Exclusive: EU President Reacts to Trump’s Latest Stance on Russia-Ukraine War

LET'S MOVE ONTO UKRAINE BECAUSE A HUGE ISSUE.

IT IS BEING PERCEIVED --I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU PERCEIVE IT.

I WOULD BE INTERESTED IN YOUR REACTION.

TRUMP HAS MADE A DRAMATIC SWITCH FROM IN THE OVAL OFFICE TELLING PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY AT THE HAVE NO CARDS, YOU NEED TO NEGOTIATE, YOU NEED TO CALL A CEASEFIRE, YOU HAVE NO CARDS, TO HEAR, SAYING THAT YES, I THINK THAT WITH EU, NATO HELP, YOU CAN WIN YOUR TERRITORY.

FIRST, DO YOU AGREE WITH WHAT HIS ASSESSMENT IS AND WHAT YOU ATTRIBUTE HIS SHIFT TO?

>> WELL, WE ALWAYS WERE CONVINCED AND ARE CONVINCED THAT UKRAINE FIGHT IS NOT ONLY FOR UKRAINE'S INDEPENDENCE AND SOVEREIGNTY, IT IS A QUESTION OF THE GLOBAL ORDER AND THE RESPECT FOR THE CHARTER, THE SOVEREIGN INDIAN TERRITORY AND INTEGRITY OF COUNTRIES.

SECOND, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY HARD TO SUPPORT UKRAINE BUT ALSO TO SHOW THAT THERE IS A STRONG COALITION OF THE WILLING, MAKING SURE THAT ONCE PEACE IS THERE, WE ARE ABLE TO GIVE THE SECURITY GUARANTEES TO UKRAINE IT NEEDS.

THE THIRD POINT IS MOST IMPORTANT.

IT TOOK A WHILE BUT EVERYTHING IS OVERWHELMING, TO SHOW TO PRESIDENT TRUMP THAT PRESIDENT PUTIN IS THE PREDATOR, THAT HE DOES NOT WANT PEACE AND THAT WE HAVE TO BE VERY CLEAR THAT THE INTERNATIONAL RULES HAVE TO BE RESPECTED AND THIS IS WHAT YOU HEARD YESTERDAY.

>> I HEARD IT FROM THE PRESIDENT YESTERDAY.

YOU ARE RIGHT.

HE SAID PUTIN HAS REALLY DISAPPOINTED ME.

I THOUGHT, AS HE SAID MANY TIMES, I COULD FIX THIS WAR BECAUSE OF MY RELATIONSHIP WITH PUTIN I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT THAT WASN'T GOING TO BE THE CASE BUT MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, DO YOU THINK THAT THIS SIGNALS A RAMPING UP OF EU, NATO AID TO UKRAINE?

FOR THE PURPOSE OF WHAT TRUMP SAID, THAT THEY CAN WIN BACK THEIR TERRITORY.

DO YOU THINK THAT IS WHAT THE AIM IS NOW?

WHAT IS THE AIM, DO YOU THINK?

>> WHAT THE UNITED STATES DO IS THEIR DECISION BUT THE EUROPEAN UNION HAS ALWAYS BEEN CRYSTAL CLEAR THAT WE ARE GOING TO SUPPORT UKRAINE AND WHAT IT NEEDS.

SO FAR, 175 BILLION HAVE BEEN INVESTED IN UKRAINE'S DEFENSE BUT ALSO ECONOMIC SURVIVAL AND WE WILL STAY THE COURSE.

WE WILL BE IRONCLAD BY THE SIDE OF UKRAINE AND THAT IS ALSO GIVING THEM THE MILITARY CAPABILITIES THEY NEED TO DEFEND THEIR COUNTRY.

>> WHAT IS YOUR ASSESSMENT?

IS THE AIM NOW FOR THEM TO FIGHT TO REGAIN THEIR TERRITORY?

OR, IS IT TO KEEP DEFENDING, AS YOU HAVE SAID, AND GET TO A PLACE WHERE PUTIN TAKES EVERYBODY SERIOUSLY, INCLUDING UKRAINE REASONABLE NEGOTIATIONS?

WHAT IS THE AIM?

>> THE AIM IS, OF COURSE, THE DECISION ON WHAT IS UKRAINIAN TERRITORY TO BE DEFENDED.

THAT IS A UKRAINE DECISION.

AND, WE RESPECT THAT.

THE AIM IS, THAT PUTIN COMES TO THE NEGOTIATION TABLE AND SITS DOWN AND NEGOTIATES BECAUSE WE ALL WANT PEACE.

>> PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS OVER AND AGAIN --I'M NOT GOING TO USE THE WERE THREATENED, BUT SAID THAT HE WILL PUNISH PUTIN IN VARIOUS WAYS IF HE DOESN'T DO X IN TWO WEEKS OR IN 11 DAYS OR IN 24 --I MAKING IT UP.

CONSTANT DEADLINES THAT KEEP BEING FUDGED AND MISSED.

NOW, HE IS SAYING HE IS READY TO IMPOSE TOUGH SANCTIONS ON PUTIN.

THIS WAS A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, AS LONG AS ALLIES, NATO, EUROPEAN ALLIES STOP BUYING FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY, ET CETERA, FROM THE RUSSIANS.

WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?

>> WELL, PRESIDENT TRUMP IS RIGHT.

IT IS UNACCEPTABLE THAT THROUGH THE BACK DOOR, RUSSIAN FOSSIL FUEL COMES BACK.

JUST A FIGURE, WE HAVE REDUCED RUSSIAN FOSSIL FUELS IN EUROPE BY 80%.

ZERO FROM RUSSIA RIGHT NOW ON THE 3% OF OIL FROM RUSSIA.

WHEN I SEE THAT ENERGY COME THROUGH THE BACK DOOR, WE JUST PROPOSED TO SANCTION ENERGY COMING TO THE EUROPEAN MARKETS THAT COMES FROM RUSSIA.

>> I'M GOING TO REDO A TRUMP QUOTE.

HE BASICALLY SAYS THINK ABOUT IT.

HE IS TALKING ABOUT YOU AND OTHER NATO NATIONS.

THEY ARE FUNDING THE WAR AGAINST THEMSELVES.

IN OTHER WORDS, BY BUYING RUSSIAN OIL.

WHOEVER HEARD OF THAT?

HE ACTUALLY SAID WHO THAT HELL EVER HEARD OF THAT ONE .

YOU ARE AGREEING, THEN?

>> THREE YEARS AGO WHEN THE WAR STARTED, INDEED, THERE WAS A HUGE DEPENDENCY ON RUSSIAN GAS AND PUTIN CUT US OFF THE GAS.

WE HAD A HUGE ENERGY CRISIS.

WE DIVERSIFIED AWAY WITH FRANCE.

WE INVESTED MASSIVELY IN RENEWABLES AND NUCLEAR SO THAT TODAY WE ALMOST GOT RID OF RUSSIAN FOSSIL FUELS AND IT IS CORRECT, WE HAVE TO FINISH THAT JOB.

WE HAVE TO GET RID OF RUSSIAN FOSSIL FUELS BECAUSE IT IS ONLY FUELING THE RUSSIAN WAR.

>> SAID WHO IS STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS?

YOU HAVE IMPOSED A BAN ON MARITIME RUSSIAN OIL IMPORTS, BUYING PRODUCTS LIKE DIESEL.

AS YOU SAY, MANY COUNTRIES CONTINUE TO IMPORT THOSE FOSSIL FUELS AND LIQUEFIED AROUND THE BACK DOOR.

WHO IS IT --IS THE CULPRITS?

IS A SLOVAKIA, TURKEY, HUNGARY?

WHO IS IT?

SEE SOME MEMBER STATES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION THAT ARE STILL HAVING LNG FOR RUSSIAN OIL AND HERE, WE JUST, AS I SAID, ISSUED A SANCTIONS PACKAGE THAT MAKES VERY CLEAR THAT IN A FEW MONTHS THEY HAVE TO GET RID OF THE LNG BECAUSE IT IS SANCTIONED.