In a post-mortem on Donald Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, the former head of the Council on Foreign Relations expressed alarm that the U.S. president appeared to be “surprised” at the turn the talks took on ending the Ukraine war.
Appearing on MSNBC’s “The Weekend,” diplomat Richard Hass claimed negotiations have a long way to go before reaching the “peace” Trump is now claiming is the next step.He then went on to note what he felt was alarming at how the U.S. entered into the diplomatic efforts.
“To me, one of the most surprising things of Alaska was how unconditional the entire thing was,” he told the hosts. ‘You're right, Putin not just was, but is a pariah; the attacks continue, the war crimes continue.”
“While they were meeting, it appears,” co-host Eugene Daniels interjected.
“Absolutely,” Haas agreed. “So to give him an unconditional reception seems to me wrong.”
He then continued, “This all should have been wired, which is my larger point: the idea that the American officials seem surprised and disappointed.”
“Look,” he elaborated. “I've worked for several presidents. I worked for four years at the White House for George Bush, the father. The idea that a president would go to a summit only to be surprised? These ought to be the most wired interactions. There was almost nothing left for uncertainty.”
“No conversations that happened beforehand, the president just putting a bow on it,” Daniels prompted his guest.
"Exactly, 99 percent of it ought to be wired,” Haas replied. “Not a guarantee, but wired. This seems to me to have been just the opposite. And I don't know if Putin misled the United States, if the envoy, Steve Witkoff, simply got played. I don't know if Donald Trump simply was so cocky that he thought the power of his personality could bring Putin around, but the idea that you would have had Putin come literally and figuratively –– the red carpet –– and have virtually nothing result from it? And then the president leaves saying it's so now it's up to Zelenskyy? It just seems to me something is wrong here with how this was handled diplomatically, how this was handled. The foreign policy craft, if you will, of this seems sorely lacking.”
You can watch below or at the link.