President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday that, following his meeting with eight European leaders —including Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky — he plans to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin. As one CNN commentator quipped, the arrangement made Trump appear as if he were seeking Putin’s approval.
CNN host Boris Sanchez brought the matter up to Kimberly Dozier, a global affairs analyst who previously reported on intelligence and counterterrorism for The Associated Press.
"Yeah," Dozier said, drawing out the word and putting her hands on her hips. "The fact that he feels he's got to check in with Putin right away and that — just as this meeting is taking place, we get news that Putin is saying, by the way, no NATO troops on the ground in Ukraine. That is unacceptable."
She noted that it still "feels like Trump needs Putin's approval in a way that's got to be very disturbing to Zelensky sitting there. But of course, Zelensky was a good actor. He's playing it cool. He's not biting on any of the questions he got."
Hopefully, she added, the European officials will tell Trump that it's time to put "troops on the ground inside Ukraine and that it's not Vladimir Putin's business."
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