00:00I've had very good talks with Putin, and I've had not such good talks with Ukraine.
00:06And right now, you have a country that has its cities, they look like demolition sites.
00:12Those beautiful towers, those thousand-year-old golden domes that were so beautiful, the most
00:16beautiful in the world, they say.
00:18Much better to meet in person, but that was dangerous, I didn't like.
00:22I like him.
00:23Therefore, I didn't want him to do it.
00:24If I didn't like him, I would have suggested he do it.
00:28In fact, I'd say, go back today, and let's give it another shot.
00:35It's a nice, friendly group.
00:37Lovely.
00:41Well, we're in a very good mood.
00:42We just had the highest poll numbers I've ever had.
00:45Ever.
00:51And actually, a record for a Republican.
00:54I don't know about have they checked the Democrats too, but we have a record so far
00:58for a Republican.
00:59Now it's four weeks.
01:00We have a lot of weeks to go.
01:02We want to finish that way, right?
01:04But I just wanted to thank everybody, because you've been really amazing.
01:08The job you've done has been incredible in terms of this four-week period.
01:11It's been a very somewhat historic four weeks, and we have a couple of things in the works.
01:17We're negotiating with Russia, Ukraine, trying to get that horrible situation over with.
01:23It's terrible.
01:24It's just so terrible.
01:26I see pictures that you, fortunately, don't get to see.
01:29You don't want to see them.
01:31And that is a killing field.
01:34You have young soldiers being killed thousands a week, and we've got to get it over with.
01:39It's bad for Russia, and it's bad for Ukraine, and it's bad for us on a humanitarian basis.
01:45I've had very good talks with Putin, and I've had not such good talks with Ukraine.
01:51They don't have any cards, but they play it tough.
01:55But we're not going to let this continue.
01:57This war is terrible.
01:59It would have never happened if I were President.
02:03But it did happen, so I got stuck with it, and the whole world is stuck with it.
02:08And right now, you have a country that has its cities.
02:11They look like demolition sites.
02:13Those beautiful towers, those thousand-year-old golden domes that were so beautiful, the most
02:18beautiful in the world, they say, they're all in smithereens.
02:22Millions of people are killed.
02:23I think far more people than anyone understands.
02:27And we have people that better get to the table and get it ended.
02:32It should have never happened.
02:33It would have never happened.
02:36But I'm delighted to welcome America's governors to the White House.
02:40You're amazing people.
02:42Even the Democrats are amazing people, some of you.
02:45America's been great, and he's been in some big meetings with people at the highest level
02:51of states that we would say — states meaning other countries — that we would have said
02:59wouldn't have dealt so well, but they're dealing very well.
03:01You have a great group of people with Steve Whitkoff and Michael Walsh.
03:06And we're making amazing progress.
03:07I mean, we've made more progress on that situation, which is Ukraine, than they have
03:13in three years.
03:14Again, it's so sad that it began.
03:16But we're also working very hard on the Middle East, another one that wouldn't have happened.
03:20We would never have had — you wouldn't have had October 7th.
03:24They had no money.
03:25Iran was broke.
03:26We had sanctions up on Iran that nobody's ever seen before.
03:30They were literally broke, and they were not giving any money to Hezbollah, to Hamas.
03:37And how about Hamas yesterday with the babies?
03:39How about that?
03:40You know?
03:41We're going to take that.
03:42We're going to continue to take that?
03:43I don't think so.
03:46But I want to just thank you, Marco, for doing a great job.
03:48And Scott, you also.
03:50Scott went all the way to Ukraine.
03:53I said, don't do it.
03:55That's why they have telephones.
03:56But he — it's — look, it's always better to meet in person.
03:59But I just didn't feel that it was good.
04:03And it was dangerous.
04:04You saw things on that train ride that you didn't like, I understand.
04:06You know?
04:07It's a pretty dangerous ride.
04:08The long ride.
04:09How long was that?
04:10Ten hours.
04:11Ten-hour ride.
04:12How do you get there?
04:14And a very dangerous journey.
04:16But he wanted to do it.
04:17He's a patriot.
04:18He wanted to do it.
04:19It's better to do it than it is with a telephone.
04:21Always better.
04:22I always say, much better to meet in person.
04:23But it was dangerous.
04:24I didn't like — I like him, therefore I didn't want him to do it.
04:28If I didn't like him, I would have suggested he do it.
04:30In fact, I'd say, go back today and let's give it another shot.
04:36But I hear that — I hear that they're going to agree pretty much with what — but that's
04:40not the big thing.
04:41The big thing is getting it done.
04:44And we'll get it done.
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