Transcript: Rep. Mike Turner on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” March 2, 2025

The following is the transcript of an interview with Rep. Mike Turner, Republican of Ohio, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on March 2, 2025.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And we are back now with Republican Congressman Mike Turner. Good to have you back. 

REP. MIKE TURNER: Thank you. Appreciate you having me. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: So what were you thinking when you saw that Oval Office meltdown?

REP. TURNER: Well, I mean, the first thing, obviously, is, you know, we have to realize why- why this is important and really what was at stake here. I mean, this is important because Ukraine is important. This is about the- the fight between, you know, authoritarianism and freedom and democracy. This is the Ronald Reagan, you know, evil empire against democracy. So as we’re- we’re watching this fight, we have to be concerned about what’s crumbling here and what needs to be put back together. I think that’s what we all felt in our- in our stomachs as- and our- our anxiety as we watched what was at risk here. The second thing is, is really how inappropriate this was for Zelenskyy. I mean, the context is, this was a signing agreement. Zelenskyy had been negotiating with the United States on a minerals deal, an economic deal, as the treasury secretary said. He’d been doing so for weeks. I’d met with him with members of Congress in Munich. He had told us some of the terms that he wanted. He had a successful deal. The United States had conceded. He was flying here under the pretext that he was going to sign this deal. This should have been a win. As he’s sitting in the Oval Office, he said, you know, I want, you know, the president to stand with Ukraine. In moments, he was going to be standing with the president of the United States with a win that he had negotiated, and instead of taking that win, he turned it into a debate on American security guarantees during peace negotiation- on the peace negotiations, instead of taking that win and then from that going forward.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, it all went sideways after a Polish reporter in the room asked President Trump about his perceived alignment with Vladimir Putin. That’s what the President reacted to. And then the vice president jumped in, praising Trump’s diplomacy. And that’s when Zelenskyy said, what he said about, well, what kind of- of cease-fire and diplomacy are you talking about? I brokered deals with Vladimir Putin in the past. Do you really think that this was all to blow it up, or was it just people are talking past each other? What do you actually think happened? 

REP. TURNER: Well, I think fundamentally here, you know again, the- you don’t fly, you know, a quarter across the world for a signing ceremony for a deal with the president of the United States, and turn it into a debate on American security guarantees, on peace negotiations that- that are unrelated to the mineral deal, that you came- the economic deal, that you- you came to sign.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But you can’t take things out of the context and the- like treat them in a vacuum. Earlier in the week, President Trump had referred to Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a dictator. He had instructed–

(CROSSTALK)

REP. TURNER: Which he had- which he had retracted because the negotiations have–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well then he said ‘did I really do that?’ And then he’s told people at the U.N.–

(END CROSSTALK)

REP. TURNER: In- in Trump’s way he had taken back- because the negotiations had gone- gone forward in a way that was- that was positive.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But- but- there- this isn’t happening in a vacuum. It is within question, in fact, where America’s alliances are. French President Emmanuel Macron told a newspaper overnight, there need to be- a there needs to be a strategic dialogue with European countries that don’t have nuclear weapons, because they can no longer depend on the American nuclear deterrent. That’s an incredible statement from a NATO ally. This is- this is how this is heard around the world.

REP. TURNER: Right. And again, I- all of these things are really hysterics and way over statements, but they’re all coming from the crux here of that- that Zelenskyy has made, and I truly believe this is Zelenskyy, he has made a precondition of going forward with peace negotiations American security guarantees. And what you saw was him enter into a very public debate with the president of the United States in the Oval Office of I want- and you heard it. You actually yourself said it to the Secretary of the Treasury. I want an American security guarantee as a precondition for peace negotiations, no one is going to- no president is going to give him a- as a precondition to peace negotiations. You do the peace negotiations, then you determine what security guarantees, what arrangements– 

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right. But he also referred back to failed peace negotiations and failed diplomatic agreements brokered by Europe that had no American guarantee that failed. So it’s a what’s- what’s different this time?

REP. TURNER: But you don’t continue a war for it. I mean, you got to hear President Trump. I mean, he- he engaged by saying, you know, people are dying. We need to stop the dying. We can’t have- we can’t go into World War Two and- and, you know, imploring him to, let’s go forward with the peace negotiations, and then we’ll determine what security arrangements need to be made around the peace negotiations. The fact that Zelenskyy has it backwards, the cart before the horse. I want a security guarantee to go into peace negotiations is really what has- has- has caused the impediment. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: Are you comfortable with the U.S. diplomatic outreach and the decision to no longer isolate Vladimir Putin, because he has not said anything about making any kind of concession. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is being asked to do that publicly.

REP. TURNER: Well, actually, no, he has not, but the Russians showed up. I mean, I’m very comfortable that Marco Rubio, as our secretary of state, in the lead with these negotiations, is- is very competent–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Is he in the lead with the negotiations? Or is it Steve Witkoff?

REP. TURNER: I think- He is in the lead with the negotiations. I’m very- I’m very confident of his strength. He has- has, you know, commenced the negotiations. I believe that Zelenskyy needs to trust him, and he needs to- to not have this precondition of American security guarantees, which are not coming. Remember, you know, Ukraine has been before every president, since, since Clinton- Clinton, you know, in the issue of the Budapest, when they were giving up the nuclear weapons, Obama, Bush. Everybody has had Ukraine before them. Every American president has declined to give American security guarantees as a precondition to any negotiations. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: Which is why Zelenskyy saying give them to me now, because nothing stopped them before. So–

REP. TURNER: The peace negotiations need to occur, and then we need to look at the- what are the construct of what security guarantees need to be and what is that construct that needs to be put in place.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you something, because of the position you have on Armed Services. CBS has confirmed these reports that Defense Secretary Hegseth has ordered U.S. Cyber Command to temporarily halt cyber operations and planning against Russia. The Washington Post reports that that’s as long as the negotiations continue, there are no negotiations underway. Does this concern you? Have you been briefed on this? 

REP. TURNER: I can’t- I don’t- no, I’m unaware of that and I don’t believe that that would be- there are too many, I’m certain, considerations there for that to be an accurate statement, so blanket.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But they have ordered Cyber Command to halt cyber operations.

REP. TURNER: I- considering what I know that- that–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Is the linkage to the negotiations, is that your question?

REP. TURNER: Considering what I know, what- what Russia is currently doing against the United States, that would, I’m certain not be an accurate statement of the current status of the United States operations. 

MARGARET BRENNAN: You are confident that the United States–

REP. TURNER: I am confident considering what Russia is currently doing against the United States, the United States status against Russia would not be that- considering what we are facing from Russia operations, yes.

MARGARET BRENNAN: All right. Thank you very much, Congressman Turner. 

REP. TURNER: Thank you.

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