IS ALREADY IN GENEVA WHERE HE
HAD THAT INTERVIEW WITH PUTIN.
GREAT TO HAVE ALL OF YOU WITH
US.
MONICA, GIVE US A SENSE OF THE
PRESIDENTS MINDSET GOING INTO
THIS MEETING AND HOW THE WHITE
HOUSE IS SETTING EXPECTATIONS.
>> Reporter: WELL, THE STAKES
ARE INCREDIBLY HIGH, CHRIS, BUT
THE EXPECTATIONS ARE A LITTLE
BIT LOWER.
THEYRE NOT ANTICIPATING A BIG
OR MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH FROM THESE
TALKS, BUT THE PRESIDENT
YESTERDAY REALLY GAVE US HIS
CLEAREST VIEW OF HOW HES
APPROACHING PRESIDENT PUTIN,
SOMEONE HE DID MEET A DECADE AGO
UNDER VERY DIFFERENT
CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN HE WAS VICE
PRESIDENT AND WHEN PINT WAS
PRIME MINISTER OF RUSSIA.
TOMORROW WHEN THEY MEET
OVERLOOKING LAKE GENEVA JUST
BEHIND ME FOR MULTIPLE HOURS,
THEY WILL BE IN TWO DIFFERENT
SESSIONS, A SMALLER ONE, THEN AN
EXPANDED BILATERAL SESSION.
WE DONT KNOW EXACTLY HOW LONG
ITS GOING TO WRAP,LAST, BUT WE
KNOW THE PRESIDENT IS PREPARED
TO CONFRONT PUTIN ON A NUMBER OF
ITEMS, INCLUDING RANSOMWARE
ATTACKS, ELECTION INTERFERENCE.
WE KNOW HOW HES ASSESSING
VLADIMIR PUTIN, GIVING US SOME
INSIGHT OF HOW HE VIEWS HIM AS A
CHARACTER WHEN HE WAS AT NATO
YESTERDAY.
TAKE A LISTEN TO HOW HE FRAMED
IT.
>> ITS IN OUR MUTUAL INTEREST
AND IN THE INTEREST OF THE WORLD
TO COOPERATE.
LETS SEE IF WE CAN DO THAT.
IN THE AREAS WHERE WE DONT
AGREE, MAKE IT CLEAR WHERE THE
RED LINES ARE.
I HAVE MET WITH HIM.
HES BRIGHT, HES TOUGH, AND I
HAVE FOUND THAT HE IS A -- AS
THEY SAY WHEN I USED TO PLAY
BALL, -- A WORTHY ADVERSARY.
>> Reporter: THE PRESIDENT SAYS
IN TERMS OF COOPERATION, THEY
WILL BE TALKING ABOUT CLIMATE
CHANGE, ARMS CONTROL, CONTAINING
IRANS NUCLEAR AMBITIONS AND A
WHOLE OTHER LIST OF THINGS.
SO WE EXPECT THE PRESIDENT,
THOUGH, TO COME OUT BY HIMSELF
AFTER THIS SUMMIT WRAPS UP AND
HOLD HIS OWN PRESS CONFERENCE
WITH THE WHITE DECIDING BY
DESIGN THEY DONT WANT TO GIVE
PRESIDENT PUTIN THE SAME IMAGE
THAT FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP HAD
IN HELSINKE ALL OF THOSE YEARS
AGO, INSTEAD DECIDING THEY WANT
THIS PRESIDENT TO BE ABLE TO BE
FRANK ABOUT ALL OF THE ISSUES HE
CONFRONTED PUTIN ON AND TALK
ABOUT THAT.
WHICH WE EXPECT TO HEAR FROM
PRESIDENT PUTIN AS WELL
INDIVIDUALLY, AND THEN OF COURSE
WELL COMPARE THE TWO SIDES,
BECAUSE PUTIN IS KNOWN TO
SOMETIMES EXAGGERATE AND
MISREPRESENT THE FACTS.
THE PRESIDENT WILL BE MAKING HIS
WAY TO GENEVA HERE SHORTLY,
CHRIS, AND WE KNOW HE HAS BEEN
EXTENSIVELY PREPARING FOR
SEVERAL WEEKS, HOLDING A SESSION
AT THE WHITE HOUSE BEFORE HE
DEPARTED FOR EUROPE WITH A GROUP
OF ABOUT TEN EXPERTS ON RUSSIA,
INCLUDING, OF COURSE, THOSE WHO
HAVE MET WITH AND BEEN PRESENT
WITH SEVERAL MEETINGS WITH PUTIN
OVER THE LAST DECADE OR SO.
CHRIS?
>> AMBASSADOR, YOURE ONE OF THE
FOLKS SHE JUST REFERENCED, SO
WERE REALLY FORTUNATE TO HAVE
YOU TODAY.
NOT ONLY HAVE YOU INTERACTED
WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN IN THE PAST,
YOU WERE THERE WHEN BIDEN MET
WITH HIM TEN YEARS AGO.
SO WHEN YOU BRIEFED THE
PRESIDENT, WHAT DID YOU TELL HIM
ABOUT WHAT TO EXPECT FROM
VLADIMIR PUTIN?
>> WELL, IM NOT GOING TO
COMMENT ON MY PRIVATE
CONVERSATIONS WITH PRESIDENT
BIDEN, BUT I HAVE BRIEFED THE
PRESIDENT TECHBN YEARS AGO AND I
TOLD HIS ADVISORS ABOUT WHAT TO
EXPECT.
PUTIN LOVES TO PLAY THE
WHAT-ABOUTISM GAME, COMPARE
THINGS THAT ARE NOT EQUIVALENT.
TWO, HE CAN SOMETIMES ROLL OUT
SURPRISES.
REMEMBER, HE DID THAT WITH
PRESIDENT TRUMP IN HELSINKE IN
2018 WHERE, IN FRONT OF ALL OF
THE CAMERAS, HE SAID WE SHOULD
SWAP CRITICAL INFORMATION WITH
BOTH COUNTRIES.
HE HAD JUST INDICTED
INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS RIGHT
BEFORE THAT SUMMIT, AND PUTIN
SAID, WELL, WE HAVE SOME PEOPLE
WE THINK HAVE BROKEN RUSSIAN
LAW.
WE WOULD LIKE TO ENTERINTERROGAT
THEM AS WELL.
I REMEMBER THAT WELL BECAUSE I
WAS ON THAT LIST.
PRESIDENT TRUMP DID NOT KNOW HOW
TO RESPOND WELL.
THOSE WERE THE TWO TACTICAL
THINGS WE DISCUSSED TEN YEARS
AGO THAT THE VICE PRESIDENT
NEEDS TO BE PREPARED FOR AS WELL
AS HIS MEETING HERE IN JUST A
FEW HOURS -- FEW DAYS TO GO, I
GUESS.
>> YAURKSEAH, THE BIG LEAD-UP UN
TOMORROW.
KEIR, WE KNOW THAT THE WHITE
HOUSE HAS BEEN WATCHING YOUR
INTERVIEW WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN
VERY CLOSELY.
WE HEARD PRESIDENT BIDEN SAY
PUTIN IS A WORTHY ADVERSARY
YESTERDAY WHEN HE HAD THAT PRESS
CONFERENCE.
SO AFTER SPENDING TIME WITH THE
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT, DO YOU THINK
HE FEELS THE SAME WAY ABOUT
PRESIDENT BIDEN?
>> Reporter: YOU KNOW, CHRIS, I
THINK THAT IS A CHALLENGING
QUESTION TO ANSWER.
WE DO KNOW FROM MY INTERVIEW
WITH PRESIDENT PUTIN WHAT HE
SAID.
HE PRAISED, IF YOU LIKE,
PRESIDENT BIDENS LONG
EXPERIENCE.
WE DONT KNOW WHAT PRESIDENT
PUTIN IS DOING INSIDE THE
KREMLIN THERE TO PREPARE FOR THE
SUMMIT.
ITS POSSIBLE THAT HE IS
STUDYING HARD.
ITS POSSIBLE THAT AFTER 20
YEARS OF LEADING RUSSIA, HE
FEELS CONFIDENT ENOUGH NOT TO.
WE KNOW WHAT PRESIDENT PUTIN HAS
SAID CYNICALLY ABOUT AMERICA IN
THE PAST.
HE HAS SAID THAT AMERICA HAS
CHANGED WHILE WASHINGTON DOESNT
CHANGE.
SO I THINK PRESIDENT BIDEN
SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR A CYNICAL
VIEW FROM PRESIDENT PUTIN.
WEVE SAID BEFORE THAT IT MAY BE
THAT THEY HAVE TO TACKLE
INDIVIDUAL ISSUES RATHER THAN TO
TRY TO SOLVE THE ENTIRE
RELATIONSHIP.
CLEARLY THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE
ABLE TO DO THAT, CHRIS.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS, OBVIOUSLY,
AS ALL THE ISSUES THAT ARE SO
CRITICAL, AMBASSADOR, FROM
CYBERATTACKS TO THE CRACKDOWN ON
THE OPPOSITION, INCLUDING ALEXEY
NAVALNY AND HIS FOLLOWERS.
IM VERY CURIOUS ABOUT WHAT YOU
THINK SORT OF THE MOOD WILL BE
IN THERE.
KEIR HAS SPOKEN IN THE LAST
COUPLE OF DAYS AFTER
INTERVIEWING PUTIN SORT OF ABOUT
HIS TACTICS THAT MAKE YOU THINK
ABOUT HIM AS THE FORMER KGB
AGENT.
IS HE STUDYING FOR THIS?
OBVIOUSLY HE HAS TO APPROACH
THIS DIFFERENTLY THAN HE DID
WITH DONALD TRUMP, AND WHAT
WOULD YOU EXPECT FROM HIM IN
TERMS OF SORT OF HIS STRATEGY?
>> WELL, REMEMBER, VLADIMIR
PUTIN DOESNT NEED TO GET
ANYTHING OUT OF THIS MEETING.
BACK WHEN I WORKED IN THE STATE
DEPARTMENT IN THE WHITE HOUSE,
WE USED TO USE THE WORD
"DELIVERABLES" FOR THESE
SUMMITS.
WHAT ARE THE DELIVERABLES, THE
OUTCOMES THAT WILL LEAD TO
TANGIBLE BENEFIT FOR THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE?
VLADIMIR PUTIN DOESNT HAVE TO
HAVE ANY DELIVERABLES OTHER THAN
JUST SHOWING UP.
REMEMBER, HE DIDNT REQUEST THIS
MEETING.
PRESIDENT BIDEN DID.
AND THEN I THINK REBUTTING THE
LONG LIST YOU JUST OUTLINED.
AND HES REALLY GOOD AT THAT.
LETS BE CLEAR.
HE KNOWS THAT LIST WELL, HE
KNOWS HOW TO RESPOND, AND IF THE
OUTCOME WAS NO OUTCOME, NO
DELIVERABLES, THATS JUST FINE
FOR MR. PUTIN.
>> DOES ANYTHING ON THAT LIST
MAKE YOU NERVOUS? I WAS LISTENING TO YOU TALK TO
I WAS LISTENING TO YOU TALK TO
NIKOLE WALLACE YESTERDAY AND
WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
>> IN MY OPINION, HIS GREATEST
FEAR IS HOLDING POWER.
HES SLIPPED IN THE POLLS.
HES BEEN THERE 21 YEARS.
ANYONE WOULD SLIP IN THE POLLS
AFTER 21 YEARS.
HIS CHIEF PRISONER IS ALEXEY
NAVALNY.
ALEXEY NAVALNY IS NOT TALKING
ABOUT THINGS LIKE LIBERALISM AND
DEMOCRACY.
THATS WHAT PUTIN FEARS THE
MOST.
>> WE KNOW THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN
IS LIKELY TO BRING UP TIES
BETWEEN RUSSIA AND CHINA.
A SENIOR OFFICIAL TOLD
"POLITICO" THAT THE U.S. NOW
SAYS IT IS, QUOTE, A QUASI
ALLIANCE.
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT
PARTNERSHIP AND WHAT IT COULD
MEAN FOR THE UNITED STATES?
>> Reporter: WELL, I THINK ITS
A REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION.
LONG TERM PROBABLY THE MOST
IMPORTANT QUESTION.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHINA
AND RUSSIA HAS BEEN IMPROVING
SINCE BACK IN THE DAYS OF
GORBACHEV AND YELTSIN.
I THINK ITS IMPORTANT TO
REGISTER THAT THERE ARE ISSUES.
JUST FOR EXAMPLE, CHINA
ABSTAINED ON THE CRIMEA VOTE ON
THE SECURITY COUNCIL.
THE BIG BANKS HAVE BEEN CAREFUL
NOT TO COUNTERVENE U.S.
SANCTIONS WITH RUSSIA.
SO THERE IS A GAP.
WHAT PRESIDENT PUTIN TOLD ME IS
HES SEEN COUNTRIES TRYING TO
TEAR EACH OTHER APART, AND HES
DETERMINED NOT TO SEE THAT
HAPPEN.
AFTER SAYING THAT, I THINK THE
LONG-TERM STRATEGIC CHALLENGE
FOR THE U.S. IS HOW DO YOU DEAL
WITH THAT GROWING ALLIANCE
BETWEEN CHINA AND RUSSIA,
BECAUSE THEIR POWER COMBINED, I
THINK, IS THE GREATEST THREAT IN
THE LONG TERM.
>> WHATS YOUR TAKE ON THAT,
AMBASSADOR?
>> WELL, I AGREE.
THEY HAVE BECOME -- RUSSIA AND
CHINA ARE CLOSER TODAY THAN
PROBABLY ANY TIME IN THEIR
HISTORY.
THERE WAS A BRIEF HONEYMOON
PERIOD AFTER MR. MAU TOOK OVER
IN THE COMMUNIST REVOLUTION, BUT
AFTER THAT THERE WAS A SPLIT
BACK IN THE COLD WAR DAYS.
REMEMBER, THE SPLIT TOOK PLACE
VERY EARLY ON.
TODAY THEYRE CLOSE, AND I THINK
THEYLL BE CLOSE FOR A LONG TIME
TO COME BECAUSE MUTE INDOESNT
HAVE ANY OPTIONS.
HOWEVER, I DO THINK ITS
DANGEROUS FOR THE UNITED STATES
AND THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO
THINK THAT SOMEHOW THEYRE GOING
TO PEEL OFF PUTIN AWAY FROM
CHINA AS A BALANCE OF POWER
TACTIC, SO THINKING ABOUT WHAT
NIXON DID DURING THE COLD WAR.
THAT WILL NOT WORK, BECAUSE
PUTIN IS NOT GOING TO TRUST AN
ERRATIC DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY LIKE
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
VERSUS AUTOCRATIC CHINA.
NUMBER TWO, SO WHAT?
WHAT WOULD THE UNITED STATES
GAIN OUT OF THAT SPLIT?
SO I THINK THERE IS THIS KIND OF
TALK.
WE NEED TO DIVIDE THESE
COUNTRIES.
I DISAGREE.
I THINK PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS THE
RIGHT FRAME WHICH IS WE ARE IN