Kurt Volker, former U.S. ambassdor to NATO, discusses Trump's recent warning to Russia.

Washington

Kurt Volker, former U.S. ambassador to NATO, discussed President Trump's recent weapons deal with NATO, which involves providing air defense systems and artillery to Ukraine. Volker highlighted that this arrangement allows NATO countries to purchase U.S. weapons for Ukraine, enhancing European security and reducing the financial burden on American taxpayers. He noted that the deal is expected to strengthen Ukraine's defenses against Russian attacks and potentially pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate.

Volker also addressed the potential impact of economic sanctions and tariffs on Russia, suggesting that cutting off revenue to the Kremlin could eventually lead Putin to agree to a ceasefire. He outlined four critical steps for the U.S.: maintaining arms supplies to Ukraine, implementing secondary sanctions, seizing Russian assets, and enabling lend-lease legislation for Ukraine. Volker emphasized the importance of European support, noting that European allies are now contributing significantly to Ukraine's defense.

Former U.S. ambassador to NATO discusses Trump's warning to Russia

Joining us now is Kurt Volker, former U.S. ambassador to NATO and former special representative for Ukraine. Ambassador Volker, great to be with you this morning. So what do you make of President Trump's weapons deal with NATO, and how does it benefit Ukraine as well as America and the U.S. taxpayer? Right. It's a great deal. It is going to provide air defense weapons for Ukraine, particularly Patriot missiles that they desperately need with these barbaric attacks that Russia does on Ukraine every night. They need better air defenses, and this is a big contribution to that. The artillery, and particularly the 155-millimeter artillery shells, will help the Ukrainians hold the front line, maybe even push the Russians back a little bit. And this is essential for getting Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table, so he actually wants to stop the war. Right now, he has been under the impression that he can still win. And making sure that we are getting Ukraine the weapons and also threatening sanctions is going to send a signal to Putin that this is not going to go his way. And the way this is being done by President Trump, where NATO countries are buying the weapons from the United States and giving them to Ukraine, that is increasing European security. Our allies are taking part in this, and the American taxpayers are not footing the bill. So this is good all around, and especially, I would add, too, for American defense industry to get these orders. Yeah, definitely. Ambassador, I'm going to go back to that economic pressure that President Trump is putting on Putin. Do you think that will convince him to finally negotiate a peace deal, those 100 percent tariffs? Not yet. I think Vladimir Putin still wants to see what he can get away with. He is doubling down on his offensive in Ukraine. He's trying to take more land. He's willing to sacrifice as many of his own people as needed to try to do that, which is a tragedy for the Russian people and the Russian military. But he's willing to do that. And I think he wants to see whether we really pull the trigger on sanctions. He has had several deadlines from President Trump before, two weeks, and then another two weeks, and then another two weeks. So I think he wants to test this and see what really happens. But if we follow through, if we actually cut off the revenue flowing into the Kremlin's coffers that they're using to pay for this war, sometime this autumn, I believe that Vladimir Putin will opt for a ceasefire because the risks to the Russian state and state budget will be too great. What do you think President Trump should do if Putin does not adhere to that deadline? What do you think President Trump's next move should be? I think there are four things that are critical here. One is what the president just did, which is create a pathway for American arms to flow to Ukraine on a paid-for basis. This removes the uncertainty that had been in the air about whether we're going to allow this. Second, follow through on those secondary sanctions. They will have an impact on Russia's state budget if they're implemented. Third, seize the Russian frozen assets that are currently in the United States. There's about $8 billion, which is not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things, but it will put pressure on Europe to do the same, where there's $260 billion of frozen Russian assets that could be used to support Ukraine. And then fourth, work with Congress to provide lend-lease legislation for Ukraine. Let Ukraine borrow the money now, buy American weapons and ammunition itself, and pass back later, just like we did for the U.K. during World War II. These four things would send a very strong signal to Vladimir Putin. He's already hit his high-water mark. He's not going to win this war. I want to move along to this before we run out of time. President Trump spoke to how much support the E.U. is showing Ukraine in their war with Russia. And here's what he told reporters yesterday. I think this is a chance at getting peace, or it's just going to be the same thing. And I have to tell you, Europe has a lot of spirit for this war. A lot of people, you know, when I first got involved, I really didn't think they did, but they do. And I saw that a month ago, and you were there, most of you, many of you were there. They really think it's a very, very important thing to do, or they wouldn't be doing it. Look, they're agreeing to just, you know, they're paying for everything. Ambassador, your reaction? Yeah, he's absolutely right. This is critical to Europe, because our European allies know that if Vladimir Putin defeats Ukraine, then he is on their doorstep. And he has designs to rebuild the Russian empire, including some countries that are currently in the E.U. So they want to stop him in Ukraine. It's vital that they do so, and they're willing to pay, as he said. So this is actually a great U.S.-European partnership now that the Europeans are pulling their share in. All right. We're going to leave it right there. Ambassador Kurt Volker, great to be with you. Thank you for your insights, sir. Thank you.

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