary Rubio needs to, you know, to
Speaker 1: make sure that concessions are not made to Putin that
Speaker 1: are not warranted. He seems to he I think I
Speaker 1: understands the situation pretty well. He was previously at least
Speaker 1: a hawk on Russia, so he needs to somehow be
Speaker 1: a restraining factor in this.
Speaker 2: Wonderful This was great, Paul Angela's den, thank you so much.
Speaker 2: On Putin's World, we begin our coverage of this historic summit.
Speaker 2: Meeting is scheduled for Friday. David Girl will join us
Speaker 2: later in the show this morning to provide further briefing.
Speaker 2: It is a story on a move to say the least,