Latest / INSIGHT TODAY / Putin WARNED as he shrugs off U.S. sanctions 'Not going to get better for them'

Transcript

Putin WARNED as he shrugs off U.S. sanctions 'Not going to get better for them' · INSIGHT TODAY

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Russian President Vladimir Putin is remaining defiant after President Trump
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: hit Russia's two biggest oil companies with sanctions to pressure
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: the Kremlin to end the war in Ukraine. Joining me
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: now is the US Ambassador to NATO, Matt Whitaker. Thank
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: you very much, mister ambassador, for joining us. I want
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: to jump right in because we're a little short on time.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: But your reaction first to the Hungarian Foreign minister from
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: the last block, he indicated that the White House is
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: giving Hungary a pass on Russian oil. It's not exactly
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: the picture we've gotten from the White House. Is the
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: US respecting geography when it comes to Hungary, as the
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: minister put it, No.
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: I mean what's really happening is our expectation is that
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: countries like Hungary, Turkey and Slovakia that continue to buy
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: Russian oil and gas will come up with a plan
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: and execute a plan that weans them off of Russian
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: oil and gas. And Hungary, unlike many of their neighbors,
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: has not made any plans or made any active steps,
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: and so we're going to continue to work with them,
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: and we're going to continue to work with their neighbors
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: like Croatia and other countries that can help them wan
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: themselves off. And you know obviously that pipeline is most
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: likely to be shut off in the coming years as well.
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: And so there's a lot of planning that our friends
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: at Hungary should do, and we're going to help them. Obviously,
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: is a good ally make those plans and execute them
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: to get them off of Russian oil and gas.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: Russia argues that they're not going to feel these sanctions
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: very much. Listen to this here.
• 1:35
  Speaker 3: Obviously, President Putin said that no pressure works on Russia,
• 1:38
  Speaker 3: and frankly, we do not believe that these sanctions will
• 1:41
  Speaker 3: have significant impact on the Russian economy because oil pricesms
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: of world will rise and Russia will sell just fewer
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: gallons of oil but at higher price.
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: And yet that's Putin's top economic envoy doing effectively a
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: press tour in the US to downplay the impact of
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: these sanctions. He's also warning against so called escalation if
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: Ukraine were to get tomahawks. He leaked plans to meet
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: with Wikoff in Miami yesterday, long before anyone from the
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: US side ever said such a meeting was happening. He
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: claimed that a diplomatic solution is near and that President's
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: Trump and Putin will meet in the future sometime soon.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: Even though President Trump said just a few hours ago
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: that he's not going to be wasting his time. If
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: you look at all that together, it sure looks like
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: pressure from President Trump does have Russia on.
• 2:34
  Speaker 4: The ropes here.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: It does. And you know, President Trump holds all the cards.
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: The Russians should in this senseless war as soon as
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: they possibly can. It's not going to get better for them,
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: and President Trump's going to continue to play these cards,
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: like these significant oil sanctions and you know the French
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: interdicted shadow fleet boat that was carrying oil and that
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: you know Russians complained about, the complained of when they
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: were called a paper tiger by President Trump. You know,
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: every single turn, the Russians are not showing from a
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: position of strength. They're actually they look very weak right now,
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: and you know they should end this war in the killing.
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: They're not gaining any territory for the thousands of troops
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: that they're losing every single week on the battlefields in Ukraine.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: I want to ask you about this Reuter's report overnight.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: It said that the US has prepared additional sanctions targeting
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: key parts of Russia's economy if Putin doesn't come to
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: the table soon. It also says US would like to
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: see Europe make the next big move when it comes
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: to sanctions or tariffs, and that the administration might support
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: the EU using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. What
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: can you say about the claims in that report? Is
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: that true?
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Well, I'm not going to confirm any reports like that.
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: But what I can tell you is what I said before,
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: is that is President Trump holds all the cards. There
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: are many more things and many more steps and many
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: more incremental turns of the screw that President Trump can do,
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: and at his election and his choice, we would like
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: to see our European allies move together with us in
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: every single situation. I think what they're doing with the
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: frozen assets is positive. There's no doubt that the two
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: hundred billion dollars that are currently being held in Europe
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: could make a substantial difference not only on the battlefield,
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: but in the Ukrainian economy and helping them sustain this war.
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: But you know, every single thing is on the table.
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: President Trump knows exactly what's available to him. These significant
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: oil sanctions this week. I think we're a big step,
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: but there are many more big steps that we can
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: take if necessary, to end this senseless war.
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: And finally, the President said he's hoping to get China's
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: help addressing Russia in this conflict. Are you seeing signs
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: that China might be willing.
• 4:57
  Speaker 3: To do that?
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: Obviously, this with President She is going to be crucial
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: in that. You know that right now the Chinese are
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: buying way too much Russian oil and gas. They are
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: providing too much a dual use technology to the Russians,
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: so they can continue this war through whether it's drone
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: parts or other technologies that can be used to continue
• 5:18
  Speaker 2: to prolong this war. China needs to join the US
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: and our other allies in raising their voice and saying
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: that this senseless war needs to end. The killing needs
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: to end. And President Trump is absolutely right to put
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: pressure on the Russians. And now if the Chinese would
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: join us, I think that would be a major step
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: in finally ending the census killing.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: Excellent, Ambassador Matt Whitaker, thank you very much for joining
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: the Sunday briefing. Sir, appreciate your time.
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: All right, Thanks Jackie, good to see you Hey, it's
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: Will Caine.
• 5:47
  Speaker 4: Click here to subscribe to the Fox News Channel on YouTube.
• 5:50
  Speaker 4: It's the best way to get our latest interviews and highlights.
• 5:54
  Speaker 4: And click to subscribe to the Will Caine podcast for
• 5:57
  Speaker 4: full episodes right now