Transcript of Trump says he trusts Putin not to ‘violate his word’ on Ukraine

With the breaking news, Zelensky and Trump face to face. The President of Ukraine, tonight on his way to Washington for a high-stakes meeting with President Trump, the first time that the two will meet since Trump's re-election.

We're working very hard to get that war brought to an end. I think we've made a lot of progress, and I think it's moving along pretty rapidly.

For Trump, the deal includes a deal regarding Ukraine's prized rare earth minerals. Us. One of Trump's talk economic advisors saying that that deal could net $20 billion, which $20 billion is $20 billion. Whatever you think of the merits of the deal, still, compared to the US budget, it's nothing. We're talking about less than one-third of 1% of a nearly $1 trillion budget. But this is what Trump wanted. As the former foreign minister of Ukraine told us the other day, there was zero chance Ukraine wasn't going to do that deal because it had no choice. Trump says that when it comes down to it, when it comes down to it on this deal, he trusts Vladimir Putin to keep his word on ending the war in Ukraine. What would you be willing to do if Vladimir Putin did not stick to the terms of any deal on Ukraine? If he not what? He did not stick to the terms of any deal on Ukraine.

I've known him for a long time now, and I think he will... I don't believe he's going to violate his word.

This is a hugely significant thing to say, of course. The question looming over this is why. Why would Trump trust trusts Putin to not violate his word? Why is this such a crucial question? Because here are the facts on Putin and agreements. In 1996, Russia had a peace agreement with Chechnya. Three years later, Putin, Prime Minister of Russia, ordered Russian troops to invade in violation of that deal. Or take Georgia. There was a ceasefire between Georgia and Russia throughout the 1990s. Putin is the one who broke that ceasefire, sending his troops in to invade Georgia in 2008. Now, Trump trusts Putin to keep his word, to take, I guess, some parts of Eastern Ukraine, which are burnt to the ground and littered with mines, and just walk away and never touch Ukraine again. He trusts him. When Putin invaded Ukraine in 2014, seized Crimea, agreed to the Minsky Agreement, and then went ahead and continued to fight Ukraine and the on baths for years, and then that full-scale invasion in 2022 when Putin said this.

The Soviet government created Soviet Ukraine. This is well known to everyone. Until then, there was never any Ukraine in the history of humanity.

Never any Ukraine in the history of humanity. I mean, that says it all. But then there's this before the start of the 2022 full-scale invasion, Putin published an article claiming Russia was robbed of its historical lands. He went on to write that the Russians and Ukrainians are, quote, one people. If anybody trusts Putin on his word, maybe they should listen to those words, which he has said and written again and again, even handing out a document laying out how Ukraine is part of Russia to every soldier in Russia in the summer before his invasion of Ukraine. But Trump today says he trusts Putin to keep his word this time because some American workers might be at rare earth mineral sites in Ukraine. Why?

I also have a very good relationship, as you know, with President Putin. I knew Putin very well. Got along with him. Actually great. Putin is a nicer person than I am. So now I like Putin. Now, Putin called He's really a genius, by the way.

So he's putting all of that at more value than Putin's track record on breaking deals and what he has said, his word, about Ukraine being part of Russia. Trump has also pushed Putin's propaganda, like claiming Zelensky is a dictator.

A dictator without elections. Zelensky better move fast or he's not going to have a country left.

A dictator. He said it. He was very clear. Yet today, one very interesting thing happened on this dictator front? Just listen to Trump's response when he was asked about those comments when he called Zelensky a dictator.

Did I say that? I can't believe I said that. Next question.

That was a trademark Trump moment, right? Hard to know if he's pretending not to remember. Pretty much impossible. It's gotten so much coverage, whether he's trying to be facetious about it. Whatever it is, a few hours later, after that, that I just played you this moment caught our attention.

I think we're going to have a very good meeting tomorrow morning. We're going to get along really well, okay? We have a lot of respect. I have a lot of respect for him.

A lot of respect for him. Trump clearly softening his stance when it comes to Zelensky. The big question on that, of course, is why. Jeff Zeleny is out front, live outside the White House. Jeff, that was a very clear shift in tone from the President talking about Zelensky, right? Who he has spoken of an incredibly derogatory and demeaning terms in recent days. What we just heard there was a shift from that. What's behind that, Seemysha?

Erin, it's this simple. It's a President who wants to make a deal, and President Trump is on the eve of making a deal here with Ukraine to share some of those minerals. The details of this deal are still coming together, I'm told. The fine print is still being worked out, but there is no question President Zelenskyy is in route. He will be here within hours. The point here to all of this is throughout the day, throughout the week, really, a long-time ally of the US, from France President Emmanuel Macron on Monday to British Prime Minister, Akir Starmer, here today, trying to awaken the American President to look at the history here, to focus on the alliances, and to pull him a little bit away from Vladimir Putin. It was clear today in very stark terms, sitting in the oval office, and then later in the Eastern, President Trump says that he believes Vladimir Putin. He trusts him. So that's where this begins. But as far as the Zalinsky, he wants to make a deal tomorrow. He wants to have really preside over what would be one of the biggest shifts in American foreign policy in modern history, if not more.

Signing this deal with the Ukraine, the invaded country, not the aggressor. But the words of Kirstarmer there, talking about winning the peace, essentially begging the US President for some type of security guarantee. The only guarantee really that we know of is that rare earths mineral deal. The President said, We'll be digging, we'll be digging. He said, The American interest there could help protect Ukraine. But, Aaron, the history you laid out is clear. That is the backdrop for this meeting tomorrow. It certainly will be a historic one.