CHARLES: PRESIDENT TRUMP
CANCELING SO FAR HIS SCHEDULED
MEETING WITH RUSSIAN PRESIDENT
VLADMIR PUTIN CITING THE CRISIS
IN UKRAINE.
TRUMP ALSO SAYS HE HAS NO PLANS
TO MEET WITH SAUDI ARABIA'S
CROWN PRINCE.
THIS AS U.S. INTELLIGENCE
POINTING A FINGER AT MOHAMMED
BIN SALMAN FOR THE DEATH OF
JAMAL KHASHOGGI.
OBVIOUSLY A WHOLE LOT GOING ON
AT THIS SUMMIT.
WE HAVE FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT
OFFICIAL, DAVID TEHARI.
START WITH THE LATEST ACT OF
AGGRESSION WITH UKRAINE.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF IT?
IS VLADMIR PUTIN TRYING TO TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF ALL THE CONFUSION
AROUND THE WORLD?
BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE THIS KIND
OF STUFF ALWAYS HAPPENS WHEN
OTHER THINGS ARE BLOWING UP?
>> I THINK THAT IS EXACTLY
RIGHT.
PUTIN WILL PUSH, PUSH, AS LONG
AS HE DOESN'T GET PUSHED BACK.
WHY I THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP IS
WISE CANCELING THIS MEETING WITH
PUTIN AT THE G20 SUMMIT.
IF YOU NOTICE IN THE TWEET WHERE
THE PRESIDENT SAID HE WOULD
CANCEL MEETING BECAUSE OF
RUSSIAN ACT OF AGGRESSION
AGAINST UKRAINIAN SHIPS.
ALSO RUSSIA HAS IN THEIR
CUSTODY, UKRAINIAN MILITARY
OFFICIALS AS WELL.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS UNTIL THEY
COME BACK, WE'LL HAVE A PROBLEM
WITH RUSSIA.
HIS LANGUAGE, HIS RHETORIC IS
BALANCED.
HE IS NOT TAKING PERPNAL SWIPES
AT PUTIN HIMSELF.
CLEARLY PRESIDENT TRUMP IS
TRYING TO PRESERVE THE
RELATIONSHIP AS HE TAKE AS STUFF
STANCE AGAINST RUSSIA.
INTHINK IT IS RIGHT HE APPROACH.
HE NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT
UNITED STATES WILL NOT TOLERATE.
CHARLES: SOME CRITICS AT HOME
THAT THEY BELIEVE VLADMIR PUTIN
IS EMBODIENED BY THE FACT THAT
TRUMP DON'T CALL HIM OUT
PERSONALLY?
>> I THINK THAT IS PROBABLY
CORRECT.
PUTIN IS WATCHING CLOSELY THE
MESSAGES OF PRESIDENT TRUMP.
THERE IS NOTHING THAT STRONG ON
RUSSIA.
AS REBECCA NOTED HE DID THE
RIGHT THING HE CANCELED THE
ONE-ON-ONE MEETING WITH PUTIN.
GOING INTO THE G20 SUMMIT
MEETINGS WE'LL SEE HOW HE
INTERACTS WITH PUTIN.
WILL THERE BE A SIDE DISCUSSION
BETWEEN THEM MORE INFORMAL.
WHAT KIND OF MESSAGING WILL
PRESIDENT TRUMP SAY IN THE
PUBLIC MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
THAT RELATE TO THIS?
HE HAS TO TAKE A STRONG STAND,
SO AS REBECCA SAYS, PUTIN
UNDERSTANDS THAT THE U.S. WILL
PUSH BACK ON THIS.
THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT
PROVOCATION.
RUSSIA OF COURSE HAD ITS DESIGNS
ON UKRAINE SINCE 2014.
IT HAS BEEN SUPPORTING
SEPARATISTS IN EASTERN UKRAINE.
THIS IS THE FIRST PROVOCATION BY
THE RUSSIAN MILITARY DIRECTLY AT
UKRAINE.
THAT IS WHY IT NEEDS STRONG
MESSAGING TO COUNTER IT.
WE NEED TO WORK WITH EUROPEAN
ALLIES ON SANCTIONS AGAINST
RUSSIA, IF RUSSIA DOESN'T BACK
OFF.
CHARLES: REBECCA, HASN'T THIS
ADMINISTRATION TAKEN VERY TOUGH
STEPS TOWARDS RUSSIA, ALTHOUGH
NOT PUBLICIZED BY THE MEDIA,
THEY HAVE BEEN A LOT STRONGER
THAN PEOPLE HAVE IMAGINED?
>> THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN
INCREDIBLY TOUGH AS MATTER OF
POLICY, LOOK WHAT THEY'RE DOING,
VIS-A-VIS RUSSIA.
ENTIRE NATIONAL DEFENSE
STRATEGY, NATIONAL SECURITY
STRATEGY IS DESIGNED TO COUNTER
RUSSIA AND CHINA.
THAT IS SOMETHING THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION AVOIDED DOING.
WE'RE TAKING IT HEAD ON.
LOOKING AT NUCLEAR POSTURE TO
DETER RUSSIA.
DOESN'T GET AWAY WITH
ENCROACHING ON NATO.
WE ARMED UKRAINIANS, GIVING
LETHAL AID, SOMETHING THEY
BEGGED FOR DURING THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION.
OPENING UP THE ENERGY MARKETS IN
EASTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPE.
THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN
TOUGH.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE
PRESIDENT TRUMP BEING TOUGH.
HE DOESN'T NEED TO GO FULL
AGGRESSIVELY WITH HIS RHETORIC
AGAINST PUTIN.
JUST BEING CLEAR WHAT HE WILL
NOT TOLERATE WILL BE GREAT.
HE CAN'T HAVE A PART II WITH
HELSINKI IN THE PRESS
CONFERENCE, CHARLES.
HE NEEDS TO BE TOUGH THIS TIME.
CHARLES: SURE.
REAL QUICK GUYS, RUNNING OUT OF
TIME.
I WANT TO ASK IN GENERAL CREDIT
SYSTEM OF PRESIDENT TRUMP OR
AMERICA PULLING BACK FROM THE
WORLD STAGE.
I FIND IT IRONIC, SAME PEOPLE
WANT US TO SEVER TIES WITH
SAUDI ARABIA BUT KEEP
RELATIONSHIPS GOING WITH CHINA,
NOT FIGHT BACK THERE.
INCONSISTENCY FROM THE FOREIGN
PRESS AND MEDIA, WHERE SHOULD WE
BE WITH RESPECT TO THE WORLD
STAGE?
>> WELL LOOK, NOBODY SAID WHAT
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS TO DO HERE
IS GOING TO BE EASY.
IT WOULDN'T BE EASY FOR ANY
PRESIDENT.
WHAT HE HAS TO DO IS RIGHT
MESSAGING TOWARDS RUSSIA,
TOWARDS MBS AND TOWARDS
SAUDI ARABIA.
WE HAVE TO KEEP THE ALLIANCE
WITH SAUDI ARABIA.
THE PRESIDENT HAS TO BE CLEAR,
MOVE CLOSER TO THE POSITION OF
CONGRESS.
WE'LL PUNISH SAUDI ARABIA.
WE'LL DO MORE THAN SANCTION 17
PEOPLE THEY SACRIFICED.
CHARLES: RIGHT.
>> WE HAVE TO DO STRONG
MESSAGING WITH RESPECT TO CHINA.
THAT IS A KEY MEETING, DINNER
MEETING ON SATURDAY WHERE
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS TO ACHIEVE
THE TRADE GOALS WITH
PRESIDENT XI.
CHARLES: REAL QUICK, REBECCA,
ARE WE PULLING AWAY FROM THE
WORLD STAGE OR ASKING NATE TO
PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE?
>> WE'RE NOT PULLING AWAY BACK
FROM THE WORLD.
WE'RE HAVING A PRUDENT FOREIGN
POLICY, AMERICA MILITARY IS
STRONGEST IN THE WORLD, OUR
ECONOMY IS THE STRONGEST IN THE
WORLD.
WE'LL WIELD THEM MAKE SURE OTHER
PEOPLE RESPECT WHAT IS AMERICAN
INTERESTS.
WE WANT OUR ALLIANCES TO ACT