- 7 weeks ago
This special report on India Today Global, covers the high-stakes meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
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00:00hello and welcome i'm keita mohan and you're watching india today global there's a big
00:12development taking place in washington dc trump will be meeting ukrainian president
00:17vladimir zelensky at the white house in moments from now tomahawk missiles on zelensky's agenda
00:24but will he succeed in convincing president trump to give it to ukraine after the conversation with
00:31russian president vladimir putin zelensky is expected to push trump for more long-range
00:37weapons capable of striking targets deep inside russia president trump shifts stance on tomahawk
00:44after phone conversation with his counterpart putin of russia and says could not deplete u.s
00:52talk this is third trump zelensky meeting this year
00:56joining me now is rohit sharma for more on this rohit in moments from now we will be seeing
01:05zelensky's cavalcade enter the white house expectations what do you have to say about
01:11the fact that this is going to be the same room where he was humiliated not so long ago
01:17well actually geetha change of you know change of decor for president zelensky this time around
01:24president zelensky is actually going to be meeting with president trump in the cabinet room and not
01:30the infamous oval office where he was berated publicly by both president and the vice president
01:36expected to be here at 115 eastern and as you said you know i think the biggest thing on the block
01:41is talking about getting those tom hawk missiles which is desperately needed by zelensky he in fact
01:47ended up meeting with the leadership at rayton which which manufactures the tom hawk missiles as well
01:54as the patriot system so i think that's the most important thing on his agenda and president trump you
02:01know who actually had big two-hour long conversation with prehrabinir putin yesterday has indicated that
02:08america might need those missiles too so we'll have to wait and watch what happens but as far as zelensky is
02:13concerned i think he wants to he wanted to come to the u.s a day sooner so he could meet with defense
02:18contractors and try to see if he could purchase those tomahawk missiles okay we will talk about the tomahawks
02:25rohit but before that is this uh donald trump walking a very fine diplomatic balance over here uh creating that
02:32balance between russia and ukraine to ensure that he is the peacemaker in this conflict as well
02:38he does he definitely wants to i mean even yesterday at the oval you know when he was giving those off
02:46the cuff comments he mentioned that he assumed that he would stop this war and he went on to say that
02:51you know who would have who would have thought that he would finish the israel war before uh he could
02:56end the russia ukraine war so yes definitely that's on the cards he's even announced that there's going to
03:01a meeting led by secretary rubio in two weeks time and he's going to go to budapest uh to meet with
03:06president putin so i think a very important day in washington especially for president trump who
03:10desperately wants to end this war and has been trying according to him he's done everything
03:16possible and continue to do so because he wants to stop the killings of innocent people in ukraine
03:21okay rood stay on with me u.s president has reversed his decision to supply tomahawk missiles to
03:29ukraine now what happened the move follows a phone conversation with russian president vladimir putin
03:34who warned that such a transfer could severely strain u.s russia relations now all eyes are on the
03:42very important meeting that is going to take place but will zelensky be able to persuade trump
03:48to reconsider here's a report
03:50hours before u.s president donald trump's meeting with ukrainian president vladimir zelensky
04:02trump held what he described as a very productive conversation with russian president vladimir putin
04:08trump later confirmed that the two leaders will meet in the next two weeks in budapest hungary
04:15to discuss ways to end russia's war in ukraine trump added that ahead of the budapest summit
04:21u.s secretary of state mark rubio and other senior officials will meet russian foreign minister
04:26sergey lavrov to lay the groundwork for the talks we just had a call as you know with president putin
04:34i thought it was a very good call so we'll talk about it maybe later but it went very well and i thought
04:41it was a very good phone call i thought very productive but i'll be meeting with president
04:45putin and we'll make a determination the call came amid reports that the u.s is preparing to supply
04:54tomahawk missiles to ukraine the long-range weapons could enable kiev to strike deep inside russian
05:01territory moscow however has warned that such a move would mark a dangerous escalation in u.s russia
05:08relations the issue of possible supplies of long-range tomahawk cruise missiles to ukraine
05:19was also discussed vladimir putin reiterated his theses that the tomahawks will not change the
05:24situation on the battlefield but will inflict significant damage to the relation between our
05:30countries let alone the prospects for a peaceful settlement
05:33soon after russia warned against the use of tomahawk missiles trump took a u-turn announcing
05:42that washington could not deplete its own stock now all eyes are on zelinski to see if he can persuade
05:49trump to reconsider well we talked about it a little bit didn't say much but i do say to you you know we
05:56need tomahawks for the united states of america too we have a lot of them but we need them i mean
06:05we uh we can't deplete for our country so you know they're very vital they're very powerful they're
06:12very accurate they're very good but we need them too so i don't know what we can do about that
06:19this renewed diplomatic outreach comes two months after the trump routine summit in alaska which ended
06:25without any major breakthrough in the ongoing war since trump's return to office ties between
06:31washington and moscow have been marked by moments of tension and frustration on both sides now with
06:37the budapest meeting set the question remains can trump who claims to have ended eight wars after
06:44coming to power for the second time finally broke a peace in ukraine and if so will it be on trump's
06:50terms or putin's with neha kumari bureau report india today
07:01will it be on trump's or putin's conditions rohit shirma joins me from dc uh rohit what are the terms
07:09and conditions over here this time around last time it was very clear uh that he was pushing aside ukrainian
07:15concerns then came the meeting in italy where he went ahead and considered uh ukraine's considerations
07:24and then the conversations and the meetings in alaska with russian president uh vladimir putin
07:31what does donald trump have in mind when it comes to a process does he have a plan in place to take the
07:37two countries to a place where they can actually come to the talking table well you know very
07:44famously president trump has been saying it's going to be you know peace true strength and something he's
07:49he think he thinks and he claims he has demonstrated through achieving ceasefire the ongoing gaza or
07:55actually the gaza is hamas war so i mean sorry my bad israel hamas war but my you know everybody that
08:01i have talked to you know they believe that president trump is trying to pressure president
08:07putin you know by suggesting that yes you know i'm going to be meeting with zelensky i'm gonna i might
08:11end up giving me these missiles that he so desperately needs and then you know trying to get something out
08:16of it which essentially was getting a meeting with president putin to keep the conversation going
08:21on the other hand i think he's also trying to understand zelensky's position zelensky also has been
08:26it has calmed a little bit he understands that he cannot do it alone even european allies cannot
08:31do it alone so i think president trump is trying to toe that line where you know he could probably
08:37show uh president president putin that he is going to be delivering those missiles and yet
08:44hold on to it with that threat and trying to bring zelensky to table so that's the bottom line i mean
08:49and the other important thing you know a lot of people should also uh know is that the economic
08:56framework that both the countries ukraine and the us agreed to secretary besant recently had a
09:01meeting they also want to re re start the conversation on the investment fund that
09:08that president zelensky had agreed to so that's also going to be talk your discussion today and i
09:12think president trump is trying to do both you know he's trying to play the bad cop and good cop on
09:16both this both sides of uh of the aisle and see if he can persuade president putin to come to terms
09:22but as of today you know everybody believes that today's conversation is going to be on supporting ukraine
09:29on getting their missiles on making sure that they have commitment uh for from zelensky and from ukraine
09:36to have this peace talk going and third and the most important one is persuading president zelensky
09:43not to do something out of the ordinary like we saw during those drone attacks in the summer so
09:49those are the things we'll have to wait and watch but president trump is trying to play
09:52the peacemaker by saying that he wants peace through strength okay he wants peace through strength but
10:00he also wants something else uh rohit and that certainly has been part of the conversations
10:05whether it's with russia or for that matter with ukraine or for that matter with any other country
10:10including india and that's rare earths uh and pakistan uh we do know that ukraine has uh signed up on a
10:18deal with uh america when it comes to rare earths could that be one of the cards that that zelensky
10:26holds and saying that well you we're giving you what you want you give us our tomahawks that we really
10:31need to fight russia can that be a part of the conversation well with president trump everything
10:38you know everything is deal making at the end right i mean if if he's able to do that if zelensky can
10:44say those things absolutely but you know that that was a talk with secretary bison and the framework
10:49the ukraine investment fund that we talked about i think that obviously will be discussed it's very
10:54important especially during these times when china has put those export controls or the rare earth
10:59elements so we'll have to wait and watch that how that plays out gita but i think for now i think it's
11:04president trump that holds more cards than zelensky at this point in time yes zelensky can bring those
11:09things up he can talk about those things in a very subtle way but not entirely you know i think
11:14it's going to be more of present from dictating as to how things would play out today and in two
11:19weeks time and when then when he meets with president putin in budapest okay we will talk about rare
11:26earths and discuss that in detail uh for our viewers to understand what was really happening and china
11:31does play a role over here but before that russia the u-turn on tomahawks came immediately after the
11:38phone conversation with president putin what happened there rohit well you know president
11:44trump again you know he he basically teased you know as the word he said he said he teased president
11:50putin hey you know what do you do you mind if i give those missiles out to zelensky and you know
11:56obviously that was not welcome and then we saw statement from the russians who said you know even
12:00if that was the case we'll still win this war but the bottom line is i think it provides uh ukraine
12:05ukrainians with with a long ridge missile that could do more damage than what they have been
12:10able to do in all these years and what changed i think uh that call between russian president and
12:16american president was not scheduled before gita it was only after the announcement that zelensky was
12:22visiting the white house this friday was that call initiated from the russians so obviously it's
12:26playing on the minds of the russians and president putin may have we do not know may have uh you know
12:33told president trump that it would not be such a nice thing if they were if the ukrainians end up
12:38with those tomahawk missiles so we'll have to wait and watch but definitely you know the call was
12:43initiated after it was announced that zelensky was going to be in washington dc meeting up with
12:49president trump and u.s defense manufacturers okay we have five to seven minutes before uh zelensky's
12:55cavalcade comes into white house and then let's just discuss rare earths because that's very important
13:01and russia has a very important partner pressure tactics in global politics works very differently
13:06we're looking at china russia's friend that holds control of most of the rare earth minerals across
13:15the world now on statecraft we discuss what america's real weaknesses and how beijing understands
13:22that and has a hold on that that's rare earth minerals watch
13:36china has just found the united states a calice here and it isn't in washington silicon valley
13:43or the pentagon it's deep underground in the form of 17 metallic elements the world calls
13:50rare earths beijing has weaponized its dominance over these minerals to squeeze america where it hurts
13:58most defense missiles jets submarines satellites all depend on chinese processed rare earths beijing
14:08calls it national security washington calls it economic warfare the truth it's both because in this war
14:16for global supremacy whoever controls rare earths controls the battlefield the question now is
14:23can the world's mightiest military fight back when its weapons depend on china's minerals hello and
14:30welcome you're watching statecraft with me the context is tough china controls roughly 90 percent
14:45of the world's rare earth processing and president trump's new trade war has just triggered a strategic
14:52counter-strike in response to his 25 to 50 percent tariffs on chinese tech beijing has restricted exports of gallium
15:01germanium and other minerals vital for semiconductors radars and missile systems the move exposes a hidden truth
15:10america's america's f-35s tomahawk missiles and predator drones all run on chinese processed elements
15:19beijing hasn't fired a single shot yet it's hit the pentagon where it's most exposed is this the new face
15:26of 21st century warfare minerals as missiles rare earths are the invisible fuel of modern power they make
15:36magnets for stealth jets guidance systems for missiles and sensors for nuclear submarines without them
15:44advanced militaries go blind deaf and immobile the f-35 alone needs over 900 pounds of these elements
15:53a single virginia class submarine consumes nearly 9 000 pounds these aren't luxury commodities they're the
16:01bones of military might and china doesn't just mine them it refines them over 90 percent of global processing
16:09happens on chinese soil the united states has one mine mountain pass in california but even its raw ore is
16:19shipped to china for separation it's a geopolitical irony america digs the dirt but beijing makes the magic
16:27decades of ignoring industrial policy and outsourcing environmental risks have left washington trapped
16:33in a supply chain it can't escape beijing saw the vulnerability now it's using it deliberately surgically
16:42and without mercy when trump slapped massive tariffs on chinese electric vehicles batteries and ai firms beijing
16:51didn't just retaliate with birds it retaliated with minerals in october 2025 the chinese commerce ministry
16:59issued announcement number 62 cutting off strategic minerals like gallium and germanium under the guise
17:07of sustainability but analysts see the truth this was a geopolitical bullet these elements are essential to
17:15radar systems semiconductor chips and missile guidance technology in short to the pentagon's entire operating
17:23system chinese state media hailed it as a defense of technological sovereignty but behind the rhetoric lies
17:31a message aimed squarely at washington you can sanction chips we can sanction the materials that make them
17:40in the global chessboard of power the u.s moved first but beijing just flipped the board now every american
17:47defense contractor from lockheed to raytheon faces the chilling reality that their next missile might
17:54depend on beijing's approval stamp the u.s spent decades mastering digital warfare but neglected material
18:02sovereignty under biden early efforts to rebuild rare earth supply chains stalled amid environmental protests
18:09and high costs trump's america first supply chain plan promised revival but it's crawling the pentagon's
18:17projects in california and texas are bogged down by chemical waste hurdles and astronomical costs
18:26washington's military industrial complex worth trillions now hinges on materials mined
18:32and processed and processed by its top rival even a short delay in ree exports could ripple through
18:40production lines for jets and submarines the mighty pentagon whose budget eclipses the next 10 militaries
18:48combined now faces the supply chain chokehold from a single ministry in beijing the balance of power
18:56isn't shifting on the battlefield it's shifting in the refineries this isn't the first time beijing has
19:04used minerals as weapons in 2010 china suspended rare earth shipments to japan during a maritime dispute
19:11and tokyo buckled under the pressure fast forward to 2025 and beijing has perfected that tactic on a
19:19superpower scale it's no longer about fishing rights or disputed islands it's about shaping the global order
19:27by controlling the world's rare earth walls china can now decide which economies and armies can function
19:35trump's tariff war has met its match a minerals war the u.s still imports roughly 70 of its rare earth
19:43compounds from china every speech about america first now echoes with the question can america be first
19:50if china controls the materials behind its might the fallout extends beyond washington europe too depends
19:57on chinese ree imports automakers smartphone firms and turbine manufacturers across the west are reeling
20:07prices are spiking production is stalling and investors are panicking beijing's control isn't just a chinese
20:15advantage it's a global reality western powers that dismissed industrial policy has outdated are now
20:22discovering the price of complacency one can call this the rare earth trap an elegant phrase for a brutal
20:30truth green energy and military defense now share the same bottleneck the world's transition to
20:36sustainability runs through the same pipeline that fuels its weapons and china owns the wall
20:46the flags are out and the presidential guards are also in place so in moments from now the gates
20:53at the white house are going to open up to zelensky rohit sharmayan dc reporting live
21:00on what's happening on the ground rohit the flags are out door ajar it seems like
21:06the the president of ukraine will be received at the white house in just moments from now
21:13any information on whether if president trump is going to come out and receive him or is this going
21:19to be a moment where he will decide to sit in that cabinet room and wait for zelensky
21:27well it's expected he's going to come out either from those doors and and greet president
21:32zelensky he's done that both uh times in the past too so we expected that he's going to be out there
21:38he will be greeting uh president zelensky he was uh listening to music that is president trump was
21:44listening and blasting the music uh right now like up until five minutes uh before ago so and then we
21:51also have a list of who's accompanying uh president zelensky we've got the names now it's going to be uh the
21:56head of the office uh and william mark secretary of national security and defense rustem umerov first
22:02deputy prime minister of foreign affairs sergey kalaska an ambassador of ukraine to the u.s olga so
22:07these are the people accompanying uh zelensky in uh to the white house we'll see president trump
22:13from those doors probably welcoming him again and it's it's important to also note uh geeta that as i was
22:20saying before the meeting is not going to be in the oval and we've been told that there might be
22:25some press allowed in the cabinet room where the meeting would be held but this is not going to be
22:30the overall office the images and the videos of which went viral all over the world it's going to be
22:34a lunch focused meeting uh after which the president trump is going to go back to florida
22:41at mar-a-lago so i have to wait and watch there is no press conference as such but we've been told that
22:46zelensky might be speaking and he might engage with the press after the meeting so right now i think
22:52we just were waiting for president zelensky to make his way from the blair house in to the white
22:57house so that president trump can greet him and then we'll see those images of them you know talking
23:03and we'll have to see you know how that that's taken how warm of a welcome it is from president
23:07from this time around well it is that time of the week roy that's friday it's time for him
23:12uh to do what he does every weekend head to mar-a-lago but uh uh just talking about your
23:19zelensky coming in we know that again uh he wore a suit last time he met uh president trump but the
23:26first time he met president trump at the oval at the white house he was in his fatigues war fatigues
23:34is there going to be a shift a change he's a continuum in how he dresses up or uh are we looking at a
23:41pushback because he does not have the room for that anymore
23:48went pretty well uh you know from the first one so i think he should follow the same protocol i mean if
23:53anybody's advising him they would want him to to suit up you know look uh presidential as some people
23:59have said in the past and meet president trump uh you know with that same level of respect is what
24:05a lot of people have said that it was you know possibly zelensky did not respect the white house
24:09of the oil office uh because he said you know he was not going to show up in a suit and you know
24:14war president and whatnot but i i would expect i would expect him to wear the suit uh gita the other
24:19thing the other important thing is he would not want to uh sort of do anything uh to disappoint
24:26president trump or his you know or people around president trump uh so the we're talking about the
24:32tomahawk missiles and you know all the stuff that why he needs it why russia doesn't want him to get
24:37get hold of it one of the things that i just got from a source that i was talking to they said they
24:42might you know president trump believes he may he will make a decision after a meeting with zelensky
24:47but the concern you know with some of the people at the pentagon is that they think that zelensky or
24:55ukrainian people might misuse it so i think that's the concern coming up and that's why probably
25:00president trump is not as committed to giving those missiles to president zelensky but he's going to
25:06make a decision right after a meeting zelensky right rohit you continue being here but it's time
25:12for me to end this show we will be on the story after a short break when president zelensky arrives
25:17at the white house time for a short break stay tuned for more on the other side goodbye and take care
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