'This is just staggering': CNN national security analyst alarmed by Trump's Russia plans

Moments after the Senate confirmed controversial former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be Donald Trump's Director of Intelligence, the president announced on Truth Social that he wants to work hand-in-hand with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin.

That led CNN national security analyst Alex Marquart to express alarm.

On Truth Social, the president wrote, "I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other subjects," and later added, "We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now. "

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With CNN reporting that the phone call was ninety minutes long, and coming so soon after an equally controversial Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was said by some experts to have waved the white flag about Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, by stating returning territory occupied by Russia “will only prolong the war and cause more suffering," Marquart told host Dana Bash the sequence of events on Wednesday should cause international concern.

"Now you have Trump saying, 'Well, you know, maybe I'll go there,''' Bash prompted Marquart. "It's obviously all part of a larger dance that we're now seeing bubble up into the public. You have the hostage release, you have –– excuse me, not hostage, the prisoner exchange, very important distinction –– and, um, and then all of these puzzle pieces falling into place."

"Yeah, we knew, obviously, the approach to Russia and Ukraine was going to change with this administration, but this is just staggering," he replied. "And I think that [CNN's] Jeff Zeleny is right: that this is a real moment."

"If you're a Ukrainian today, you are really worried," he elaborated. "You're upset and you're angry because we are expecting in the next few weeks, the Trump administration to essentially roll out their plan to ending this war that has been going on for the past three years. And what you've seen yesterday and today is a real rapprochement between Washington and Moscow. "

"When the news came out yesterday that American Marc Fogel was being released, in that White House statement, they talked about how it was a show of good faith for the negotiations over Ukraine," he elaborated. "Here you have this phone call today and President Trump saying that these negotiations are going to start –– what does it mean for Ukraine?"

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