PDB Afternoon Bulletin | May 26th, 2025: Trump Blasts ‘Crazy’ Putin In Rare Rebuke & U.S.-Iran Talks Inch Forward

Summary

The President's Daily Brief - Afternoon Bulletin Summary

Episode: PDB Afternoon Bulletin | May 26th, 2025
Host: Mike Baker
Release Date: May 26, 2025

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1. President Trump's Unusual Rebuke of Vladimir Putin

Timestamp: 00:42 - 05:47

In a significant departure from his previous diplomatic stance, President Donald Trump issued a rare and sharp critique of Russian President Vladimir Putin following a major escalation in the conflict in Ukraine. On Sunday, Trump took to Truth Social to declare Putin "absolutely crazy" after Moscow conducted its largest aerial assault on Ukrainian cities to date.

Key Points:

• Trump's Statement:
  "I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely crazy." (00:42)

• Context of the Attack:
  Russian forces launched 367 air attack vehicles, including ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as Iranian-made Shahed drones, resulting in at least 18 civilian deaths overnight (04:30).

• Shift in U.S. Policy:
  Historically, Trump maintained open diplomatic channels with Moscow, avoiding explicit red lines. However, the intensity of Russia's latest offensive appears to have prompted a policy shift.
  "I've known him a long time, but he's sending rockets into cities and killing people and I don't like it at all." (02:15)

• Internal U.S. Responses:
  Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned against immediate sanctions, arguing they could derail fragile negotiations.
  "Threatening sanctions now could torpedo fragile negotiations." (03:50)

• State of Peace Talks:
  Peace negotiations remain effectively non-existent. Russia proposes vague memorandums, while Kyiv demands a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire as a prerequisite for dialogue.

• Ukrainian Response:
  Ukraine's Defense Ministry retaliated by targeting Russian infrastructure, including a Shahed drone factory in Tatastan and a chemical facility near Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the necessity of force in compelling Russia to cease its aggression.
  "Like any criminal, Russia can only be brought to justice by force. The force of the US, the force of Europe, the force of all nations that respect life." (04:15)

• Kremlin's Reaction:
  Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov attributed Trump's remarks to "emotional overload" without outright dismissal, while subtly approving of Trump's efforts towards a ceasefire.
  "Emotional overload," (05:00)

Analysis:
Trump's candid condemnation of Putin marks a potential recalibration in U.S. strategy towards Russia. This shift may influence future diplomatic and military decisions as the conflict in Ukraine escalates.

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2. Developments in the U.S.-Iran Negotiations

Timestamp: 07:07 - 12:00

The fifth round of negotiations between the United States and Iran concluded in Rome, showing modest signs of progress despite overarching challenges. Mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Bou Sadi, the talks aim to address Iran's nuclear program in exchange for partial relief from economic sanctions.

Key Points:

• Mediator's Update:
  Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Bou Sadi reported cautious optimism, stating,
  "The fifth round of Iran-US Talks have concluded today in Rome with some but not conclusive progress." (07:07)

• Iranian Perspective:
  Iran's Foreign Minister expressed hope for breakthroughs in upcoming rounds, acknowledging current impasses without loss of morale.
  "We are not there yet, but we are not discouraged either." (08:30)

• U.S. Stance:
  An anonymous senior U.S. official described the negotiations as "constructive" but acknowledged ongoing challenges.
  "There's still plenty of work ahead." (09:00)

• President Trump's Optimism:
  Breaking from the more reserved official statements, Trump conveyed personal optimism about the talks' direction.
  "We've had some very, very good talks with Iran... I have a feeling I might be telling you something good." (10:45)

• Core Negotiation Issues:
  The central debate revolves around uranium enrichment levels. The U.S. demands a halt to Iran's enrichment activities, a point Iran steadfastly refuses.
  "We will not even temporarily suspend enrichment to secure a deal." (11:15)

• Iranian Leadership's Assertiveness:
  Iranian President Masoud Possesskian underscored Iran's resilience against sanctions, asserting their capability to endure economic pressures.
  "It's not like we will die of hunger if they refuse to negotiate with us or impose sanctions. We will find a way to survive." (11:45)

• Next Steps:
  No specific date or location has been set for the sixth round of talks, though both parties anticipate resuming negotiations in the coming weeks.

Analysis:
While official statements hint at progress, the fundamental disagreements remain unresolved. Iran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment continues to be the primary obstacle, with both sides expressing cautious optimism without substantive commitments.

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Conclusion

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief, Mike Baker delves into two critical international issues:

1. U.S.-Russia Relations: Highlighting President Trump's unprecedented public criticism of Vladimir Putin amid escalating military actions in Ukraine, suggesting a potential shift towards a more confrontational U.S. stance.

2. U.S.-Iran Negotiations: Reporting on the fifth round of talks, the episode underscores the fragile nature of the U.S.-Iran dialogue, with both sides displaying restrained optimism despite significant hurdles remaining.

These discussions reflect the ongoing complexities in global geopolitics, emphasizing the delicate balance between diplomacy and force in addressing international conflicts.

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For more detailed analysis and updates, listeners are encouraged to tune into the next episodes of The President's Daily Brief.

Transcript

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[Mike Baker]

It's Monday, the 26th of May. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. We'll start things off with a surprising shift in tone and rhetoric from President Trump. He's now calling Vladimir Putin, quote, crazy following a weekend of intense Russian strikes on Ukraine. Later in the show, modest progress is being reported in the fifth round of talks between the US And Iran. We'll have those details. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We'll begin with President Trump issuing a rare rebuke of Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday, calling him, quote, absolutely crazy after Moscow unleashed its largest aerial barrage of the war on Ukrainian cities. In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, quote, I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely crazy, end quote. Now, the president continued by saying, I've always said that he wants all of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia. Speaking to reporters, Trump doubled down, saying, quote, I've known him a long time, but he's sending rockets into cities and killing people and I don't like it at all, end quote. Trump's remarks came just hours after Ukrainian officials confirmed what they described as the largest aerial onslaught of the three year war. As we noted in this morning's PDB, Russian forces launched 367 so called, quote, air attack vehicles from Saturday into Sunday, including ballistic and cruise missiles, guided bombs and waves of Iranian made shahed drones that left at least 18 civilians dead. The unusually sharp tone from Trump toward Putin comes as he faces renewed pressure from European leaders and members of his own party to adopt a more aggressive posture toward the Kremlin. Until now, Trump has resisted laying down explicit red lines, opting instead to keep diplomatic channels open. But on Sunday, he appeared to shift gears, telling reporters he's now, quote, absolutely weighing new sanctions in response to those attacks. That stance, however, does appear to be at odds with his own secretary of state. Last week, Marco Rubio warned that threatening sanctions now could torpedo fragile negotiations. What negotiations? Telling lawmakers that premature pressure might push Russia to walk away from the table altogether. Now, honestly, I'M not sure what table Secretary Rubio is talking about. As we've long tracked here on the pdb, peace talks remain frozen, and really the talks aren't so much frozen as just non existent. Moscow continues to dangle vague proposals, one recently labeled a potential memorandum, while Kyiv insists that a full 30 day ceasefire must come first before any serious dialogue can begin. Meanwhile, the war effort shows no signs of slowing. By early Monday, Ukraine's Defense Ministry confirmed that Russian forces had launched yet another overnight wave of drones. In a coordinated response, Kiev struck deep inside Russian territory, most notably targeting a shahed drone factory in the Tatastan region some 500 miles east of Moscow, as well as a chemical facility northeast of the capital. In a telegram post Monday, Zelensky warned that Russian strikes were fueled by impunity. He wrote, quote, only a sense of complete impunity can allow Russia to carry out such strikes and constantly increase their scale. Zelensky went on to argue that force remains the only language that Moscow understands. He stated, quote, like any criminal, Russia can only be brought to justice by force. The force of the US the force of Europe, the force of all nations that respect life. The Ukrainian leader closed his message with a direct call for putative action, urging Washington and Brussels to enact a blockade of Russian finances and trade in Russian oil. As for the Kremlin's response to Trump labeling Putin as crazy, mouthpiece Dmitry Peskov said, honestly, Trump may be right. Putin does seem full on crazy at this point. Okay, I just made that up. Peskov did not say that. Although, you know, I'll bet he's thinking it. Peskov actually chalked up Trump's comments to, quote, emotional overload, but stopped short of a full throated rebuttal, opting instead to praise Trump's ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire. But as drone warfare intensifies and diplomacy remains, for the most part a non starter, Trump's evolving tone toward Putin, well, it may mark a recalibration of how the White House looks to influence the war's outcome. All right, coming up next, there's a flicker. I guess a flicker is a decent enough way to put it of progress in the latest U. S. Iran talks. We'll tell you what's new in round five of these talks when we come back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let's talk about trees, shall we? And plants.

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[Mike Baker]

Boring money moves make kind of lame songs but they sound pretty sweet to your wallet. BNC bank brilliantly boring since 1865 welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. The fifth round of negotiations between the US and the Iranian regime wrapped up on Sunday in Rome. And while a breakthrough remains elusive, meaning nowhere in sight, officials from both sides and the Omani mediator are cautiously optimistic that progress is within reach. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Bou Sadi, who's been facilitating the talks posted on X following the Rome meetings, quote, the fifth round of Iran US Talks have concluded today in Rome with some but not conclusive progress. He went on to say that he hoped the parties could clarify remaining issues in the coming days, laying the groundwork for what he called a sustainable and honorable agreement. Now, the Iranian foreign minister echoed that sentiment in an interview with Iranian state tv, saying, I'm hopeful that in the next one or two rounds we can reach solutions that allow the talks to progress. He admitted that, quote, we are not there yet, but we are not discouraged either. And from the American side, a senior US Official speaking anonymously to the Associated Press describe the talks as, quote, constructive. There's that word again. But emphasize that there's still plenty of work ahead. Now, not to sound cynical, but taken collectively, the statements from the Iranian regime and the American side and Omani mediators can be realistically interpreted to mean that while there's no actual or meaningful progress, nobody involved wants to come out and say that these talks are potentially a waste of time. The Iranians, of course, are happy to drag this process out for as long as possible while they continue their enrichment and weapons programs and continue hardening their key sites from potential attack. While the US Is, well, reluctant to admit a meaningful agreement is not possible, since that would mean moving on to Plan B, which is a military response. Still, nobody sounds more upbeat about where things are headed than President Trump. On Sunday, he told reporters, quote, we've had some very, very good talks with Iran, and I don't know if I'll be telling you anything good or bad over the next two days, but I have a feeling I might be telling you something good, end quote. So you ask yourself what's actually happening. At the heart of the negotiations is a familiar formula. The US Would offer partial relief from economic sanctions in exchange for Iran placing limits on its nuclear program. The big sticking point, as we've discussed in the past, is uranium enrichment. Trump has repeatedly insisted that Iran must stop enriching altogether. Tehran, meanwhile, is making it clear that that's not going to happen. This weekend, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson from Iran reiterated that they will not even temporarily suspend enrichment to secure a deal. And today, Iranian President Masoud Possesskian underscored that point even further, telling reporters, quote, it's not like we will die of hunger if they refuse to negotiate with us or impose sanctions. We will find a way to survive, end quote. As of now, no date or location has been set for the sixth round of talks, but both sides expect negotiations to resume in the coming weeks. And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon bulletin for Monday 26 May. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to [e-mail] and as you may have heard on the nightly news, to listen to the show ad free, just become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com Finally, for those of you in the US I hope you've had a very good Memorial Day weekend. If you haven't already, please take a moment to thank a veteran or an active duty member of the military. I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.