I'm John Batser with my colleague Anito Levene to the Quincy Institute for Responsible

Statecraft.

We're looking at the breaking news of Russia launching a counterattack against the

cursed salient. No longer content to watch it advance or consolidate inside Russia

itself. Now we turn to what the two candidates in America have

said about these events in general. Former President Trump and Vice President

Harris. I begin with former President Trump because it's most difficult

to interpret that at all and I need your eyes on this. Mr. Trump has said he can

settle the war before he's inaugurated it doesn't seem sensible do you interpret

it in any fashion well I mean I interpret it as that Trump would make or tried to make a determined push for peace if he becomes president,

but I also interpret it as that he has really no idea of how to do so, or he hasn't

given this any serious thought.

Because of course, I I mean it was a well as the general

opinion is an extremely poor performance by Trump even by his standards

because all he had to say was

well of course I'm not going to tell anybody in advance what my plan is because you

know nobody does that in diplomacy instead he gave the impression an accurate

one my view that he doesn't actually know what he's going to do, though he will try to do something.

I mean he also missed a huge opportunity when the moderator and I didn't actually feel that this well

It was a fair question

But to Trump completely muffed what should have been his response when the moderator Muir

asked are you committed to helping Ukraine to win?

...