Trump speaks with Putin, says return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders “unlikely” – National & International News – THU 12Feb2025
Tulsi Gabbard sworn in as Director of National Intelligence.
Ukraine: Trump says return to pre-2014 borders “unlikely”.
Tulsi Gabbard confirmed as Director of National Intelligence
The Senate has confirmed Tulsi Gabbard to the post of director of National intelligence in a near-party line vote. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky (the former Senate Republican leader) was the sole Republican who joined all Democrats in voting against Gabbard.
Gabbard has been one of Trump’s more controversial picks for his administration. In 2020, Gabbard joined the race for the Democratic presidential nomination as a left-of-center candidate. Since then, her politics have taken a more rightward shift and she has grown her following among right leaning podcasters and their audiences.
Many Democrats and some Republicans questioned her suitability for DNI due to past statements she has made that were critical of the US surveillance state and her support for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. She has also been criticized for having met with former Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and made comments that have been construed as being sympathetic to Russia.
However, since being nominated by Trump, she has disavowed many of her previous positions, including her long-standing opposition to section 702 of the foreign intelligence surveillance Act. Privacy advocates say that section 702 can be used as a back door authorization to spy on Americans.
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Ukraine: Trump says return to pre-2014 borders “unlikely”
President Donald Trump says he has spoken in recent days to both Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian president Vladimir Putin about bringing the nearly 3-year-old destructive conflict to an end. During a recent lengthy phone call, Putin has agreed to begin settlement talks immediately. Trump also says that he hopes to meet Putin in person in Saudi Arabia but did not specify a date.
Earlier in the day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is visiting NATO headquarters in Belgium, said that Ukraine’s goals of returning to its pre-2014 borders and joining NATO were “unrealistic”. Hours later, President Trump echoed these sentiments during a White House press briefing.
By making these two preliminary concessions, the Trump administration has essentially met the conditions which Putin had set out for negotiations. Trump did say that “some” of Ukraine’s territory would likely be returned.
Hegseth also ruled out any possibility of the US troops playing a direct role in ensuring Ukraine’s security post-war. Instead, postwar security would have to be maintained by Ukraine’s European and non-European allies. Recently, President Zelensky said that European allies alone could not guarantee Ukraine’s security.
After speaking with Putin, Trump spoke with Zelensky to fill him in on his conversation with Putin. Zelensky has repeatedly insisted that he should meet with Trump before Trump meets with Putin because he does not want the appearance of a settlement on Ukraine being reached without Ukraine’s consultation. During his first briefing today, President Trump heavily implied that he believed that Zelensky would be voted out in his country’s next round of elections.
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