Name: Russia-Ukraine peace deal entering final form
Uploaded: 2025-11-26T18:51:10.198Z
Duration: 5 min 41 s
Description: Robert Wilkie, former Under Secretary of Defense and former Secretary of Veteran Affairs, joins to discuss the progress being made on the peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.

Robert Wilkie, former Under Secretary of Defense and former Secretary of Veteran Affairs, joins to discuss the progress being made on the peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.

Former Undersecretary of Defense Robert Wilkie commented on Russia's deployment of troops to Venezuela, stating that such actions are unlikely to impact U.S. interests in the region. He emphasized that the U.S. is encouraging the Venezuelan military to remove President Maduro and support a transition to democratic leadership, which could also affect the stability of the Cuban government.

Wilkie rejected claims that U.S. involvement in Venezuela is motivated by oil interests, asserting that it is about national and regional security. He noted increased cooperation with Caribbean nations to combat drug trafficking and highlighted the support these countries have requested from the U.S. to promote stability and prosperity in the region.

Russia-Ukraine peace deal entering final form

Well, joining me now to discuss a lot of this is former Undersecretary of Defense and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie. Good morning and thank you for joining us. Good morning. Last time we talked, I was working for Donald Rumsfeld. It's good to see you. It's great to see you too. All right, so we know each other. We've had some history. I'm not going to call this a proxy war just yet, but Putin is now not only dealing with Ukraine, but he's sending a top general and troops to Venezuela to help training there. So how does that impact what we're doing down there? Not a bit. I mean, the Soviet Union couldn't do anything in the Caribbean during the Cuban Missile Crisis because there was such a preponderance of American force in our hemisphere. This is just Putin trying to cause trouble, cause headlines. Look, it's going to take a lot more than the Russians have to train Maduro's thugs and for the Russians to actually affect the balance of power in our hemisphere. This is just more Putin nonsense and no one takes it seriously. But what is happening, Edie, is that I think you'll see that the United States is really urging, particularly the Venezuelan military, to end this, to overthrow this guy, get him out and hopefully make a transition to someone who was democratically elected at Mundo Gonzales. Last thing I'll say about that. This is much bigger than Venezuela because if Venezuela goes, then the props that keep up the Cuban dictatorship go with it. And that could be a new day off the Florida coast. Maybe that's why we're seeing Putin getting at least his toes in the water down there right now. But it's interesting, the president flew to Palm Beach last night for Thanksgiving at Mar-a-Lago. And en route, he was asked, what's your goal? What is the goal in Venezuela? And he said this, listen. I'm going to tell you what the goal is. You should probably know what the goal is. But they've caused a lot of problems. And they've sent billions of people into our country. I mean, they were probably the biggest abuser with Tren de Aragua and all the others that they sent in, the drug dealers, the drug lords, the people that they sent in, the jailbirds. They opened their jails and prisons and dumped them into the United States. And we're not happy about it. Well, Secretary Wilkie, you are right. What happens there then starts expanding. And Colombia's president claimed that the U.S. action in Venezuela is really more about accessing the country's oil than necessarily fighting drug trafficking. President Gustavo Petro said this, listen. Oil is at the heart of the matter. Is he right, or would that just be a positive byproduct for us? What do you think? No, he's not right. Look, we are the most powerful energy producer on the planet. We produce more oil and natural gas and coal than any other nation by great distance. This is really about what the president is saying. It's about our own basic national security and security of the region. And what the president has endorsed in the past is putting the democratically elected opposition in power in Venezuela. Maduro stole that election, and he's unleashed his thugs around the hemisphere. And as I mentioned, he's propping up the Cubans as well. I have a suspicion that you probably look at foreign diplomacy much like I do, and it's kind of like a chess game. So amid the U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth heads to the Dominican Republic today, and then other U.S. military leaders then go meet with the heads of nations like Trinidad and Tobago. What do those moves signal to you? Well, that signals that we're creating a cordon around Venezuela, that there are people, particularly in the Caribbean islands, who've had enough of the drugs coming through their country on those boats. And they're not strong enough to resist that. I mean, a place like Trinidad has no army. It's just got a police force and a constabulary and a Coast Guard, a very small one. So, look, they're more than happy to stop this poison from spreading into their countries even further. And I think that's what that's about. And it does seem that the president has a lot of support in the Caribbean. The prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago said this about attacks on the drug boats. He said, I've got no sympathy for the traffickers. The U.S. military should kill them all violently. So, how much support does President Trump have in the region? He has quite a bit, except for those few communist stooges who are left over. I mean, they're relics from when you and I were starting in this business back in the 90s. I mean, the Noriegas in Nicaragua and several of the others in Central America, they're holdovers of a long past time. And it's those countries like Trinidad, the Dominican, Costa Rica, who've come to the United States and said, we need your help. We need to get rid of these people and make a more stable and prosperous future for our people. You bet. And you see that in the voting, too, here in the U.S. When folks come in from those countries, they do not want the liberal policies. They're voting Republican. So, that's kind of a big statement for politicians here. Thank you so much, Secretary Wilkie. Good to see you again. Good to see you, too.

U.S. President Donald Trump says Sarah Beckstrom, one of the National Guard members shot in Washington, has died and the other, Andrew Wolfe, is fighting for his life. The suspect in the shooting, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is in 'serious condition.'

Washington

Trump says one National Guardsman has died after Washington shooting

Video has emerged of two Palestinian men surrendering to the Israeli military with their hands up, before being shot dead in Jenin.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Two unarmed Palestinians killed in Jenin by Israeli military

Guard members Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe were wounded in a shooting that the FBI is investigating as ‘terrorism’.

National Guard members shot in Washington, DC, attack identified

The Russian president reiterated his maximalist demands over occupied areas of Ukraine, and insisted Moscow has no plans of slowing down its full-scale invasion or even negotiating with Kyiv.

Kyiv

Putin demands Kyiv withdraw from Eastern Ukraine

The suspect in the shooting of two National Guard members led a team in the Afghanistan war and worked with U.S. and British forces, according to a former Afghan commando colleague. A DHS official says he was granted asylum earlier this year on humanitarian grounds.

West Virginia

Suspect in National Guard shooting granted asylum earlier this year

Firefighting and rescue missions continued into Thursday for a second day after a massive fire broke out in Hong Kong, gripping a complex of seven high-rise residential buildings. At least 55 people were killed and dozens more were injured in what is the worst fire to hit the territory in decades.

Tai Po District

Death toll rises to 55 as blaze rips through Hong Kong tower complex

A Peruvian court on Wednesday (November 26) sentenced former President Martin Vizcarra to 14 years in prison after finding him guilty of taking bribes years before he took office, adding to a list of former leaders jailed for corruption.

Lima

Peru sentences ex-President Vizcarra to prison for corruption

Two National Guard members were shot dead near the White House in Washington D.C. A suspect was taken to hospital with injuries related to a gunshot.

Two National Guardsmen in critical condition after Washington shooting

A suspect is in custody and the scene is secured after a shooting mere blocks from the White House in Washington, D.C., police said Wednesday. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said two National Guardsmen had been shot.

Suspect in custody after National Guardsmen shot in Washington, D.C.

Brazil's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro to begin serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a failed coup, after he exhausted all appeals.

Rio de Janeiro

Brazil's Bolsonaro begins 27-year jail term for coup bid

Brazil's Supreme Court on Tuesday (November 25) ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro to begin a prison sentence of more than 27 years for plotting a coup in 2022, according to a court document.

Brasília

Brazil's Bolsonaro to start 27-year prison sentence for coup plot

President Trump says only a few "points of disagreement" remain on a possible deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. The president says he will meet with the leaders of both countries only when the deal is in its final stages.

Trump optimistic on Russia-Ukraine peace deal despite recent strikes

The FBI has launched an inquiry into six Democratic lawmakers after President Trump accused them of “seditious behavior” for appearing in a video encouraging U.S. service members to refuse unlawful orders.

FBI probes Democrats over video urging troops to refuse illegal orders

President Donald Trump's administration has ramped up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by designating the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization. But the entity that the U.S. government alleges is led by Maduro is not a cartel per se.

Caracas

U.S. labels Maduro-tied Cartel de los Soles as terror organization

The head of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF), General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said late on Monday (November 24) that his paramilitaries would immediately enter into a three-month humanitarian truce in its conflict with the country's armed forces.

Khartoum

Sudan's RSF paramilitary says it will enter into ceasefire

A U.S. official tells CBS News that Ukraine has agreed to a peace proposal brokered by the Trump administration, but some details still need to be sorted out. CBS News' Holly Williams reports.

Ukraine Invasion

Ukraine agrees to peace proposal with Russia, U.S. official says

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the U.S.- and Israeli-backed organization to distribute aid in Gaza, said on Monday (November 24) it was ending its operations after months of criticism over the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians trying to reach GHF hubs.

Divisive U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza aid group ends operations

Darfur

Sudan's RSF paramilitary says it will enter into a ceasefire

Chauncey Billups, who was serving as head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers until his suspension, pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges related to alleged rigged high-stakes poker games.

Chauncey Billups pleads not guilty to charges

The Kremlin on Monday (November 24) said that a European counter-proposal to a U.S. 28-point peace plan for Ukraine was not constructive and that it simply did not work for Moscow.

Moscow

Kremlin rejects revised European peace plan to end war in Ukraine

A federal judge has dismissed the criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James on the grounds that Lindsey Halligan, the interim U.S. attorney who secured their indictments, was unlawfully appointed to the role.

Cases against James Comey, Letitia James dismissed

At least 90 people have died in a week of torrential rain, flooding and landslides in south-central Vietnam, authorities said. Popular tourist areas have been heavily hit, with parts of Nha Trang submerged and deadly landslides cutting off roads near Da Lat.

Nha Trang

Vietnam flooding kills at least 90

The Trump Administration is ramping up pressure on Venezuela as the Air Force conducted a simulated nighttime attack along the country's coast. Charlie D'Agata has the latest.

Trump ramps up pressure on Venezuela with nighttime Air Force attack

Israel killed Ali Tabtabai, the acting chief of staff of militant group Hezbollah, in an airstrike on a southern suburb of Beirut on Sunday, the Israeli military said.

Beirut

Middle East Conflict

Israel kills Hezbollah military leader in Beirut strike

While Russia and Ukraine continue to exchange daily drone fire, an updated peace framework is being worked out in Geneva between Ukraine, the US and European partners.

Ukraine upholds red lines as Geneva peace talks continue

Álvaro García Ortiz's decision came less than a week after he received a two-year suspension and a fine for disclosing private information about the partner of an opposition politician.

Madrid

Spain's attorney general resigns after conviction over data leak

U.S. President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency has been disbanded with eight months remaining in its mandate, and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor has told Reuters that the cost-cutting body now "doesn't exist".

DOGE 'doesn't exist' with eight months left on its charter

Al-Burhan rejected a new truce proposal from US envoy as the “worst yet”, accusing the Quad mediators of bias due to the UAE’s involvement.

Al Fashir

Sudan’s army chief rejects quad truce proposal as ‘worst yet’

Three suicide bombers and three security personnel killed in attack on the Federal Constabulary headquarters in Peshawar, media reports say.

Peshawar

Six killed in suicide attack on security complex in Pakistan

The attack which Israel says to have killed chief of staff Haytham Tabtabai in the southern suburbs of Beirut also killed four other people and injured 25.

Breakdown