WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, today joined America’s Newsroom on Fox News to discuss President Donald Trump’s peace negotiations to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Partial Transcript
Hagerty on the peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine: “President [Emmanuel] Macron flew here yesterday. You’re going to see [Prime Minister] Keir Starmer from the [United Kingdom] here later this week. [President Volodymyr] Zelensky is trying to get to the United States. I think we’re on the precipice of a deal, and Scott Bessent said yesterday, our Treasury Secretary, that he feels we’re on the one-yard line. So, I think we’re about to get there. President Trump wants to see an end to the carnage; he’s certainly changed the dynamic and the conversation around all of this, from [Former President] Joe Biden’s blank check, ‘as long as it takes’, to bring an end to this now, and I think it’s coming […] I think what President Trump, again, is doing is he is shifting the conversation completely. He’s trying to get to a deal with Russia. He’s not just continuing the Joe Biden process of sticking a stick in Russia’s eye. You see the European leaders that want to just continue down this path. What President Trump wants to do is bring an end to this now, and he’s trying to bring resolution to this. I think what we’re seeing is a shifting [of] sands. Again, you see these European leaders coming to the United States—again, I feel we’re at the precipice of a deal—President Trump is trying to make something happen here, not just go back to talking points that haven’t worked in the past.”
Hagerty on Trump’s strong negotiating position against Putin: “What I would say is that President [Trump] is actually trying to shift the conversation. President Trump has not lifted any sanctions on Putin. In fact, he’s talking about getting back in the energy business, putting Keystone Pipeline back in. It was Joe Biden that killed the Keystone XL Pipeline and okayed [the] Nord Stream 2 [Pipeline], which funded Russia’s war efforts. So, I think what you’re seeing is still plenty of pressure on Vladimir Putin, but President Trump, again, is shifting the dialogue right now trying to get to a deal.”
Hagerty on economic opportunities in a deal that could benefit the U.S.: “It’s a situation where I think President Trump is trying to think about this differently. He’s talking about economic development. He’s talking about getting our interests to align more economically. There are critical minerals in Russia, critical minerals in Ukraine. All of this could benefit the United States. China’s licking its chops right now. I think President Trump sees that as well and wants to make certain that the United States taxpayer benefits from what comes out of this, as opposed to the [Chinese Communist Party].”
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