Putin Agrees to Help Trump Broker Nuclear Talks With Iran: Bloomberg Exclusive

This is breaking news from Bloomberg. 0:00:06.080 --> 0:00:08.440 Now to a story that just crossed the Bloomberg terminal 0:00:08.440 --> 0:00:11.360 moments ago on a red headline. Russia agreeing to assist 0:00:11.360 --> 0:00:15.640 the Trump administration in communications with Iran on issues including 0:00:15.680 --> 0:00:19.759 its nuclear program and support for regional proxies opposed to 0:00:19.760 --> 0:00:23.400 the US were told the President relayed that interest directly 0:00:23.440 --> 0:00:27.400 in a phone call last month to Russian President Vladimir Putin. 0:00:27.440 --> 0:00:31.760 Goldnar multi Vali heads Bloomberg's Iran coverage and broke this story. 0:00:31.800 --> 0:00:35.080 Goldnar is here with us now get us up to 0:00:35.080 --> 0:00:39.159 speed on just what we have learned about this phone call, which, interestingly, 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:43.479 according to your reporting Golnar came before US and Russian 0:00:43.479 --> 0:00:45.600 negotiators met in Saudi Arabia last month. 0:00:45.640 --> 0:00:46.080 Is that right? 0:00:46.880 --> 0:00:47.200 Yes? 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:51.440 So this was also helped by our colleagues who are 0:00:51.479 --> 0:00:56.440 covering Russia very closely and people that who they spoke 0:00:57.080 --> 0:00:58.800 with based in Moscow. 0:00:58.840 --> 0:01:04.559 VISA story is said that during the US first round 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:09.759 of talks with Russian counterparts in Riad, there was apparently 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:12.640 an ask from on behalf of. 0:01:12.640 --> 0:01:18.679 The Trump administration for President Putin's government to get involved 0:01:18.800 --> 0:01:25.600 on some level with President Trump's desire or stated interest 0:01:26.080 --> 0:01:30.240 in broker in some kind of nuclear agreement with Iran, 0:01:30.720 --> 0:01:32.920 and apparently this request. 0:01:32.600 --> 0:01:37.920 Was then also repeated during a meeting between Sergei Lavrov, 0:01:38.040 --> 0:01:41.520 the Russian foreign minister, and his Iranian counterpart at boss 0:01:41.600 --> 0:01:47.960 Arachi when he then subsequently flew to Tehran for bilateral talks. 0:01:48.600 --> 0:01:50.480 So the crux of. 0:01:50.400 --> 0:01:56.920 The story is that President Donald Trump wants putin help 0:01:57.040 --> 0:02:02.000 on some level to broke engagement with Iran with a 0:02:02.160 --> 0:02:08.079 view to then securing a new nuclear agreement. But the agreement. 0:02:07.560 --> 0:02:12.200 Apparently won't just cover Iran's nuclear program, which is what 0:02:12.320 --> 0:02:13.440 the Obama. 0:02:12.960 --> 0:02:17.359 Administration had already broken in broken in twenty fifteen, but 0:02:17.400 --> 0:02:21.280 as we know, Trump exited in twenty eighteen and effectively. 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:25.960 Jettison But he wants he wants a deal that also in. 0:02:25.919 --> 0:02:27.480 Some way covers. 0:02:27.200 --> 0:02:32.240 Iran's support for its allied groups such. 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:34.639 As Hamas and Hezbola in. 0:02:34.360 --> 0:02:37.720 The Middle East, and this is something. 0:02:37.360 --> 0:02:41.440 That would be you know, it would be a major 0:02:41.480 --> 0:02:48.480 development in the ongoing saga that is Iran and US relations. 0:02:48.600 --> 0:02:52.040 But the background to this, obviously is that crucially Trump 0:02:52.080 --> 0:02:54.920 has sending some mixed messages on what he wants to do. 0:02:54.880 --> 0:02:56.720 With Iran, because we know obviously, on. 0:02:56.639 --> 0:03:01.280 The day that he signed his directive revising that maximum 0:03:01.280 --> 0:03:05.200 pressure strategy on Iran and broadening sanctions on its oil 0:03:05.240 --> 0:03:09.520 industry within hours, he also said that he would on 0:03:09.639 --> 0:03:12.799 history to social website, he said that he was very 0:03:12.880 --> 0:03:14.359 much interested. 0:03:14.120 --> 0:03:16.320 In a nuclear deal with Iran and he wants those 0:03:16.360 --> 0:03:21.160 talks to happen quote quote unquote immediately. So there's a 0:03:21.200 --> 0:03:23.440 lot going on here with this story. 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:27.680 Do we have any indication, Golnar, about how Israel might 0:03:27.760 --> 0:03:31.320 feel about a development like this, because haven't Russia and 0:03:31.440 --> 0:03:36.960 Iran increased cooperation over the last several years, Yes. 0:03:36.800 --> 0:03:42.000 They have. That's another another crucial lay to this, and 0:03:42.040 --> 0:03:45.520 it's a great it's a great question because since Russia's 0:03:45.560 --> 0:03:50.480 started its invasion of Ukraine, the relationship between Tehran and 0:03:50.520 --> 0:03:54.760 Mosco has deepened and broadened significantly. They are two of 0:03:54.840 --> 0:03:56.120 the most. 0:03:55.640 --> 0:03:58.360 Sanctioned countries in the world. 0:03:58.440 --> 0:04:01.920 So they're the two most countries by the US Treasury, 0:04:02.560 --> 0:04:06.280 and that has kind of brought them closer together. They're 0:04:06.320 --> 0:04:09.880 doing much more trade, they're doing more bart agreements together. 0:04:10.800 --> 0:04:18.039 Since since the Putin Putin's invasion of Ukraine started, they're 0:04:18.120 --> 0:04:24.320 also they've also signed agreements to start trades corridors, the 0:04:24.400 --> 0:04:30.000 kind of very ambitious project to develop a very a 0:04:30.040 --> 0:04:34.240 substantial trade corridor linking the Caspian Sea to the Northern. 0:04:33.880 --> 0:04:36.400 Indian Ocean using Iran as. 0:04:36.240 --> 0:04:37.600 The as the throughway. 0:04:38.600 --> 0:04:42.840 Lots going on there, and of course Iran's military supports 0:04:42.960 --> 0:04:48.200 purported military support of Moscow in the shape of thousands 0:04:48.279 --> 0:04:53.000 of Iranian cheaply made Iranian drones. That's another dimension to this. 0:04:53.120 --> 0:04:56.640 And as you said, Iran is de facto in a 0:04:56.720 --> 0:04:59.640 locked in a shadow wall with Israel that it's said 0:04:59.640 --> 0:05:03.800 that it's and the continue fighting, especially in light of 0:05:04.200 --> 0:05:07.800 the Hamas attacks on Israel in October seventh and the 0:05:07.839 --> 0:05:12.400 subsequent Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip and southern Hezbola 0:05:12.480 --> 0:05:18.360 targeting sorry, southern Ebanon targeting Hezbola and Hamas. So that's 0:05:18.400 --> 0:05:22.039 also possibly a play here. It's going to be interesting 0:05:22.120 --> 0:05:26.440 to see how Trump squares that circle his kind of 0:05:26.560 --> 0:05:32.760 extremely close and sort of unconditional support for Israel with 0:05:33.000 --> 0:05:36.760 his desire to, according to what he said on his 0:05:36.800 --> 0:05:37.760 truth social. 0:05:37.480 --> 0:05:39.640 Account, to have a verified. 0:05:39.200 --> 0:05:42.960 Nuclear peace agreement with Iran that doesn't involve any kind 0:05:43.000 --> 0:05:44.800 of military confrontation with Iran. 0:05:45.480 --> 0:05:48.080 Thank you for this Golnar Monti Valia Bloomberg News, leading 0:05:48.080 --> 0:05:51.159 our Iran coverage on the breaking news this morning, the 0:05:51.200 --> 0:05:55.200 President Trump asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to get involved 0:05:55.200 --> 0:05:58.480 in talks with Iran on its nuclear program and support 0:05:58.839 --> 0:06:00.000 for regional PROCs. 0:06:00.080 --> 0:06:01.920 He's, Golnar, thank you for this. We want to get 0:06:01.960 --> 0:06:02.680 more reaction. 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:03.000 Now. 0:06:03.040 --> 0:06:06.280 We're joined by Wendy Schiller, director of the Alfred Taubin 0:06:06.400 --> 0:06:10.120 Center for Politics and Policy at Brown University. And Wendy, 0:06:10.240 --> 0:06:13.799 this news of President Trump's call with Putin is coming 0:06:13.839 --> 0:06:18.080 on top of the President halting military aid to Ukraine 0:06:18.240 --> 0:06:22.440 until we're told President Vladimir Zelenski shows that he's committed 0:06:22.480 --> 0:06:22.960 to peace. 0:06:23.120 --> 0:06:25.800 Your reaction to all these developments this morning. 0:06:26.400 --> 0:06:31.159 Well, Trump is disrupting again and disrupting the world order again. 0:06:31.920 --> 0:06:35.719 But this, you know, this is not that unpredictable. You know, 0:06:35.800 --> 0:06:38.920 when he undid the Iran deal, he kept saying, this 0:06:38.960 --> 0:06:41.279 is a bad deal. You know, we struck a bad deal. 0:06:41.360 --> 0:06:43.560 We didn't get enough for it. There isn't enough reassurance. 0:06:43.880 --> 0:06:46.760 Plus it was it prior President Obama, and he wants 0:06:46.800 --> 0:06:49.279 to undo it and do it again, similar to what 0:06:49.320 --> 0:06:53.200 he did with NAFTA and renegotiated that and retitled it. 0:06:53.520 --> 0:06:55.560 You know, this is a guy that wants to get 0:06:55.600 --> 0:06:59.280 done things that prior presidents didn't do. We know that 0:06:59.360 --> 0:07:01.680 approal rams import in him, but we also know that 0:07:01.800 --> 0:07:04.680 he wants to be seen as an effective president. It's 0:07:04.760 --> 0:07:08.640 driving his everything he's trying to do. People may disagree 0:07:08.680 --> 0:07:10.680 with what he's doing, but this is what he wants 0:07:10.760 --> 0:07:12.880 to do. So if he can manage I mean, Iran's 0:07:12.920 --> 0:07:16.120 pretty close. You know, I'm non nuclear expert, but they 0:07:16.200 --> 0:07:19.200 have gotten closer to getting a nuclear bomb. So if 0:07:19.240 --> 0:07:24.440 he can prevent that somehow and reduce some of Iranian's 0:07:24.680 --> 0:07:28.920 energy and support for terrorist groups, he will claim credit 0:07:29.040 --> 0:07:31.880 for that. And he wants to build a record. Whether 0:07:31.920 --> 0:07:35.400 he wants to be president again, we don't know, but 0:07:35.480 --> 0:07:38.040 he wants to do what other presidents have not been 0:07:38.080 --> 0:07:41.200 able to do, and he sees Russia as a potential 0:07:41.280 --> 0:07:45.080 ally to get that done. Whether that's a reliable ally 0:07:45.200 --> 0:07:48.880 for US in all measures and Russia and Iran, these sanctions, 0:07:49.000 --> 0:07:51.040 you know, we can argue whether they matter or they don't, 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:54.000 they hurt Russia or they don't, but certainly economically they 0:07:54.080 --> 0:07:56.560 get in the way, and so I think both Russia 0:07:56.600 --> 0:07:58.680 and Aron would like to see these sanctions reduced or 0:07:58.720 --> 0:08:01.840 eliminated somehow. Trump will try to claim that he's not 0:08:01.920 --> 0:08:03.920 doing that, but obviously that's going to have to be 0:08:04.000 --> 0:08:05.960 on the table if there's any new agreement. 0:08:06.640 --> 0:08:11.440 Is this closer to you full US realignment with Russia. 0:08:11.520 --> 0:08:13.280 I don't think anybody should jump the gun on that. 0:08:13.680 --> 0:08:16.240 Trump is not someone who aligns with anybody but Trump. 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:18.640 This is the way he rolls this. He's been very 0:08:18.640 --> 0:08:21.320 candid about this. Trump does what Trump thinks is in 0:08:21.360 --> 0:08:24.360 Trump's best interest, and right now as president, he's making 0:08:24.400 --> 0:08:26.360 the argument that these are all things that are in 0:08:26.400 --> 0:08:30.240 the United States interest. So whether he's looking for some 0:08:30.320 --> 0:08:32.840 long standing alliance or not, whether you know we're trying 0:08:32.840 --> 0:08:35.320 to balance against China, you know, we have no idea. 0:08:35.400 --> 0:08:38.160 Normally would say, oh, this is part of some grand strategy, 0:08:38.360 --> 0:08:41.679 but it's not. It's Trump being able to broke or deals. 0:08:41.760 --> 0:08:44.640 He loves to do that, walk away and claim a win, 0:08:45.360 --> 0:08:48.440 and he's doing that across the board. And right now 0:08:48.480 --> 0:08:51.440 he doesn't see the utility in making Russia the enemy. 0:08:51.679 --> 0:08:54.520 He doesn't see the utility in basically paying US weapons 0:08:54.559 --> 0:08:57.280 and manufacturers by the way get to make weapons for 0:08:57.520 --> 0:09:01.240 Ukraine and getting nothing for the d He wants something 0:09:01.679 --> 0:09:05.320 from Ukraine. He's trying to get some stake in minerals 0:09:05.320 --> 0:09:08.200 and national resources in Ukraine, which might prove to be 0:09:08.200 --> 0:09:11.079 a bullwark against further Russia incursion in Ukraine if the 0:09:11.160 --> 0:09:14.960 United States has a vested steak in their territory. So 0:09:15.280 --> 0:09:18.160 this is the way he thinks, and it's on brand 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:19.800 for him. We're going to see if he explains it 0:09:19.880 --> 0:09:21.880 or talks about it tonight. In his joint. 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:24.640 Address, the President did say on true Social He's going 0:09:24.720 --> 0:09:27.959 to tell it like it is tonight before Congress. What 0:09:28.000 --> 0:09:32.360 will you be listening for this evening and reaction from Democrats, Well, I. 0:09:32.280 --> 0:09:35.320 Mean, you know, basically, I'm not planning to listen to 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:37.880 anything in particular because I never know what Donald Trump's 0:09:37.920 --> 0:09:41.680 going to say. But this will be about again, how 0:09:41.840 --> 0:09:44.520 he will negotiate deals that are in a better favor 0:09:44.559 --> 0:09:46.840 of the United States, how he is already prom he's 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:49.840 already doing what he promised to do, and that he's 0:09:49.880 --> 0:09:52.920 going to basically be It's a campaign speech and you're 0:09:52.920 --> 0:09:55.000 going to see a lot of Republican unity. This is 0:09:55.040 --> 0:09:56.760 what this is. This is a show. And this is 0:09:56.800 --> 0:09:59.360 also the President reminding the Republican Party that he won, 0:09:59.840 --> 0:10:02.520 that he brought them in, that they owe him and 0:10:02.520 --> 0:10:04.600 they should stick with him. And this is a public 0:10:04.600 --> 0:10:07.640 display for that reason, going into very difficult I think 0:10:07.679 --> 0:10:10.760 tax cut and debt ceiling and budget negotiations in the 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:11.400 next couple. 0:10:11.200 --> 0:10:13.840 Of weeks, I really appreciate the perspective ahead of that 0:10:13.880 --> 0:10:14.800 address nine pm. 0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:16.600 Wall Street Time on Capitol Hill. 0:10:16.600 --> 0:10:18.960 Our coverage begins at eight on a special edition of 0:10:18.960 --> 0:10:22.120 Bloomberg Balance of Power on Bloomberg Radio, Television and the 0:10:22.120 --> 0:10:25.120 Bloomberg Podcast YouTube page. Wendy Schiller ahead of all that 0:10:25.200 --> 0:10:28.200 with us this morning, head of the Alfred Taubman Center 0:10:28.240 --> 0:10:31.319 for American Politics and Policy at Brown University,