The Trump-Zelenskyy meeting is ‘the first sliver of hope I have ever had’: Former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan

Former National Security Advisor of White House Biden Jake Sullivan said the meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Rome Saturday gave him “first hope” he said he had several moments in connection with the current government approach to the war in Ukraine.

“[The meeting] Give me the first piece of hope that I had in a few moments because what I saw until now was President Trump gave Vladimir Putin AS recognition about Crimea, who was occupied and attached by Russia illegally. … He gave Putin a promise that Ukraine would not be a part of NATO, and he had given Putin a promise that he could protect all the regions he invited illegally and seized, “Sullivan told Co-dashor Martha Raddatz on Saturday in an interview aired on Sunday.

He continued, “What did Putin give him? So far there was no. But today has Zelenskyy out and said he thought it was a good meeting, making me think, ‘Okay, maybe President Trump saw that Putin took him to the park path.’ And in reality, President Trump said openly that it might happen. “

Trump and Zelenskyy met personally at Basilika St. Peter on Saturday before attending the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican city. This is the first time the two leaders met since the February oval oval meeting they turned into a hot argument in front of the camera which resulted in Zelenskyy being driven out of the White House.

Zelenskyy said that on Saturday it was a “good meeting” in a post on X, adding: “We discussed many things against one. Expecting the results of everything we discussed. Protect our people’s lives. Full and unconditional ceasefires. Reliable and eternal peace that will prevent other war from destroyed.

And in a separate social media post after their meeting, Trump took a more critical tone towards Russian President Vladimir Putin, floating the possibility of he would impose new sanctions on Russia. The President also said that the new Russian strike in the civilian region in Ukraine made him “think that [Putin] Not wanting to stop the war, he just knocked me. “

Sullivan said, “Russia started this war, not Ukraine, and that was Russia – Vladimir Putin in particular – which was the main obstacle to getting a ceasefire, and there were times when President Trump might get things responsible for SMEs, unfortunately, every time there were many responsible recognitions, every time responsible Answer, every time responsible, the president, at any time responsible, at any time responsible, at any time responsible, at any time responsible, the president, at any time responsible, at any time responsible, at any time responsible, at any time responsible, the president, at any time responsible, at any time responsible, at any time responsible, at any time responsible, at all to Russia.

Sullivan, who hasn’t spoken much in public since he left his position in the White House in January, told Raddatz that he “remained silent,” partly because he “did not want to be a back seat driver.”

“When I was in a chair, I had many back seat drivers,” Sullivan said. “But when you see the car start sliding towards the cliff, you have to say something.”

He continued, “What I see in less than one hundred days is a terrible damage to American credibility and trust with our friends and allies and terrible damage to the attractiveness of America in our political system, our markets, and our innovation. And most importantly what I see is China that reaps its benefits.”

The following is more highlighted than Sullivan interview:

About the Trump administrative approach to negotiating with Russia

Raddatz: When you are a national security advisor, Biden administration does not go anywhere, by – by trying to sanction with – you are not involved with Russia. So now you say. It’s okay to get involved with Russia. When you look back, are you going to do something different?

Sullivan: Well, first -first, we were indeed involved with Russia. We have many channels to talk to Russia, and we talk to them through it –

Raddatz: But of course it’s not like them now.

Sullivan: No, because one of the things we recognized when we were in the office was that Putin at that time was not ready to come to the table to make an agreement that would produce a fair part for Ukraine.

So we realize that we have to really build more influences for Ukraine and in the closing months in the office. We surged military equipment, we tightened sanctions, we seized the results of Russian assets, and we made Europe with us and all of that.

So, we submit to the new team a little influence for Ukraine to get a good offer on the table. I hope they will not end up wasting that influence.

About the new nuclear conversation between the US and Iran

Sullivan: See, when we left the office … Iran was at the weakest point since the 1980s, maybe since the Iranian revolution in 1979. They have lost their main proxy, Hezbollah, they lost air defense. We have defended Israel twice directly against Iranian missile attacks and showed that Iran could not really do serious damage to Israel.

So, the condition is ripe for diplomacy and for an agreement. And I think there is a possibility that they can get an agreement. I think the agreement in the elements will not look too different from the agreement produced by President Obama and Kerry Secretary in the Obama government that Donald Trump tore. And I will feel very interesting to see a lot of criticism of the agreement to support what Trump produced. But I myself believe there must be a diplomatic solution here, and I believe there is one that can be achieved.

About what Trump’s administration was doing correctly

Sullivan: Difficult in 100 days to produce a good example of it. I mean, there are things where they have taken what we have –

Raddatz: Immigration?

Sullivan: – move. Yes, I mean, they have done a number of things to immigration, but honestly, when you balance it by not giving a reasonable process to people and sending them to – send them to El Salvador prison, the damage is far greater than what they can achieve.

I think there are certain steps in connection with the true Houthi I can get. You know, we take military action against Houthi. They have improved it. I still believe that we need to connect it with a bigger strategic final game with Houthi. But that will be an area where I think there is continuity.

About the controversy around the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth

Raddatz: You of course attend a signal chat with your successor, Mike Waltz, accidentally gave it to a reporter, but also what was proposed by Pete Hegseth on a signal chat about launching F-18 and what time they would be launched in attacks on Yemen. Is there – are you sure it must be classified as a message?

Sullivan: Listen, I think you have heard from intelligence professionals on all boards that it is a secret information, but it shows a bigger problem, who is a close friend and advisor of the Secretary Hegseth left Pentagon Hegseth and wrote an article that said that Pentagon was a total chaos, and Donald Trump had to replace Pete Hegseth.

That is Clarion’s nickname if I have heard of it. So this signal problem is one example of many types of steps that we have seen in 100 days in the Pentagon that raises real questions about the future of the building and the future of our armed forces. And that was not me who said that it was his own friend and advisor.