>>> THE UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR SPOKE TO US A YEAR AGO.
HANS NICKELS SPOKE TO HER.
>> THESE AIR EXERCISES ARE
UNPRECEDENTED.
UNPRECEDENTED. WE HAVE NEVER DONE A U.S. AIR
FORCE SPONSORED AIR EXERCISE
WITH UKRAINE BEFORE.
THERE ARE EIGHT OTHER COUNTRIES
PARTICIPATING.
PARTICIPATING. THIS ALLOWS U.S. AIR FORCE AND
UKRAINE AIR FORCE TO TRAIN
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. MANY OOHUKRAINIANS HAVE NEVER
TRAINED WITH U.S. AIRCRAFT.
IT’S VERY POSITIVE.
I THINK AN EXAMPLE OF U.S. AND
OTHER COUNTRY SUPPORT FOR
UKRAINE.
UKRAINE. >> WHAT DOES IT MEAN THE
EXERCISES ARE HAPPENING AFTER
THE ANNEXATION OF CRIMEA?
>> I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT AFTER
RUSSIA INVADED THAT UKRAINE BE
ABLE TO HAVE SOVEREIGNTY OVER
ITS LAND.
ITS LAND. AIR SOVEREIGNTY IS AN IMPORTANT
PART OF THAT.
SO HELPING UKRAINE CREATE
CAPABILITIES IN THAT AREA IS AN
IMPORTANT THING.
IMPORTANT THING. >> WE ARE 300 MILES FROM RUSSIA.
HOW GRAVE IS THE THREAT FROM
RUSSIA IN
RUSSIA IN RUSSIA?
RUSSIA? >> WE SEE RUSSIA TRYING TO
UNDERMINE UKRAINE ACROSS THE
BOARD.
BOARD. WE HAVE MENTIONED CRIMEA.
THERE IS AN ACTIVE KINETIC WAR.
SOLDIERS IN EASTERN UKRAINE
EVERY DAY, EVERY THREE DAYS A
UKRAINIAN SOLDIER DIES.
CIVILIANS DIE AS WELL.
LAST SUNDAY, THREE CHILDREN DIED
BECAUSE OF LAND MINES.
WE SEE A KINETIC WAR, SOLDIERS
FIGHTING AGAINST EACH OTHER.
WE SEE CYBERATTACKS.
CONSTANT CYBERATTACKS, INCLUDING
THE FIRST EVER CYBERATTACK ON
ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE.
ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE. WE WILL SEE ASSASSINATIONS.
WE SEE THE ECONOMIC TOOL BEING
USED WITH VARIOUS SANCTIONS AND
SO FORTH.
SO FORTH. THERE IS A LOT OF -- RUSSIA IS
USING A LOT OF TOOLS AGAINST
UKRAINE.
UKRAINE. >> WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE CYBER
OFFENSIVE, THEY HAVE GONE AFTER
INFRASTRUCTURE, THEY HAVE TRIED
TO INFLUENCE THE DEMOCRACY HERE.
WHAT’S THE FREQUENCY OF IT?
>> I THINK IT’S CONSTANT.
I THINK IT’S CONSTANT.
>> CONSTANT CYBER INFLUENCE FROM
RUSSIA?
RUSSIA? >> CYBERATTACKS, YES.
>> ARE THERE AREAS WHERE
UKRAINE, RUSSIA AND THE U.S. CAN
WORK TOGETHER?
WORK TOGETHER? ARE THERE AREAS -- WE HAVE A
JOINT SPACE PROGRAM.
THE TEST ROCKET WENT DOWN.
WHERE ARE THERE AREAS WHERE ALL
THREE CAN WORK TOGETHER?
>> YOU KNOW, WE’RE ALWAYS
LOOKING FOR AREAS THAT WE CAN
WORK TOGETHER.
WORK TOGETHER. THAT’S A VERY CHALLENGING
QUESTION RIGHT NOW.
>>> HANS NICKELS IS AT THE WHITE
HOUSE RIGHT NOW.
SHE DELIVERED A STINGING REBUKE
OF THE PRESIDENT’S FOREIGN
DIPLOMACY SAYING THE STATE
DEMOCRAT WAS HOLLOWED OUT FROM
WITHIN.
WITHIN. ANY WHITE HOUSE REACTION?
>> YOU MIGHT SEE REPORTERS.
THE PRESIDENT JUST -- THEY ARE
WRAPPING UP THE CONVERSATION
WITH THE CHINESE.
PEOPLE ARE RUNNING BACK TO FILE.
HE MAY HAVE MENTIONED SOMETHING
AT THE TAIL END OF THAT.
THE NOTES I SAW DIDN’T INDICATE
HE SAID ANYTHING ON THAT
SPECIFICALLY.
SPECIFICALLY. I’M GETTING A THUMBS DOWN FROM A
TRUSTED SOURCE WHO WAS JUST IN
THE OVAL OFFICE.
I’M GOING TO PUT HIS THUMBS DOWN
ON THE RECORD.
WHEN YOU LISTEN, WHEN WE SPOKE A
YEAR AGO IN EASTERN UKRAINE,
THAT’S AN INDICATION OF WHAT
DIPLOMACY IS LIKE.
THAT’S WHAT A U.S. AMBASSADOR
DOES.
DOES. SHE GO OUT TO JOINT EXERCISES,
THEY ENGAGE WITH THE MEDIA.
THEY ARE NOT FLASHY.
THAT INTERVIEW DIDN’T MAKE AIR
IN OUR OVERALL PIECE BECAUSE IT
WAS MORE ABOUT THE F-15s IN THE
AIR.
AIR. IT DOES GIVE YOU AN INDICATION
OF THE KIND OF PERSON SHE IS AND
THE KIND OF PAINSTAKING
DIPLOMACY THAT SHE WAS ENGAGED
IN.
IN. WE WILL SEE WHETHER OR NOT SHE
COMES TO THE CAMERAS TODAY, IF
WE WILL HEAR FROM HER IN MORE
FORCEFUL MATTERS.
FORCEFUL MATTERS. >> LET’S GET TO WHY THESE PEOPLE
ARE RUNNING AROUND.
THE PRESIDENT WAS MEETING WITH
THE VICE PREMIERE OF CHINA
TODAY.
TODAY. APPARENTLY THAT WRAPPED UP.
WHAT DO WE KNOW?
>> THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCED HE
HAD SOME SORT OF PRELIMINARY
DEAL.
DEAL. HE CALLED IT SIGNIFICANT.
IT LOOKS LIKE PEOPLE ARE GOING
OUT THIS DOOR.
I’M SEEING AMERICAN AND IT LOOKS
LIKE CHINESE REPORTERS, WHICH
COULD BE AN INDICATION THE
CHINESE MIGHT TALK AS WELL.
WHAT HAPPENED WAS JUST THE
PRESIDENT HERE.
PRESIDENT HERE. IT’S AT THIS POINT I -- I’M
PLAYING BASKETBALL IN A GOOD
FULL COURT PRESS.
>> YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB.
>> IT LOOKS LIKE PEOPLE ARE
HEADING OUT.
HEADING OUT. MOST OF THE NEWS CAME OUT FROM
THAT CONVERSATION.
THAT CONVERSATION. THERE’S A PRELIMINARY DEAL.
THERE WILL BE NO ADDITIONAL
SANCTIONS.
SANCTIONS. THAT CAME OUT JUST BEFORE
MARKETS CLOSED AT 4:00 P.M. ON
FRIDAY.
FRIDAY. THERE’S A LOT MORE WE NEED TO
FIGURE OUT ABOUT THE CONTOURS OF
THIS DEAL AND THE SPECIFICS.
IT’S CLEAR THAT THIS IS JUST
PHASE ONE.
PHASE ONE. THERE WILL BE MULTIPLE OTHER
ITERATIONS OF THIS.
THERE WILL BE TRADE DELEGATIONS
FROM THE U.S. GOING TO CHINA TO
TRY TO WRAP THAT UP.
>> IT’S A COMPLEX ISSUE.
IT SEEMS LIKE IT’S JUST GOOD
NEWS THEY ARE GETTING SOMEWHERE.
EARLIER, WE WEREN’T SURE THE
TALKS WOULD HAPPEN.
WHATEVER IT IS, IT SOUNDS LIKE A
LIMITED DEAL.
LIMITED DEAL. GOOD NEWS.
GOOD NEWS. THE MARKETS WERE UP OVER 300
POINTS.
POINTS. THEY LIKED THAT AS WELL.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. THE WHITE HOUSE IS SENSITIVE TO
WHAT MARKET REACTION DOES.
THE PRESIDENT FREQUENTLY TALKS
ABOUT HOW PEOPLE’S 401(K)s ARE
DOING.
DOING. HOW STRONG THE ECONOMY IS.
HE CAN’T BE IMPEACHED BECAUSE
THE ECONOMY IS SO STRONG.
WHEN THERE WERE REPORTS HE HAD A
DEAL, SECRETARY MNUCHIN WAS
ASKED WHETHER THERE WAS A DEAL
AND IF THE STOCK MARKET WAS
AHEAD OF ITSELF.
HE SAID, THE STOCK MARKET IS
NEVER WRONG.
NEVER WRONG. THAT’S THE EXTENT OF HOW MUCH
STOCK THEY PUT IN THE STOCK
MARKET.
MARKET. >> MA CHEWNUCHIN ANNOUNCED THE W
HOUSE IS READY TO IMPOSE
SANCTIONS ON TURKEY.
THEY ARE NOT ACTIVATING THEM
YET.
YET. DO WE KNOW WHAT MIGHT TRIGGER
THEM?
THEM? IS THIS PLAYING TO REPUBLICANS
UPSET ABOUT HIS MOVES OVER
SYRIA?
SYRIA? >> THIS ALLOWS FOR CONVERSATION
TO TAKE PLACE BETWEEN THE WHITE
HOUSE AND REPUBLICANS ON THEIR
MIGHT BE ECONOMIC SANCTIONS.
WHAT WE HAVE TODAY IS A SHELL,
PAPERWORK, HOWEVER YOU WANT TO
SAY IT.
SAY IT. THERE WAS NOT ACTUAL TARGETING
OF SANCTIONS.
OF SANCTIONS. WE DIDN’T GET ANY INDICATION OF
WHAT WOULD TRIGGER THOSE
SANCTIONS.
SANCTIONS. WHO WOULD BE TARGETED, HOW
SEVERE THEY WERE.
WE HEARD IT WOULD BE PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY SANCTIONS.
SECONDARY SANCTIONS. PRIMARY IS A BANK IN TURKEY.
SECONDARY, A BANK IN GERMANY
THAT LENDS TO TURKEY.
BY AVAILING THEMSELVES OF
SECONDARY SANCTION OPTIONS, THAT
GIVES YOU A SENSE THEY ARE
PREPARED TO GO BIGGER ON THIS.
THAT COULD BE PART OF THE SCOPE.
I THINK WE NEED TO HEAR FROM THE
PRESIDENT DIRECTLY IF AND WHEN
HE WILL -- I’M SEEING MORE
ACTIVITY.
ACTIVITY. HE WILL BE WHEELS UP ON HIS
HELICOPTER HERE.
HELICOPTER HERE. WHENEVER THE PRESIDENT TAKES
OFF, THERE’S ALWAYS THE
POSSIBILITY THAT HE STOPS BEFORE
THE CAMERAS AND UNBURDENED HIM E
HIMSELF OF HIS THOUGHTS AND
GRIEVANCES.
GRIEVANCES. >> THERE’S A STRONG POSSIBILITY
WE MAY GET MORE THOUGHTS AND
GRIEVANCES TODAY.
GRIEVANCES TODAY. LET ME ASK ANOTHER QUESTION.
THE PENTAGON ANNOUNCING IT WILL
DEPLOY THOUSANDS TROOPS TO SAUDI
ARABIA.
ARABIA. WHAT’S GOING ON THERE?
>> IN THE GULF, PERSIAN GULF AND
RED SEA.
RED SEA. A TANK WAS FIRED UPON.
THE PENTAGON TELEGRAPHED THIS
SAYING THEY DO ADDED 1,800 MORE.
THEY SAID THESE TROOPS ARE
DEFENSIVE IN NATURE, INVOLVE
MISSILE DEFENSE BATTERIES, A
COUPLE AIR SQUADRONS, HANDLERS
FOR THIS.
FOR THIS. IT’S NOT LIKE THEY’RE SENDING IN
COMMANDOS, SPECIAL OPERATORS
INTO SAUDI ARABIA.
THEY ARE DEFENSIVE IN NATURE.
THERE’S AN INDICATION THE
PENTAGON WANTS TO SIGNAL TO THE
IRANIANS THAT THEY ARE PREPARED
TO PLAY DEFENSE IF THINGS
ESCALATE.
ESCALATE. THE U.S. HAS 50, 60,000 TROOPS
IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
A LOT OF THOSE ARE WITHIN RANGE
OF IRANIAN ASSETS.
WHEN YOU START WAR GAMING THIS
OUT AND THINKING WHERE IT GOES
ON THE ESCALATION LADDER,
OFFICIALS AT THE PENTAGON ARE
CONCERNED IRAN HAS A SERIOUS
MILITARY THAT CAN DO SERIOUS DAL
TO U.S. FORCES.
THIS HAS TO DO WITH PROTECTING
THEM.
THEM. >> HANGS