ICYMI: McCaul Discusses Latest on Ukraine, Trump’s Visit to the Middle East, More on CBS’ Face the Nation
Austin, Texas – U.S. Congressman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) — chairman emeritus of the House Foreign Affairs and Homeland Security Committees — joined CBS' "Face the Nation" with Ed O’Keefe to discuss the latest on ceasefire efforts in Ukraine, President Trump’s upcoming visit to the Middle East, and more.
On ceasefire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia:
“It's very intense. … Mr. Putin decided to bomb Ukraine on Palm Sunday. He's not making any concessions at all, while Zelensky seems to be making all the concessions. So the bottom line is: Putin has to agree to a 30-day cease-fire for any peace talks to go forward, and the land that he is asking for is — you know, even JD Vance talked about this, and the president — land that Russia has not even occupied in Ukraine. So [Putin] has to operate in good faith. We want peace, but not peace at any price. Because peace at any price is like appeasement, like we saw with Chamberlain and Hitler, and that's unacceptable.
On the likelihood of the US passing a sanctions package:
“If Mr. Putin does not agree to a 30-day ceasefire, I think the sanctions are almost certain, not only from the Congress, but from the White House. … Getting [the national security supplemental package] passed the last time was a major accomplishment. Had we not accomplished that, Ed, Russia would be occupying Ukraine today — no question in my mind. … So again, it's really up to Mr. Putin, who so far has not been negotiating in good faith, as to how we proceed from here. And we all want this war to end. We all want peace, but we want a just peace.”
On President Trump’s upcoming trip to the Middle East:
“We don't have all the details. I know he's there to discuss an economic alliance with the Saudis, with the UAE, with the Arab nations. And that's important. Just like the minerals deal that the Ukraine parliament voted for, the more economically we're tied to the Middle East, the more we're security tied, and that will push China out of the region. The ultimate goal here, though, is a normalization agreement with Israel. We were getting close to that, until Iran decided, through its proxy in in Gaza — Hamas — to invade on October 7. So the point is, we need to be talking about all this as a package. But again, we cannot have normalization until you have a cease-fire in Gaza. And I think that's the more difficult piece here.”
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