>>> THIS IS MY FIRST OVERSEAS
TRIP AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES.
IM HEADING TO THE G7, THEN TO
THE IN THE MINISTERIAL AND THEN
TO MEET WITH MR. PUTIN TO LET
HIM KNOW WHAT I WANT HIM TO KNOW.
KNOW.
>> HI AGAIN, EVERYONE, ITS 5:00
IN THE EAST A SURE-FOOTED
PRESIDENT BIDEN THERE READY TO
MEET WITH RUSSIAN PRESIDENT
VLADIMIR PUTIN, A MAN HES
CALLED A KILLER BEFORE AND A MAN
HE TOLD TO HIS FACE HE BELIEVES
HAS NO SOUL.
WHILE THE TWO HAVE MET
PREVIOUSLY, NEXT WEEKS MEETING
IN GENEVA MARKS THE FIRST TIME
BIDEN WILL DO SO AS PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES AND WILL BE
ONE OF THE FIRST MAJOR TESTS OF
HIS FOREIGN POLICY AGENDA.
THE RUSSIAN PRESIDENT ALREADY
SENDING MESSAGES AHEAD OF THE
SUMMIT.
FROM THE "NEW YORK TIMES"
REPORT, QUOTE, THE RUSSIAN COURT
ON WEDNESDAY DESIGNATED ALEXEY
NAVALNYS POLITICAL MOVEMENT AS
AN EXTREMIST NETWORK, A
REMARKABLE MOVE THAT SENT A
MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT BIDEN AHEAD
OF HIS MEETING NEXT WEEK WITH
PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN.
RUSSIAN DOMESTIC AFFAIRS ARE NOT
UP FOR DISCUSSION.
THAT MOVE, VERY CALCULATED, AS
OUR FRIEND AND FORMER U.S.
AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA, MICHAEL
McFAUL NOTED, TWEETING THIS.
PUTIN EASILY COULD HAVE CHOSEN
TO TAKE THIS ACTION AFTER
MEETING WITH BIDEN IN GENEVA.
HE DELIBERATELY DID IT BEFORE.
BIDEN WROTE IN THE "WASHINGTON
POST" THAT HE WANTS A STABLE AND
PREDICTABLE RELATIONSHIP WITH
RUSSIA.
PUTIN DOES NOT.
HE IS DELIBERATELY PROVOKING
BIDEN WITH THIS MOVE.
YET BIDEN REMAINS UNDETERRED,
HIS TEAM OUT TODAY WITH
ASSURANCES THAT THEIR MEETING IS
STILL FULL STEAM AHEAD AND THE
PRESIDENT HAS A CLEAR OBJECTIVE
WHEN HE MEETS WITH HIS RUSSIAN
COUNTERPART.
HERES WHITE HOUSE
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR KATE
BEDDING FIELD ON "MORNING JOE"
EARLY
EARLIER TODAY.
>> PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS BEEN
DOING DIPLOMACY ON THE WORLD
STAGE FOR ALL OF HIS CAREER.
HES KNOWN PRESIDENT PUTIN FOR A
LONG TIME SO THIS IS GOING TO BE
A DIRECT CONVERSATION.
HES GOING TO RAISE A LOT OF THE
ISSUES WHERE WE HAVE REAL
DIFFERENCES AND REAL CONCERNS.
OF COURSE, THAT INCLUDES HUMAN
RIGHTS.
THAT INCLUDES INCURSION ON THE
UKRAINIAN BORDER.
THAT INCLUDES CYBERATTACKS AND
THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT RUSSIA
HAS WHEN MALIGN ACTORS IN THEIR
COUNTRY ARE EXECUTING THE KINDS
OF ATTACKS THAT WEVE SEEN OF
LATE.
SO THESE ARE ALL ISSUES HES
GOING TO RAISE BUT HES ALSO
GOING TO TALK ABOUT PLACES OF
CONSENSUS.
>> THIS MEETING COMING AT THE
END OF PRESIDENT BIDENS
EIGHT-DAY OVERSEAS TRIP WAS
PLANNED STRATEGICALLY, NBC NEWS
REPORTS.
IT ISNT BY ACCIDENT THAT BIDEN
WILL SPEND NEARLY A WEEK MEETING
WITH AMERICAS CLOSEST ALLIES
BEFORE HIS SUMMIT IN GENEVA WITH
PUTIN.
NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR JAKE
SULLIVAN SAID THE TIMING IS
INTENDED SO BIDEN CAN HEAD INTO
THE PUTIN MEETING WITH THE WIND
AT HIS BACK.
BUT THERES ALSO ANOTHER
BACKDROP TO NEXT WEEKS SUMMIT.
THE JAW-DROPPING MEETING AND
NEWS CONFERENCE PUTIN HAD WITH
BIDENS PREDECESSOR, THE
DISGRACED EX-GUY, NEARLY THREE
YEARS AGO WHEN THE CURRENT
ADMINISTRATION VERY MUCH WANTS
TO DISTANCE ITSELF FROM.
"THE WASHINGTON POST" REPORTS,
QUOTE, THE UNDERLYING GOAL IS TO
DEMONSTRATE A SHARP PIVOT FROM
TRUMPS PUBLIC DEFERENCE TO
PUTIN, WHICH WAS ON DISPLAY WHEN
THE TWO MET IN HELSINKI IN 2018.
"THE POST" ALSO NOTES, QUOTE,
BIDENS AIDES WERE AT PAINS THIS
WEEK TO ASSERT THAT EVEN THOUGH
BIDEN INITIATED THE MEETING, IT
DID NOT AMOUNT TO A REWARD FOR
PUTINS MISBEHAVIOR, AS SOME
REPUBLICANS HAVE SUGGESTED.
A PRETTY RICH COMMENT FROM
REPUBLICANS, GIVEN THE FACT THAT
WHEN THE LEADER OF THEIR PARTY
BLATANTLY PUT RUSSIA AND ITS
INTERESTS ABOVE THAT OF HIS OWN
COUNTRYS, REPUBLICANS DIDNT
SEEM TO THINK THERE WAS MUCH TO
CRITICIZE.
AND MANY DID NOT PUBLICLY
DENOUNCE HIS COMMENTS.
PRESIDENT BIDEN SET TO ASSERT
HIMSELF ON THE WORLD STAGE
AGAINST ONE OF OUR ADVERSARIES
IS WHERE WE START THIS HOUR WITH
SOME OF OUR FAVORITE REPORTERS
AND FRIENDS.
RETIRED U.S. NAVY ADMIRAL JAMES,
FORMER IN THE SUPREME ALLIED
COMMANDER JOINS US.
ALSO JOINING US, FRANK FIGLIUZZI
IS HERE, FORMER FBI ASSISTANT
DIRECTOR FOR
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE, HOST
OF "THE BUREAU" PODCAST.
AND THE NEWEST MEMBER OF OUR
FAMILY, TIM MILLER, WRITER AT
LARGE FOR THE BULWARK, NOW AN
MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR.
ADMIRAL, I WANT TO START WITH
YOU ON WHAT RUSSIA HAS DONE
AHEAD OF THIS MEETING, AND THEY
SEEM SO BELLIGERENT.
I ASKED AMBASSADOR McFAUL THIS
QUESTION LAST WEEK.
THEY SEEM VERY MUCH ON THE
OFFENSE IN TERMS OF THE
BRAZENNESS OF RUSSIAN CRIMINALS
AND THEIR HACKS THAT AFFECT OUR
MEAT SUPPLY AND OUR GAS SUPPLY,
BUT ONE THAT TOOK PLACE DURING
THE PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION THAT
ATTACKED EXECUTIVE BRANCH
AGENCIES, INCLUDING SOME WITH
NATIONAL SECURITY
RESPONSIBILITIES AND NOW THIS
DESIGNATION OF ALEXEY NAVALNY AS
AN EXTREMIST.
WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO MAKE SURE
WERE ON A STRONG FOOTING?
>> THE WAY TO FRAME THIS IS
REALLY TO THINK OF VLADIMIR
PUTIN.
I MEAN, HE TRULY IS A MODERN DAY
CZAR.
HELL RULE RUSSIA UNTIL THE DAY
HE DIES.
AND THE PRESIDENT CORRECTLY
CALLED HIM A KILLER.
I WOULD SAY VLADIMIR PUTIN IS A
HATER.
HE DEEPLY, TRULY, MADLY HATES
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
HE HATES NATO.
HE BELIEVES THE COLLAPSE OF THE
SOVIET UNION WAS THE GREATEST
TRAGEDY OF THE 20th CENTURY,
WHICH KIND OF IGNORES THE
HOLOCAUST, THE SECOND WORLD WAR
AND A FEW OTHER THINGS.
HE CHANNELS THAT HATRED BY HIS
ACTIVITIES AS A SPOILER ON THE
INTERNATIONAL SCENE.
YOU KNOW, FRANKLY, NICOLE, HE
DOESNT HAVE A GREAT HAND OF
CARDS.
HIS ECONOMY IS KIND OF A ONE
TRICK PONY, OIL AND GAS.
HIS POPULATION IS DECLINING.
HE HAS A VERY WEAK NETWORK OF
ALLIES AND PARTNERS.
BUT HE PLAYS A TACTICAL HAND, SO
YOU SEE THE CYBERATTACKS.
YOU SEE THE SUPPORT FOR A WAR
CRIMINAL LIKE BASHAR AL ASSAD IN
SYRIA.
YOU SEE THE ACTIVITIES ON
UKRAINE.
I THINK WERE POSITIONING
OURSELVES WELL HERE IN TERMS OF
THE PRESIDENT MEETING WITH HIM,
CONFRONTING HIM.
THERE MAY BE SOME ZONES OF
COOPERATION ON THE SIDE, BUT
STEP ONE HERE IS LOOK HIM IN THE
EYE, TELL HIM WHAT YOU THINK OF
HIM, AND TELL HIM WHAT IS
UNACCEPTABLE.
>> I WONDER WHAT YOU THINK OF
ALL THE TAUNTING.
IS THAT FOR A RUSSIAN DOMESTIC
AUDIENCE, SORT OF TROLLING THE
UNITED STATES ABOUT THE
WEAKNESSES IN OUR OWN DEMOCRACY,
SAYING THE 1/6 INSURRECTIONISTS
ARE BEING PERSECUTED?
WHOS HE TALKING TO?
>> LIKE ALL POLITICIANS, HE HAS
AN INTERNAL AUDIENCE THAT IS
VERY, VERY IMPORTANT TO HIM.
HE HAS A BASE.
AND HIS BASE IS ACTUALLY QUITE
SUPPORTIVE OF HIM.
HIS APPROVAL RATINGS STILL
REMAIN IN THE 60%, 70% RANGE,
AND YES, HE PLAYS TO THAT
INTERNAL AUDIENCE, NICOLE.
HE ALSO PLAYS ONE LAYER OUT TO
THE COLLECTION OF ALLIES SUCH AS
THEY ARE, PEOPLE LIKE BELARUS
AND FORMER SOVIET REPUBLICS.
HE PLAYS TO THAT INTERNATIONAL
AUDIENCE, IF YOU WILL.
AND FINALLY, HE PLAYS TO CHINA.
HE WANTS XI TO LOOK AT HIM AS A
WORLD PLAYER, AS SOMEONE WHO XI
WOULD WANT TO WORK WITH.
THATS ANOTHER ASPECT OF THIS
THAT THE PRESIDENT WILL BE
DISCUSSING IN THE RUN-UP TO
GENEVA WITH OUR ALLIES IS THIS
GROWING DIPLO SPEAK HERE,