WEBVTT 00:01.900 --> 00:03.933 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JUDY WOODRUFF: We take a closer look now at what the president's U.K. visit means for 00:03.933 --> 00:08.200 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% the transatlantic relationship, and his meeting on Monday with Russia's President Vladimir 00:08.200 --> 00:09.200 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% Putin. 00:09.200 --> 00:11.100 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% John Yang has that. 00:11.100 --> 00:14.733 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: Judy, for perspective on that, here's longtime U.S. diplomat Nick Burns. 00:14.733 --> 00:19.733 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% He's a former ambassador to NATO and a former undersecretary of state for political affairs. 00:20.466 --> 00:22.533 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% Mr. Burns, welcome. 00:22.533 --> 00:25.633 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% This -- Theresa May was the first foreign leader to visit President Trump at the White 00:25.633 --> 00:27.666 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% House after inauguration. 00:27.666 --> 00:31.633 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% This trip to London is something, by all accounts, he really wanted to happen. 00:31.633 --> 00:36.633 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Now that it has happened, and now that this is what he did on his first -- on this visit, 00:37.533 --> 00:39.633 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% what do you make of this? 00:39.633 --> 00:42.166 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% NICHOLAS BURNS, Former U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs: Well, John, 00:42.166 --> 00:45.633 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% it's hard to think of a more chaotic and disputatious visit by an American president both to London, 00:47.666 --> 00:51.033 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% to Britain, our great ally, as well as to NATO, as the president has had the last couple 00:51.033 --> 00:56.000 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% of days, because, before he met Theresa May, he started a fight with Angela Merkel, he 00:56.000 --> 01:00.133 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% threatened to leave the NATO alliance at one point during the NATO meeting. 01:00.133 --> 01:02.700 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% He certainly has tried to undermine the European Union. 01:02.700 --> 01:07.333 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Then this explosive interview in The Sun newspaper, the tabloid newspaper. 01:07.333 --> 01:09.300 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Theresa May is on a knife's edge right now. 01:09.300 --> 01:14.133 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% As your report showed, she's trying to put a Brexit proposal forward that might incite 01:16.666 --> 01:18.333 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% a rebellion in the Conservative Party. 01:18.333 --> 01:20.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% The president came out against it. 01:20.033 --> 01:22.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% He came out against her strategy. 01:22.033 --> 01:26.433 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% He came out in support of her greatest foe, Boris Johnson. 01:26.433 --> 01:28.600 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% And this was a direct attack on the prime minister. 01:28.600 --> 01:32.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And despite what the president said in his press conference today, trying to roll back 01:32.400 --> 01:36.800 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% his statements, this was the real Donald Trump in that Sun interview. 01:36.800 --> 01:41.666 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% JOHN YANG: He said that -- as you say, he praised Boris Johnson. 01:41.666 --> 01:44.200 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% He said Boris Johnson would be a great prime minister. 01:44.200 --> 01:48.333 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% The strongest he went on Mrs. May is that he said that she's a fine woman, she's a good 01:48.333 --> 01:50.800 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% woman. 01:50.800 --> 01:54.800 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% What has he done to her political -- political livelihood or her political chances domestically 01:56.300 --> 01:58.900 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% in Britain? 01:58.900 --> 02:02.266 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% NICHOLAS BURNS: Well, the president's ideological kindred in U.K. politics would be the Conservatives, 02:05.133 --> 02:10.133 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% who are in favor of a very tough, hard Brexit, as they call it, a complete separation of 02:11.266 --> 02:13.300 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% the United Kingdom from the European Union. 02:13.300 --> 02:16.433 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% The prime minister's view is that it has to be a softer Brexit, meaning some ties have 02:16.433 --> 02:20.066 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% to remain in order to ensure the success of the British economy. 02:20.066 --> 02:23.433 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% The president directly emboldened her strongest critics. 02:23.433 --> 02:28.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Imagine if Theresa May came to the White House, into the Rose Garden, and said publicly, with 02:28.400 --> 02:33.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% the president standing behind, beside her, I think that Jeff Flake or Bob Corker or John 02:34.833 --> 02:36.700 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% Kasich would make a very good president of the United States. 02:36.700 --> 02:38.733 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% Our president would be furious. 02:38.733 --> 02:42.933 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% That's what Donald Trump did to her twice, not only in the Sun interview, but also in 02:42.933 --> 02:44.966 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% this morning's press conference. 02:44.966 --> 02:49.433 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And so the president has directly intervened in British politics in the most unhelpful 02:50.000 --> 02:52.500 align:left position:40%,start line:89% size:50% way. 02:52.500 --> 02:55.800 align:left position:10%,start line:71% size:80% He's done the same thing with the German chancellor, two female leaders, which has the attention 02:55.800 --> 03:00.800 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% of a lot of people in Europe, who think that he does pick on female leaders. 03:02.800 --> 03:04.733 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And these are the two closest friends that the United States has in the world, Germany 03:04.733 --> 03:06.766 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% and the United Kingdom. 03:06.766 --> 03:09.833 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: You talked about what he did in Brussels, what he has done now in London, 03:09.833 --> 03:14.800 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% next stop, Helsinki, where he is going to meet Vladimir Putin, and then today's indictment 03:14.800 --> 03:19.800 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% from the Justice Department, the strongest evidence yet of direct Russian government 03:20.966 --> 03:22.366 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% trying to meddle in the U.S. election. 03:22.366 --> 03:24.400 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% What does this do to this meeting? 03:24.400 --> 03:29.233 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% NICHOLAS BURNS: Oh, it makes it absolutely necessary -- if there is going to be a meeting, 03:30.400 --> 03:32.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% Donald Trump cannot just ask the question. 03:32.033 --> 03:33.466 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% That's what he said he would do today. 03:33.466 --> 03:36.366 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% He said, I will ask President Putin if he intervened. 03:36.366 --> 03:41.366 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% He has to let President Putin know that a federal grand jury indicted 12 Russian military 03:42.233 --> 03:44.233 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% intelligence officials today. 03:44.233 --> 03:47.600 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% The grand jury said there's a criminal conspiracy to undermine our election. 03:47.600 --> 03:52.600 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% The president has to make the case to Putin that this cannot happen again, that the United 03:52.600 --> 03:57.600 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% States will maintain or increase its economic sanctions against Russia, and encourage others 03:58.233 --> 03:59.100 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% to do that. 03:59.100 --> 04:01.100 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% He has to defend us. 04:01.100 --> 04:04.933 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% His primary job as commander in chief is to defend this country. 04:04.933 --> 04:08.100 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% There's been an attack on our electoral system by our strongest adversary. 04:08.100 --> 04:12.800 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% And so, if he blithely goes in -- and that was his body language and the words today 04:12.800 --> 04:16.066 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% - - oh, I will just ask him, but I don't expect a good answer. 04:16.066 --> 04:21.066 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% He has to be forceful and strong, and not weak, but he has been very weak in front of 04:22.966 --> 04:25.100 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% President Putin the several times that they have met in the last 18 months. 04:25.100 --> 04:29.266 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: And he said over and over again that he wants to have a good relationship 04:29.266 --> 04:31.333 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% with Vladimir Putin. 04:31.333 --> 04:35.733 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% Can he do that and also do what you say he should do, is defend the United States? 04:37.733 --> 04:41.033 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% NICHOLAS BURNS: You know, the point of diplomacy is not to have good relations. 04:41.033 --> 04:44.833 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% The point of diplomacy to get our way internationally and to defend our country. 04:44.833 --> 04:49.833 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% So, in addition to the Russian interference in our election, there's the Russian U.K. 04:50.566 --> 04:52.066 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% nerve agent attack. 04:52.066 --> 04:54.733 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% A British woman lost her life last week because of the attack. 04:54.733 --> 04:59.733 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% There's the fact that Russia crossed the brightest red line in international law by invading 05:00.966 --> 05:03.033 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% and occupying and annexing Crimea. 05:03.033 --> 05:07.633 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% There are U.S. sanctions on Russian imposed by the Congress, by the way, over the president's 05:07.633 --> 05:10.733 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% objections, on Russia for these actions. 05:10.733 --> 05:15.333 align:left position:20%,start line:71% size:70% And the president, I think, has to understand that, if he's going to retain political support 05:15.333 --> 05:20.333 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% in the country and the respect of our allies, and I think even the respect of Putin, he 05:21.800 --> 05:23.833 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% has to be tougher than Putin than he says he wants to be. 05:23.833 --> 05:28.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% It is not enough to say that we just want to get along with a person who's trying to 05:29.133 --> 05:31.166 align:left position:20%,start line:89% size:70% undermine our country. 05:31.166 --> 05:33.400 align:left position:10%,start line:77% size:80% We have to defeat that person, block that person, and do everything we can to protect 05:33.400 --> 05:34.733 align:left position:30%,start line:89% size:60% our own country. 05:34.733 --> 05:37.133 align:left position:20%,start line:83% size:70% That's what Ronald Reagan would have done. 05:37.133 --> 05:40.033 align:left position:20%,start line:77% size:70% That's what any American president before Donald Trump would have done. 05:40.033 --> 05:42.800 align:left position:10%,start line:83% size:80% JOHN YANG: Former Ambassador Nick Burns, thank you very much. 05:42.800 --> 05:44.166 align:left position:10%,start line:89% size:80% NICHOLAS BURNS: Thank you, John.