ALL THAT COMING UP THIS MORNING.
OUR TOP STORY THIS HALF HOUR,
THE US ON THE WORLD STAGE AS
SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO
TRAVELS TO ABU DHABI FOLLOWING
MEETINGS WITH NORTH KOREAN
OFFICIALS IN PYONGYANG, AHEAD OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S TRIP TO
BRUSSELS FOR THE NATO SUMMIT
WITH THE FOCUS ON GETTING EUROPE
TO MEET THE U.S. HALFWAY ON HE
DEFENSE SPENDING.
JOINING US NOW IS ROBERT JORDAN.
HE'S AUTHOR OF "DESERT
DIPLOMAT."
IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU THIS
MORNING.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
PRESIDENT WILL SAY TO HIS NATO
COLLEAGUES.
HE'S TARGETING NATO FOR PLACING
UNFAIR BURDENS ON THE UNITED
STATES IN TERMS OF THE U.S.'S
DEFENSE SPENDING.
YESTERDAY, U.S.'S AMBASSADOR TO
GERMANY WAS ON SUNDAY MORNING
FUTURES ADMITTING THAT GERMANY
ANY
ISY
IS NOT PAYING ENOUGH.
SPECIFICALLY GERMANY, TO
INCREASE THEIR DEFENSE SPENDING.
ALLIANCE.
CURRENTLY THE GERMANS DON'T
SPEND ENOUGH.
MARIA: WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT
THAT?
>> I THINK HE'S PROBABLY RIGHT,
THE GERM MANS DON'T -- GERMANS
DON'T SPEND ENOUGH.
WE'VE SEEN SOME INCREMENTAL
COMMITMENT FROM CHANCELLOR
MERKEL TO IMPROVE THAT.
I THINK WE'VE GOT TO MAINTAIN
OUR DIPLOMATIC POSTURE WHICH IS
THESE ARE ALLIES, THEY'RE NOT
ENEMIES.
WE NEED A BETTER DEAL FROM THE
ALLIES.
WE DON'T NEED TO SACRIFICE THE
ALLIANCE IN THE PROCESS, HOW DO
YOU DO THAT AND GET YOUR
COLLEAGUES TO PAY UP THEIR FAIR
SHARE IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY
SPEND ON DEFENSE?
>> WE'VE GOT A VERY GOOD
AMBASSADOR TO NATO RIGHT NOW,
AND I THINK SHE IS GOING TO FIND
A WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE
GERMANS AND THE OTHER MEMBERS OF
NATO.
I THINK WE'VE GOT TO DO IT
INCREMENTALLY.
WE CAN'T EXPECT THEM TO CHANGE
THEIR POSTURE OVERNIGHT.
AND THEY HAVE THEIR OWN
POLITICAL AND CULTURAL ISSUES
THEY HAVE TO DEAL WITH
DOMESTICALLY.
I THINK WE NEED TO REMEMBER
SAY WE'RE GOING TO DOUBLE OUR
DEFENSE SPENDING.
SOME OF THE OTHER NATO MEMBERS
HAVE ALSO COMMITTED TO
INCREASES.
AMOUNT OF DIPLOMATIC PATIENCE AS
WE GO FORWARD.
BUT DEFINITELY THEY NEED TO STEP
UP THEIR GAME AND PAY A LARGER
SHARE OF THE COST.
MARIA: WHAT ARE YOU EXPECTING
FROM THIS TRIP?
THE PRESIDENT TONIGHT WILL
ANNOUNCE HIS SUPREME COURT PICK
TO REPLACE JUSTICE KENNEDY AND
THEN HE WILL HEAD TO BRUSSELS
FOR THE NATO SUMMIT BEFORE
ENDING THE TRIP IN HELSINKI WITH
A MEETING WITH VLADIMIR YOU
PUTIN ON THE 16th.
>> THERE ARE A LOT OF MOVING
THE MEETING WITH KIM IS
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF
SECRETARY POMPEO'S VISIT.
THE MEETING WITH PUTIN IS
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF
PRESIDENT TRUMP'S VISIT.
WE'RE GOING TO SEE I THINK SOME
CONDITIONAL PROMISES.
I THINK WE'LL SEE SOME
CONDITIONAL COMMITMENTS FROM THE
NATO ALLIES, THE NATO MEETING.
I THINK SECRETARY POMPEO IN ABU
DHABI IS GOING TO WORK ON
ISOLATING IRAN AND MAKING SURE
WE HAVE FIRM COMMITMENTS TO NOT
SO THERE REALLY WILL BE AT LOT
OF BALLS IN THE AIR OVER THE
HAS NO PROBLEM PUTTING SANCTIONS
ON EUROPEAN COMPANIES SHOULD
THEY DO BUSINESS WITH IRAN.
WE'RE AWAITING NORTH KOREAN
NEWS, CHAIRMAN KIM'S DECISION TO
DENUCLEARIZATION, THE ROGUE
HERE'S THE MESSAGE SECRETARY
KOREA AND ITS PEOPLE.
MEETING WENT.
SECRETARY POMPEO SAID THE TALKS
WITH NORTH KOREA WERE
PRODUCTIVE.
WHAT'S YOUR TAKE?
>> I THINK WIRE GOING TO HAVE A
BACKTRACKING AND ADVANCEMENT,
SOME PROMISES AND SOME HEDGING.
THIS IS TYPICAL NORTH KOREAN
BEHAVIOR.
I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE
DIPLOMATIC PATIENCE TO SEE IT
THROUGH.
THE REAL QUESTION I THINK WILL
TECHNICAL LEVEL, IN TERMS OF
NUCLEAR PROGRAM.
IF THEY DON'T HAVE THEIR
SUBORDINATES AND TECHNICAL
PEOPLE WORKING, THEN THIS IS A
MARIA: IF THEY DON'T TELL US IN
THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS WHERE
THEIR FACILITIES ARE IN TERMS OF
NUCLEAR AND URANIUM ENRICHMENT,
THEN WE'LL KNOW THEY'RE NOT
SERIOUS ABOUT THIS.
IS THAT A FAIR STATEMENT?
>> I THINK THAT'S VERY LIKELY.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE MAY WALK
AWAY FROM THE TABLE AND IN SIX
MONTHS LATER THEY MAY SAY WELL,
YOU KNOW, THE SANCTIONS ARE
HURTING US.
LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO PUT
THIS BACK TOGETHER.
THERE'S A CONSTANT AIR OF TRYING
TO MAKE A DEAL, TRYING TO GET
THINGS TOGETHER, BUT THE NORTH
KOREANS DON'T SEEM TO BE VERY
MARIA: WHAT DOES THE U.S. WANT
FROM RUSSIA, AMBASSADOR?
NEXT WEEK THE PRESIDENT WILL
MEET WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN, A FOE
OF THE NATO ALLIANCE.
THEY'LL MEET IN A PRIVATE
MEETING BETWEEN THE TWO LEADERS.
WILL PUTIN BE THE ELEPHANT IN
THE ROOM IN BRUSSELS?
WHAT DOES THE PRESIDENT WANT
FROM RUSSIA?
>> I THINK THE PRESIDENT IS
GOING TO WANT RUSSIA TO MAXIMIZE
THEIR OIL PRODUCTION RIGHT NOW.
HE'S CONCERNED ABOUT THE PRICE
OF OIL.
RUSSIA IS CAPABLE OF EXPANDING
PRODUCTION SOMEWHAT.
I THINK HE'S GOING TO WANT SOME
UNDERSTANDING FROM RUSSIA ABOUT
WHAT THEY INTEND TO DO ON THE
EVEN PLANKS OF NATO.
NATO HAS HAD A PRETTY AGGRESSIVE
EASTWARD EXPANSION WHICH HAS
BOTHERED YOU
BOTHERED POU
BOTHERED PEW CONTINUE.
THERE'S GOING TO -- PUTIN.
THERE'S GOING TO BE SOME
UNDERSTANDING OF HOW FAR THAT IS
LIKELY TO GO.
THE PRESIDENT MAY RAISE
THE ISSUE OF INTERFERENCE IN THE
ELECTIONS.
I DON'T EXPECT HIM TO HIT IT AS
HARD AS CRITICS WOULD LIKE HIM
TO.
MARIA: ONE OF THE KEY ISSUES
WITH PUTIN IS IRAN'S ROLE IN
SYRIA AND RUSSIA'S ROLE.
IS THE PROSPECT OF GREATER U.S.,
RUSSIAN COOPERATION WITH SYRIA
IT -- YOU KNOW, PARTNER WITH THE
U.S. AS OPPOSED TO PARTNERING
WITH SYRIA?
>> WELL, RUSSIA HAS REAL PUNCHED
ABOVE ITS WEIGHT IN SYRIA.
FOR A MINIMAL INVESTMENT, THEY
HAVE A FOOTHOLD IN THE
MEDITERRANEAN, IN SYRIA AND THE
MIDDLE EAST N. A WAY
MIDDLE EAST I. A WAY
MIDDLE EAST IN A WAY THAT'S
RUSSIA ON SYRIA, A WAY TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT BASHAR ASSAD OR
HIS COHORTS WILL CONTINUE TO
RULE MUCH OF THE COUNTRY.
BUT AGAIN, MUCH OF THAT
COUNTRY'S ALSO NOT GOING TO BE
GOVERNED BY THE CENTRAL
GOVERNMENT FOR QUITE A PERIOD OF
TIME.
THEY MAY WANT TO FIGURE OUT WAYS
TO AVOID THE EXPANSION OF ISIS
WITHIN SYRIA.
THERE'S A VACUUM THERE THAT ISIS
CAN CONTINUE TO REBOUND AND FILL
AND SO I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO
HAVE DISCUSSIONS ALONG THOSE
LINES.
I DON'T EXPECT ANY GRAND BARGAIN
TO COME FROM IT.
THEY'VE GOT SOME COMMON
INTEREST.
RUSSIA.
ANY MOVEMENT, WOULD YOU EXPECT
THERE?
POSITION CONTINUES TO BE WITH
REGARD TO UKRAINE.
IF THEY CONTINUE TO TRY TO
DESTABILIZE UKRAINE EVEN AFTER
HAVING SEIZED CRIMEA, THEN I
THINK THE SANCTIONS LIKELY WILL
CONTINUE.
THIS IS AN AREA WHERE I THINK
IT'S GOING TO BE UNCERTAIN.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT
EITHER FROM PUTIN OR FROM
PRESIDENT TRUMP IN THIS REGARD.
MARIA: HOW IS THE PRESIDENT
VIEW RIGHT NOW?
I THINK IT HAS ENDANGERED SOME
OF OUR TRADITIONAL ALLIANCES.
I THINK HE HAS PROVEN TO BE
SUCH.
AT THE SAME TIME, I THINK WE'VE
GOT SOME MOVEMENT PERHAPS IN
TERMS OF DEALING WITH IRAN, IN
TERMS OF PERHAPS DEALING WITH
CHINA, IN WAYS THAT ARE
TRANSACTIONAL.
I DON'T SEE A LONG-TERM
STRATEGIC PLAN IN TERMS OF HIS
OVERALL APPROACH TO FOREIGN
POLICY.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A LITTLE
MORE IN TERMS OF A CONSISTENT
RATIONAL FOREIGN POLICY RATHER