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Maybe as soon as we can. And I have a feeling you and President Putin are going to work something out. Ultimately, this is a decision that can only be made by President Zelensky and by the people of Ukraine working also together in an agreement with President Putin.
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You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
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Good Tuesday morning. It's a very important episode of the 47 Morning Update and it deals with the major meeting at the White House. But we break it down to three different aspects. First up, the media lied to you about Donald Trump, claiming he was played by Vladimir Putin and that he would not be able to get us closer to peace between Ukraine and Russia. Well, now we know just how much they hate Donald Trump and they don't care who's dying as long as he they can say is a failure. The second part of the story is the security guarantees to get a peace deal. Zelensky now saying he feels much more comfortable with moving forward because of the security guarantees from the US And Western allies. So what exactly does that mean? I'll explain it to you. And finally, Zelensky, in his own words, are we actually closer to a peace agreement? Well, I want you to hear what Zelinsky had to say and is very different than the last meeting that Zelensky had with Trump in the Oval Office. And there's a very good chance we could be weeks away from a real peace agreement. It's the 47 Morning Update and it starts right now. The media lied to you. They said that Donald Trump was played by Vladimir Putin. They said there was no way that President Trump could ever get any closer to a peace deal. They said that the president was just doing this for the cameras and that world leaders wouldn't show up. Well, the media lied to you about all of that and the Democratic Party. So what actually happened at the White House? It was historic. This meeting marked a significant improvement in tone compared to their previous February encounter. It was much more cordial, collaborative and upbeat. Zelensky even put it this way, saying he had a very good conversation with President Trump. We also now know about what the framework could look like and what America's involvement will be with a peace deal. Trump expressed support for strong NATO style security guarantees for Ukraine, a major diplomatic step forward. He also indicated the US could back a European led force to help uphold any future peace agreement. Zelensky also welcomed, quote, this strong signal, as he described it now, momentum towards peace and the Talks also, we're now being told, included Vladimir Putin. That brings us to the biggest part of this story. President Trump confirmed reports that he did in fact call the Russian President Putin during his meeting with European leaders and said that a, quote, sit down between Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky to end the war is being arranged as we speak. Now, it was a day full of major peace talks with leaders from the United Kingdom, the European Union, NATO, Ukraine. And President Trump felt like it was going so well, he personally broke off to call Moscow to arrange bilateral meetings between Putin and Zelensky and ultimately to set up a three way meeting in which he will act as a mediator for a final peace agreement. Yes, the media is telling you this is somehow a failure. Donald Trump also went on true social saying this, quote, at the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin and began the arrangements for a meeting at a location to be determined between President Putin, President Zelensky, and after that meeting takes place, we will have another meeting. It will be the two presidents plus myself. The President went on to say again, this was a very good early step for a war that has been going on for almost four years. Vice President J.D. vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are coordinating with Russia and Ukraine. So if you look at what actually happened, Trump is pledging to not only arrange a direct meeting between Zelensky and Putin that the prior administration couldn't have dreamed of, but then following it up with a summit for the three countries to get in the room. We also know there was broad diplomatic support and European unity on everything that was discussed. The European leaders, including Macron, Starmer and many others, participated actively signaling collective support for Ukraine and endorsement of the meeting's direction. Zelensky brought a heartfelt letter from First Lady Melania Trump. Zelensky also brought a heartfelt letter for First Lady Melania Trump. Why? It was in response to her previous note to Vladimir Putin calling for peace to protect children. This exchange also underscores the human side of diplomacy. Now, you look at all of this and the takeaway is pretty clear. The President of the United States of America got the people that needed to be in the room, in the room, something that no one else had been able to do for the last three years. That's also exactly what European leaders had to say about it as well. And that includes President Trump. Here's what he had to say to the world and also to Zelensky.
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We're going to try and get a, a three party meeting maybe as soon as we can. And I have a feeling you and President Putin are going to work something out. Ultimately, this is a decision that can only be made by President Zelensky and by the people of Ukraine working also together in an agreement with President Putin.
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It's only agreement that can come together with the men that he's now speaking with, communicating with and working towards a peace agreement. And if you think the rest of the world doesn't respect Donald Trump, that's what the media would want you to believe. Well, the world leaders were basically calling out the media. And here's what the Italian Prime Minister had to say about the entire meeting. Listen carefully.
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Well, thank you very much, Donald, Mr. President, for hosting us today in this important meeting. And I think it is an important day, a new phase after three years and a half that we didn't see any kind of sign from the Russian side that there was a willing for dialogue. So something is changing. Something has changed thanks to you, thanks also to the stalling in the battlefield which was achieved with the bravery of Ukraine, of Ukrainians and with the unity that we all provided to Ukraine. And the reason why I mention it is that we also have to remind that if we want to reach peace and if we want to guarantee justice, we have to do it united. So that's why it's a very good day. The one we are in. You can obviously count on Italy as it was from the beginning. We are on the side of Ukraine and we do absolutely support your efforts towards peace. We will talk about many important topics. The first one is security guarantees, how to be sure that it won't happen again, which is the precondition of every kind of peace. I'm happy that we will discuss about that. I'm happy that we will begin from a proposal which is the, let's say, Article 5 model, which was Italian at the beginning. So we are always ready to bring our proposals for peace, for dialogue. It's something we have to build together to guarantee peace and to defend the security of our nation. So thank you, Mr. President, for hosting us.
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Thank you very much.
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You listen, the Italian Prime Minister, for three years we haven't seen any willingness from Russia for dialogue. Something has changed thanks to you. So remember, when the media tries to spin this as some sort of crazy failure, this is what world leaders are actually saying.
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Next story number two.
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One of the major things that will allow for a peace agreement to happen when it comes to Ukraine's perspective is the emergence of a NATO style security guarantee. President Trump floated the idea of extending NATO style protections to Ukraine, though he stopped short of providing concrete details yet. His special envoy, Steve Witkoff, mentioned that guarantees could mirror Article 5. Though specifics remain unidentified. This could involve US military presence or economic deterrence against Russia, with European nations acting as the first line of defense. This is why we are getting closer to a peace agreement. And the US Also signaled an increased role in guaranteed coordination. Zelensky emphasized that the US Would not just offer verbal support, but would be actively involved in coordinating and participating in security guarantees for Ukraine, a development Ukraine regards as, quote, a major step towards peace. Now, the President also had this to say at the meeting.
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The Alaska summit reinforced my belief that while difficult, peace is within reach. And I believe that in a very significant step, President Putin agreed that Russia would accept security guarantees for Ukraine. And this is one of the key points that we need to consider and we're going to be considering that at the table also, like who will do what. Essentially, I'm optimistic that collectively we can reach an agreement that would deter any future aggression against Ukraine. And I actually think there won't be. I think that's even over overrated, largely overrated. But we're going to find out and I think that the European nations are going to take a lot of the burden. We're going to help them and we're going to make it very secure. We also need to discuss the possible exchanges of territory taken into consideration the current line of contact, that means the war zone, the war lines that are pretty obvious, very sad actually, to look at them and negotiating positions. President Putin, also you have President of Ukraine who is, you just met a little while ago. And we're going to try and get a, a three party meeting maybe as soon as we can. And I have a feeling you and President Putin are going to work something out. Ultimately, this is a decision that can only be made by President Zelensky and by the people of Ukraine working also together in an agreement with President Putin. And I just think that's very good. Things are going to come of it. So I hope we have a good meeting. And if we can have a good meeting, I'll set up a meeting with President Putin. And if you'd like, I'll go to that meeting. And not that I want to do that, but I will do that because we want to save a lot of people from dying. A lot of people are dying and we got to save them.
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It's clear the President wants to save lives. But we also now know that this summit saw a strong sense of Western unity. Leaders Like Macron, Mertz and many others advocated for durable security measures that would protect Ukraine with, without rewarding aggression. France emphasized that these guarantees should be safeguards, safeguards at the, quote, whole of the European continent. They obviously are concerned about Vladimir Putin and aggression as well. And that's exactly why this meeting was so vitally important for national security around the world. And thanks to Donald Trump, we're that much closer.
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And here is story number three.
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Ultimately, the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump knows one thing. This peace deal is not going to be done without Vladimir Putin agreeing to it and also Zelensky agreeing to it. So the question is coming out of this meeting at the White House, the one on one with Zelensky and then the meeting with all of the world leaders. What was Zelensky's mindset? Does he want peace or does he want this three plus year war to continue? I want you to listen to Zelensky in his own words at the White House. This was at the very end of the day after the meetings had taken place. And here is what he said to close it all out.
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Thank you so much. I can speak without microphone. Thank you so much. I think that we had very good conversation with President Trump.
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Very good.
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And it really was the best one, or sorry, maybe the best one will be in the future. But it was really good. And we spoke about very sensitive points. The first one is security guarantees. And we are very happy with President that all the leaders are here and security in Ukraine depends on the United States and on you and on those leaders who are with us in our hearts. They have been on online before yesterday and etc. So a lot of countries on the side of Ukraine, our people and all of us want to finish this war, stop. So Russia, stop this war. We spoke about it and we will speak more about security guarantees. This is very important that United States gives such strong signal and is ready for security guarantees. The second point or maybe the first humanitarian direction, very important to exchange all the business. And I think that president will help and I was very thankful to your wife again, Mr. President for the letter about our abducted children. And I hope that really it can be historic role for the people to bring kids back to the families and be happy and get the people back. Yes, this is so, so important and I'm happy that we discussed it this track with President Trump and I hope that we will find decisions and then what is very important that all the sensitive things, territorial, etc. We will discuss on the level of leaders during trilateral meeting. And President Trump will try to organize such meeting. And he said that he will come or not come. Ukraine will be happy.
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There.
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I will be there.
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Thank you. And I think this is very important. Yes. So security guarantees bring kids back. And all our people, not only warriors, first of all warriors and all the civilians, journalists, a lot of people in prison. So we need them back. And guarantees which will work for the years. We spoke about it and I showed the president a lot of details on the battlefield, on the map. Thank you so much. Thank you for the map, by the way. It was great.
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Yeah.
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I'm thinking how to take it back. We'll get you.
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No, no, no.
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I think that we had constructive specific meeting. And I'm very thankful to all the. All the leaders who are here and you help a lot. And so we are happy that we have such big unity today. Thank you, Mr. President.
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Thank you very much, Mr. President. I think you'll see that President Putin really would like to do something else. I think when we set that up, when we do, I think it's going to be when, not if. I think you're going to see some very positive moves.
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There's a couple of takeaways from what you just heard. Number one, the media, they hate that President Trump is bringing these two countries closer to a peace agreement. They hate that they cannot continue to lie to you claiming that Vladimir Putin played Donald Trump. They hate the fact that Donald Trump is respected by all of these world leaders who are saying to him, thank you, and we've never been closer in the last three years. And they would rather Donald Trump be a failure, the Democratic Party and the media, than stop the killing of so many people in Ukraine and in Russia. Let that sink in. That is what President Trump is up against, and that's what many conservatives are up against every single day by the people in our media and the Democratic Party in America right now.
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Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now. And for more in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here tomorrow.
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Song stands about an obsessed fan who's taking me too literal from Eminem.
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And the producers of 8 Mile never.
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Seen anything like Eminem fans.
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This is the story of a. I.
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Had to look in the mirror and be like, am I one of these.
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Crazy stans that created a culture? I do have an addiction to Eminem.
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I traveled the world for him without Eminem.
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I wouldn't have the life I have right now.
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What's your first question?
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Stans new documentary, streaming August 26th on Paramount. Plus, you want smart political talk without the meltdowns, we got you. I'm Carol Markowitz. And I'm Mary Kathryn Hampton. We've been around the block in media, and we're doing things differently. Normally is about real conversations, thoughtful, try to be funny, grounded, and no panic. We'll keep you informed and entertained without ruining your day. Join us every Tuesday and Thursday Normally on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast.
Verdict with Ted Cruz – BONUS POD: Trump’s Art of the Deal WH Diplomacy Blitz
Date: August 19, 2025
Hosts: Ben Ferguson (primary speaker; Senator Ted Cruz not present in transcripted content)
Theme:
A deep-dive into the recent historic White House diplomatic summit hosted by President Donald Trump, focusing on the renewed push for peace in Ukraine, direct negotiations with Russia, new frameworks for security guarantees, and the media narrative surrounding the event.
This episode centers on the rapidly evolving Ukraine peace negotiations, examining the pivotal White House meeting where President Trump brought together key Western and Ukrainian leaders, and personally engaged Russian President Vladimir Putin in peace efforts. The hosts also confront and rebut ongoing media skepticism, emphasizing shifts in tone and substance among all parties, and outlining the potential for an imminent peace agreement.
“The media lied to you. They said that Donald Trump was played by Vladimir Putin... They said that the president was just doing this for the cameras and that world leaders wouldn't show up. Well, the media lied to you about all of that and the Democratic Party.”
— Ben Ferguson [03:14]
“President Trump confirmed reports that he did in fact call the Russian President Putin during his meeting with European leaders and said that a, quote, sit down between Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky to end the war is being arranged as we speak.”
— Ben Ferguson [06:09]
“For three years we haven't seen any willingness from Russia for dialogue. Something has changed thanks to you.”
— Italian Prime Minister [10:32]
“President Trump floated the idea of extending NATO style protections to Ukraine, though he stopped short of providing concrete details yet.”
— Ben Ferguson [10:49]
“Zelensky emphasized that the US Would not just offer verbal support, but would be actively involved in coordinating and participating in security guarantees for Ukraine, a development Ukraine regards as, quote, a major step towards peace.”
— Ben Ferguson [11:40]
“We’re going to try and get a, a three party meeting maybe as soon as we can. And I have a feeling you and President Putin are going to work something out. Ultimately, this is a decision that can only be made by President Zelensky and by the people of Ukraine… ”
— Donald Trump [08:04 & 11:50]
“If we can have a good meeting, I'll set up a meeting with President Putin. And if you'd like, I'll go to that meeting. And—not that I want to do that, but I will do that because we want to save a lot of people from dying.”
— Donald Trump [12:55]
“France emphasized that these guarantees should be safeguards at the, quote, whole of the European continent.”
— Ben Ferguson [13:40]
“We had very good conversation with President Trump… Security in Ukraine depends on the United States and on you and on those leaders who are with us in our hearts… All of us want to finish this war, stop. So Russia, stop this war.”
— Volodymyr Zelensky [15:02 & 15:15]
On Diplomacy’s Human Side:
“Zelensky also brought a heartfelt letter for First Lady Melania Trump. Why? It was in response to her previous note to Vladimir Putin calling for peace to protect children. This exchange also underscores the human side of diplomacy.”
— Ben Ferguson [07:53]
On Media Bias:
“They would rather Donald Trump be a failure, the Democratic Party and the media, than stop the killing of so many people in Ukraine and in Russia. Let that sink in.”
— Ben Ferguson [18:43]
| Segment | Content | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------| | Show Start / Topic Introduction | Major Ukraine–Russia peace talks and media narrative | 03:05 | | First Discussion: Media vs. Reality | Challenging mainstream skepticism, White House meeting breakdown | 03:14–08:04| | Trump’s Call for Three-Party Meeting | Trump on mediating Zelensky–Putin peace efforts | 08:04–08:24| | Italian PM’s Endorsement | Italy’s recognition of changing Russian posture, crediting Trump | 08:48–10:32| | Security Guarantees for Ukraine | NATO-style frameworks, US/European roles, Putin’s tentative agreement | 10:49–13:36| | Zelensky's Own Words | Zelensky on meeting outcomes, priorities, humanitarian issues | 14:53–17:49| | Uplifting Conclusion / Host’s Editorial | Emphasis on diplomatic progress and media’s stance | 18:04–18:43|
Diplomatic Breakthrough:
Trump’s summit marks a pivotal moment—bringing Putin and Zelensky closer to direct talks, with Western unity and robust security guarantees being negotiated.
Media Mistrust:
The podcast repeatedly highlights distrust in mainstream media narratives about Trump’s foreign policy efficacy.
Humanitarian Priorities:
Beyond territorial and military questions, leaders display growing concern for humanitarian and reunification issues, notably through Melania Trump and Zelensky’s exchange about abducted children.
Near-Term Prospects for Peace:
Optimism is high, with multiple leaders suggesting that concrete peace steps may be underway within weeks.
The episode is assertive, enthusiastic, and at times combative—especially toward the media and Democratic Party critics. It also features moments of hope and bipartisan aspiration surrounding the peace process.
For listeners interested in U.S. foreign policy, the Ukraine conflict, and the shifting global diplomatic order, this episode provides an inside look at a historic negotiation, colored by strong conservative analysis and advocacy.