This is CBSI on the world. I'm John Batchel with my good colleague, Mary Kissel, Executive Vice President Stevens,

former senior advisor to the Secretary of State.

We are looking ahead to the Trump administration in 2025.

Ukraine. There are phone calls flying back and forth.

There are also some facts to establish.

The reporting is that North Korean

troops are now in action in the Kersk Salient, that the Russians are attacking with some effect

against the Ukrainian forces that probed into Russia in the Kersk Salient several weeks ago.

There are also reports of manpower shortage in Ukraine and the general troubles.

Mr. Trump does not want to inherit this war, and yet the Kremlin also wants advantage if

and when there's a ceasefire.

How do you see this resolving itself, Mary?

I'm understanding that Mr. Trump is not a warfighter and that Mr. Biden is leaving him a nightmare.

What is to be done?

Well, it seems as if the incoming President-elect is already working on the issue, having spoken to both the Russian and Ukrainian sides in making his wishes clear, although those

calls obviously were not made public, the content of those calls. I think that the president

has expended some political capital promising to solve this dispute. He comes in with enormous

credibility because when he was in office, the first

time around, President Trump was incredibly tough on Vladimir Putin. He killed hundreds of

Russians, Russian mercenaries in Syria, for instance. He sanctioned Putin's in their circle. He

liberated U.S. energy, which took away Putin's income. And he's very, I would say, 99.9% sure to do that again.

We worked with allies to punish Putin and exact consequences for bad behavior.

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