Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin said on Sunday that President Donald Trump is the only one who has the ability to push Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate to end the war with Ukraine.
“Putin knows the one person who can really change the war is the United States,” Mullin told Co-anchor Jonathan Karl on ABC News’ “This week.” “If we went all for Ukraine, if we went all with the resources we have, from air superiority to the weapons we can insert into Ukraine knows Putin at the time he would be in an extremely negative position. “
“I think that being the opportunity for President Trump to talk to Putin and say, ‘Listen, we will end the war. We will not have to engage anymore but we will not give you the opportunity to come Further.
Trump announced via social media on Wednesday that his team would start negotiating with Putin to end the nearly 3 -year war. Trump said he and Putin discussed a cessation of the war in which Ukraine is throwing territory trapped by Russia and giving up his ambitions to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), two large concessions for Ukraine.
Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-okla) about “This week.”
ABC News
Many world leaders claim that Trump has given Putin’s demands before negotiations begin. Trump added that he informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about his call with Putin after it was completed.
Initially, Trump did not mention whether Ukraine would be involved in the negotiations, but later said they would of course “be involved.
National security adviser Mike Waltz, State Secretary Marco Rubio and the special envoy Steve Witkoff are traveling to Saudi Arabia this week, a source told the case to ABC News.
Waltz, Rubio and Witkoff are expected to meet with the best Russian officials, several sources familiar with the case told ABC News. The specific timing of the trip is not clear and it is unclear whether Ukraine will be involved in the negotiations.
Mullin said he is looking for a scenario where both parties are present at the negotiating table.
“I know the negotiations are moving on and we want Ukraine and Russia both at the table, and I think the negotiations are going better if both sides are looking for a peace agreement because they are in a neutral position,” Mullin said .
Mullin praised Trump’s negotiating tactics, despite continuing backback.
“What President Trump is doing here is actually really smart. He meets with Zelenskyy. He has conversations with him. You see [Secretary of State Marco] Rubio. You saw, you saw that the senators and representatives both met with Zelenskyy while they were in Munich, and you also see them meet with Putin in Saudi Arabia, “Mullin said.” What it does, Jon is, it puts both people who get them in separate rooms, talk about what they will accept, and then find out a negotiating path forward before bringing them to the table. Many times, take people to the table too fast, Jon, it is bursting. “
Mullin also defended Elon Musk’s efforts to review the federal government.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) began directing mass layouts after their deferred severance program ended on February 12. Originally, Doge has put his sights on trial time staff, people with only a few years of service, which is almost 200,000 government workers.
“Whenever you take over a situation that Elon Musk has had many opportunities and many experiences of taking over businesses, you have to start cutting some of the fat. And unfortunately, the biggest expense we have in the US is paying,” said Mullin.
Karl noted that the biggest expenses in the federal budget are for legal programs such as Medicare and Social Security.
Musk has promised transparency in his actions, and many democratic lawmakers have called on him to testify in front of Congress. Whether he should be left to Trump, Mullin said.
“It’s up to President Trump. Remember President Trump put musk to be a consultant, just as many successful businesses around the world, including myself who have hired consultants to come in and look at it from an objective perspective,” said Mullin.
