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The President's Daily Brief
February 14th, 2025: European Leaders Chastise Trump Over Putin Call & White House Unveils Plans For Reciprocal Tariffs On US Allies
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Roy Wood Jr.
Have I Got news for you? Is back for another season. Roy Wood Jr. Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black are finding the funny in the week's biggest stories. Have I got news for you? Return Saturday at 9 on CNN and stream next day on Max.
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Mike Baker
It's Friday, the 14th of February. Welcome to the President's Daily Br. Mike, I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. And would you look at that. It's Valentine's Day in the US and honestly, it's not too late to send me chocolates or flowers or maybe those candy hearts with the wacky sayings on them. And while you're at it, yeah, make sure to get something for that special gal or fella or partner in your life. And honestly, I don't know if we're still allowed to say gal or fella, but I believe I just did. So anyway, happy Valentine's Day. All right, let's get briefed. We'll start things off in Europe, where leaders are chastising the Trump administration following the president's recent call with Vladimir Putin seeking a negotiated settlement to the war in Ukraine. Now, I don't know that chastising someone with Trump's personality is going to get you the desired result. Later in the show, President Trump ups the pressure on US Allies by announcing his plans for widespread reciprocal tariffs on American trading partners. Plus Belarus's autocratic president and Kremlin ally, or as they say in diplomatic circles, Putin's toy releases an American prisoner and two others from jail in an apparent effort to thaw relations with the West. And in today's Back of the brief, Israel has uncovered a plot by Iran to smuggle cash to Hezbollah militants via Beirut's international airport in an attempt to help the terror group rebuild its military operations. Well, I for one, am shocked that the Iranian regime and its Revolutionary Guard Corps would stoop that low. But first, today's BDB spotlight. We'll begin with the fallout from President Trump's call with Russia's favorite warmonger, Vladimir Putin, regarding the war in Ukra. As alarmed, European leaders demand a seat at the negotiating table and denounce the White House for appearing to offer concessions to Moscow in advance of potential peace talks. As we discussed yesterday on the pdb, Trump held his first phone call with Putin since returning to office on Wednesday morning and announced that the pair had agreed to start negotiations, quote, immediately to bring Russia's war on Ukraine to a close. Now, that same day, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said it was unrealistic to think that Ukraine could reclaim their lost territory or join the NATO alliance, both, of course, major priorities for leaders in Kyiv. The news reportedly sent shockwaves through European capitals, prompting condemnations from Kyiv and its European allies, who expressed concerns that Trump might seek to make a deal without their input. Officials across the continent took a firm line on Trump's overtures for peace, saying it would be impossible to implement any future deal unless NATO allies play a central role in negotiations. And that's according to a report from Reuters. European foreign policy chief Haja Kalas delivered the fiercest rebuke, saying, quote, any quick fix is a dirty deal. Why are we giving them everything that they want even before the negotiations have been started? It's appeasement. It has never worked, end quote. Well, to be fair, he's not wrong. Ukrainian President Zelensky, who spoke with Trump following his call with Putin, also pushed back publicly on Thursday, saying that Ukraine would not accept any bilateral agreement reached by Moscow and Washington without Keef's direct involvement. He warned that Putin was attempting to bypass Ukraine and said it was critical that that the U.S. and Ukraine draw up a peace plan together before any talks are initiated with the Kremlin. Officials in Germany were similarly blunt in their response, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejecting what he described as Russian efforts to implement a, quote, dictated peace. Germany's defense minister echoed those concerns, saying it was, quote, regrettable that the Trump administration had made public concessions to Russia but before peace talks had started. A European diplomatic source told Reuters that foreign ministers throughout the NATO alliance would present a unified front and broach the subject with American officials at the annual Munich Security Conference on Friday, saying they would be engaging in a, quote, frank and demanding dialogue. As we touched on Yesterday, Vice President J.D. vance and Secretary of State Rubio are set to meet with Zelensky and other European leaders at the conference on Friday. But Defense Secretary Hegseth attempted to calm tensions on Thursday, saying that Trump was in no way trying to cut Ukraine out of the negotiating process or preemptively force concessions. Hegseth told reporters, quote, there is no betrayal there. There is a recognition that the whole world and the US Is invested and interested in peace. And so that will require both sides recognizing things they don't want to, end quote. The only problem is, so far, the concessions seem to be one way, meaning Ukrainian concessions, which begs the question, what exactly is the US Expecting Putin to concede? He did, meaning Secretary of Defense Hegseth, however, reiterate that any durable peace deal would need to rely on robust security guarantees from European allies, not the U.S. reflecting Trump's intent to make Europe shoulder most of the financial and military burden of any settlement to the war. For now, it remains unclear how a hypothetical peace process could unfold. Trump said he plans to meet with both Zelensky and Putin face to face in the near future, though a timeline for those meetings has not yet been outlined. In the meantime, Zelensky is keeping his focus on Russia's military activity. According to a report from Newsweek, Zelensky recently warned that Moscow is working to add 150,000 additional soldiers to their ranks in 2025 in preparation for continued conflict with Ukraine. Zelenskyy said the west should not trust Putin's claims that he's ready to end the war, stating, quote, if Putin wants peace and wants the war to end, why does a country that is having very big problems with its economy now increase its forces by 150,000? It's definitely not for dialogue, end quote. All right, coming up next, President Trump announces his plans for reciprocal tariffs on American trading partners. And Bella versus Autocratic president releases an American prisoner and two others from jail in an apparent attempt to thaw frozen relations with the West. 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The order even extends beyond tariffs, also targeting foreign tax policies, government subsidies, currency practices, and other trade behaviors that the White House considers unfair. So you ask yourself, what exactly are reciprocal tariffs? Well, I'm very glad you asked. The principle is straightforward. If another country imposes higher taxes on American imports, the U. S. Will respond in kind, imposing import taxes to foreign governments at the same rate. The goal, Trump argues, is to level the playing field. From the Oval Office, Trump made his position clear, stating, in almost all cases, they're charging us vastly more than we charge them. But those days are over, end quote. The executive order tasks Howard Lutnick, Trump's pick for commerce secretary, and Jameson Greer, his global trade representative, with identifying tariff discrepancies country by country and recommending remedies within 180 days. Trump insists the policy will incentivize companies to manufacture in the U.S. the President stated, quote, if you build your product in the US There are no tariffs now. The reciprocal tariff plan will be rolled out alongside already announced duties on steel and aluminum imports. But the administration apparently isn't stopping there. Beyond metals, officials are weighing additional levies on cars, semiconductors, and pharmaceuticals industries that Washington argues have suffered under unbalanced trade practices. While a precise implementation date remains uncertain, Lutnick suggested the measures could take effect as soon as April. Some of the hardest hit nations will likely be those with high protective tariffs now. The European Union, for example, currently imposes a 10% tariff on American cars, while the US levies just 2 1/2% on European vehicles. India, another major target of the policy, maintains a 60% tariff on automobile imports and a 50% tariff on apples and motorcycles. Japan and other Asian markets also maintain strict trade barriers on US Goods, putting them in the administration's crosshairs. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro defended the policy, pointing to last year's 1 trillion dollar, that's $1 trillion US trade deficit. As evidence of widespread foreign trade abuses. Navarro specifically called out the European Union and their value Added tax system, arguing that it provides European manufacturers with an unfair edge. The vat, as it's known, the Value Added Tax system, which averages 22% across EU countries is applied at multiple production stages, costs that US exporters must absorb when selling goods in Europe. Meanwhile, European companies face no comparable burden when shipping products to America, and it's a discrepancy that the Trump administration insists must be addressed. Critics warn that reciprocal tariffs could drive up costs for American importers and trigger retaliatory trade wars. However, some of Trump's past tariffs have already forced key players to the negotiating table. European officials are debating whether to lower their tariffs to align with US Levels, while some countries may opt to challenge the measures through the World Trade Organization or impose counterterroriffs of their own. It's important to note that for the 14 nations with which the US has free trade agreements, and that includes Canada and Mexico and Australia, the impact is expected to be minimal, as existing deals have already reduced or eliminated most tariffs. While supporters argue that the policy will boost domestic manufacturing and help reduce the trade deficit. Its success, of course, will ultimately hinge on how America's trading partners respond in the months ahead. Okay, shifting to Belarus Three prisoners, including an American, have been released in what appears to be President Alexander Lukashenko's latest attempt to thaw relations with the west after years of diplomatic isolation. The release follows a separate prisoner exchange in Russia that saw American teacher Mark Fogel freed just a day earlier in neighboring Lithuania. On Wednesday, a Belarusian opposition group identified one of the freed prisoners as Elena Movchuk, an activist detained for taking part in the 2020 protests against Kremlin aligned Lukashenko's widely disputed re election. The US funded outlet Radio Free Europe. Radio Liberty later confirmed that Andrei Kuzneczik, one of their journalists who spent more than three years behind bars simply for doing his mob, was also among those released. Kuznetsik's freedom was marked by an emotional reunion with the president of Radio Free Europe, describing how the journalist embraced his five year old son, who was just an infant when his father was taken. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt praised the development, crediting it to President Trump's quote, deal making ability. She confirmed the safe release of one American but declined to disclose that citizen's identity. The prisoner release coincided with a discreet visit to Minsk in Belarus by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Smith, a trip that Western diplomats described as a rare direct engagement between Washington and Belarus. The visit, first reported Wednesday, marks the highest level American outreach to Lukashenko's regiment since then Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to the country in 2020 during Trump's first term. Lithuanian officials confirmed that an American citizen had crossed the border from Belarus into their country, though they also withheld the individual's identity. Smith is expected to meet with European diplomats in the Lithuanian capital in the coming days to discuss broader diplomatic efforts. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for his part, thanked Lithuania for its cooperation and renewed U.S. demands for the release of nearly 1,300 political prisoners still held by the Lukashenko regime. The Trump administration has been pushing for additional diplomatic breakthroughs with Belarus following the so called unilateral release last month of another American, Anastasia Neufer, from Belarusian custody who had been arrested in December of last year. For Lukashenko, the latest prisoner releases mark a calculated shift. The Belarusian strongman, who has maintained an iron grip on Power for 31 years, finds himself under increasing pressure to re engage with Western governments after years of deteriorating relations. Lukashenko's brutal crackdown on the 2020 protests, combined with his support for Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, led to sweeping Western sanctions and near total diplomatic isolation. Yet in recent months, Belarus has slowly released a number of political prisoners, a move that analysts suggest is part of a broader strategy to ease Western pressure and regain some diplomatic maneuverability. Long wary of becoming entirely dependent on Moscow, Lukashenko has sought to revive his long standing balancing act between east and West. But whether these latest gestures are enough to move the needle in Washington, well, of course that remains to be seen. All right, coming up in the Back of the Brief. Iran. Oh, look at that. They've been caught smuggling cash to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon via Beirut's international airport. What will they think of next? I'll be right back with those details in today's Back of the Brief. Despite the fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah, it appears that the mullahs of Iran and their Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the irgc, have been attempting to quietly help their Lebanese terror army rebuild their battered operations. Officials with the Israeli military revealed Thursday that Iran's Quds force has been smuggling suitcases full of cash to Hezbollah via Beirut's international airport in recent weeks with the intention of rearming the militant group so they can once again carry out attacks against Israel. The IDF said they'd already passed the information to a U S led committee supervising the ceasefire and that efforts were underway to foil these cash transfers, according to a report from the Times of Israel. The IDF said they also notified the Lebanese government, well, that will help of the smuggling scheme. Still, they said much of the cash has likely already made its way into the hands of Hezbollah through civilian flights and by that I mean into the pockets of Hezbollah leaders. While it's unclear just how much cash has been sent, reports indicate it's in the tens of millions. In response to Israel's concerns, Lebanese aviation authorities announced Thursday that that they were barring flights to Beirut from two Iranian airliners indefinitely. They're also subjecting incoming flights from Iraq to Beirut to enhanced inspections to prevent any further transfer of cash. In a statement, a spokesman for the IDF said, quote, the IDF will not allow the organization to get stronger and will use all the tools at its disposal to enforce the understandings in the ceasefire agreement for the security of the citizens of Israel, end quote. As we've been tracking on the PDB, Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire deal back on 27 November, though it's barely held together. That deal, which ended more than a year of hostilities, including two months of full scale war, required Hezbollah to withdraw north of the Latani river. That's roughly 18 miles from Israel's border. It also required Israel to withdraw completely from Southern Lebanon within 60 days. Though the IDF retains the right to conduct strikes against any immediate threats to their security. In theory, by January 26, the only groups allowed to be present south of the Latani river were the Lebanese military and UN peacekeeping forces. But the deadline for Israel's withdrawal was delayed to February 18 after Jerusalem requested an extension. Israel says the Lebanese army has deployed too slowly to a buffer zone along their border with Israel and that Hezbollah is still operating in areas covered by the truce. Israel recently requested another 10 day extension arguing that the Lebanese military and Hezbollah are still failing to live up to their end of the bargain. Well, frankly, that could be because they're, they're too busy counting all that Iranian cash. And that, my friends, is the President's daily brief for Friday 14th February. Don't forget, fellas, it's Valentine's Day in the US if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at PDB at the first TV Calm now. According to multiple sources with a proven track record of credible reporting, today is Friday. And Fridays, of course, are now synonymous with new episodes of our delightful weekend show, the PDB Situation Report. This week's guests include Chuck Marino, former U.S. secret Service and former senior DHS advisor, not to mention author, along with Kenneth Reposa from the Coalition for a Prosperous America. We're talking cartels, border security, possible US military action against the cartels, tariffs and what the tariffs mean for the US economy and very interestingly, US dependency on China and India for critical pharmaceuticals. It's a humdinger of a show, and you'd be doing yourself a disservice not to tune in. The new episode launches at 10pm on the First TV and as always, can be found on our amazing YouTube channel at President's Daily Brief and of course, all podcast platforms everywhere. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the PDB afternoon Bulletin. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.