00:00I think you brought up a really great point, which is the meeting between Putin and Trump is on Friday.
00:05That spurs the larger meeting on Monday with Trump, Zelensky and a whole host of European leaders.
00:12If I'm Putin, what am I thinking on Monday, seeing all of that?
00:18If he's honest with himself, he's very angry because what does he want to do to do for years?
00:23Split America from Europe.
00:26And he was doing that rather well for a very long time.
00:30How was he doing that?
00:31Europeans were spending nothing on defense.
00:34Europeans were buying huge amounts of Russian energy.
00:38They were doing it through something called the Nord Stream Pipeline going right into Germany.
00:44I remember having a discussion some years ago with a senior German diplomat,
00:48basically saying maybe more tactfully than this, what are you guys thinking?
00:52You are getting dependent on Russian energy.
00:55That's crazy.
00:56Oh, no, Cliff, he said to me.
00:58It's Putin who's getting dependent on our euros.
01:02He wants our money.
01:03It's all good.
01:04No, it turns out it was not good.
01:07And so when Putin sees the Atlantic Alliance revived, NATO expanded, thanks to him,
01:15if he's honest with himself, he's got to say, okay, this didn't work out quite the way I intended.
01:20And I'm curious what you're looking out for next.
01:24I know President Trump said there needs to be a bilateral meeting between Zelensky and Putin before the trilateral meeting where he injects himself.
01:32I mean, if you told me this a week ago that the next step is going to be a bilap between Zelensky and Putin,
01:38I would say, did hell freeze over?
01:40Are we seeing pigs fly?
01:41I mean, it just, I can't even imagine it.
01:44What's the likelihood of that happening?
01:47It still strikes me like pigs flying.
01:50I get it.
01:51Imagine Zelensky and Putin in one room.
01:54I mean, will it result in fisticuffs?
01:57It could.
01:58Putin is said to be a judo expert.
02:00Who knows?
02:02Who else is going to be allowed at that meeting?
02:05Where will that meeting take place?
02:08Maybe Istanbul?
02:09I don't know.
02:10It's very hard for me to imagine that meeting going well.
02:13I could imagine it doesn't come off and they go right to the trilateral.
02:18Maybe that's another possibility.
02:19But if there is going to be a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, I'd sure like to be a fly on the wall.
02:26One thing I wonder, will they speak in Russian or will Zelensky insist on speaking in Ukrainian with a translator?
02:33That'll be interesting to see.
02:35I mean, there's so much to look out for.
02:38And per usual, I always appreciate you breaking it down, making sense of the moment.
02:43Cliff May, thank you so much for joining me.
02:44You're welcome back anytime.
02:46Thanks, Brittany.
02:47Always a pleasure to see you.
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