Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) weighed in on the upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Trump, suggesting it shows Putin may be ready to enter peace talks.
Burchett, in a Friday evening appearance on NewsNation’s “The Hill,” pointed to a pressing timeline for Moscow to act on ceasefire negotiations to back up his comments. Trump has threatened to increase sanctions on Russia and allies that purchase its energy if a deal is not reached soon — though some have questioned the delay.
“What Trump is doing right now with this energy sector and other areas, it’s unleashing America’s excellence,” he told guest host Chris Stirewalt. “And these people know that we can collapse them.”
“When we start exporting energy like we did prior to it, he can control these world markets and he can shut those countries down, Russia included,” the Tennessee Republican added. “And I think Putin knows that, and he knows he needs to get to the table.”
Trump and Putin are slated to meet in Alaska on Aug. 15 to discuss conditions needed to end the more than three-year-long war in Eastern Europe. The president has proposed a territory swap between the warning nations as part of negotiations.
“We’re going to get some back, and we’re going to get some switched,” Trump told reporters Friday. “There’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked the idea, arguing that Kyiv should not be excluded from the negotiating table, as his approval would also be needed for any ceasefire deal.
“The Ukrainian people deserve peace… Ukrainians will not give their land to an occupier,” Zelensky said in a Saturday video message posted to Telegram.
“Any decisions made against us, any decisions made without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace,” he continued. “They will bring nothing. These are dead decisions; they will never work.”
While Burchett and defense hawk Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have supported the president’s decision to meet with the Kremlin leader, other experts claim it will give Putin the edge.
“I have a feeling this is sliding very quickly in Russia’s direction,” former national security adviser John Bolton said Friday during a CNN appearance on “The Source.”
“We’re not quite back at February the 28th, in the Oval Office, when Trump told [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky, ‘You don’t have any cards.’ But what’s happening is that Russia and the United States are discussing what terms they’re going to present to Zelensky, and it may well be that Zelensky has no choice here,” he told host Kaitlan Collins.
Bolton added, “Surrendering is always one way to get a peace deal.”
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