David Sanger says Trump has "gone out of his way to excuse or diminish what Russia has done"
David E. SangerCNN political and national security analyst, on CNN News Central
On CNN, Sanger says Trump's remark about disrespect to Russia fits a pattern of excusing or diminishing what Russia has done, and notes that Trump did not say Russia invaded Ukraine.
“the President has gone out of his way to excuse or diminish what Russia has done. You notice there that he didn't jump in and say, yes, Russia invaded Ukraine and violated their sovereignty. And there's something of an imbalance between somebody invading your country and you being rude to them when you meet them for the first time after they've invaded your country, right?”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Trump says Ukraine will "end up with a little bit different shape" after the war and the U.S. "got nothing" for its weapons; the Kremlin agrees, and Zelenskyy rejects ceding land
In an interview with Ross Douthat broadcast on CBS's 60 Minutes on November 8, 2026, President Donald Trump said the United States had supplied Ukraine with "the best weapons on Earth" and "got nothing for it." When Douthat said the United States got Ukrainian independence, Trump said it had not gotten that yet. Asked whether he expected a free and independent Ukraine, he said a deal would happen and Ukraine would "end up with a little bit different shape." He also said that when Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy first met, "there was great disrespect shown to Russia." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine is already a different country in terms of geography. Zelenskyy told Danish broadcaster DR that he did not know what Trump meant and was not ready for that kind of surprise, and argued that ceding Donbas would not stop Putin. Retired Adm. James Stavridis said the remark sounded ominous and pointed to a land-for-peace deal. Michael McFaul, Guy Benson and David Sanger criticized the remark about disrespect to Russia.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
CNN's rush transcript of the 9:30 a.m. ET half hour of CNN News Central on November 9, 2026. Sara Sidner plays the 60 Minutes clip in which Trump says disrespect was shown to Russia and asks David Sanger how he took it.
Before the quotation
Anchor Sara Sidner played the 60 Minutes exchange in which Trump declines to say whether he trusts Putin or Zelenskyy more and says there was great disrespect shown to Russia at their first meeting, then asked Sanger how he took it.
After the quotation
Sanger says he doubts that Trump's strategy of building a business relationship with Putin to draw him into an agreement will work before the end of the winter, and that the evidence suggests Putin wants to destroy Ukraine's capacity to heat and power itself.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Sanger says Trump has gone out of his way to excuse Russia and faults him for weighing Ukrainian rudeness against an invasion, which criticizes the remark.
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More from this case
Read the full caseZelenskyy says ceding Ukrainian land for peace is "just abstract words" and Putin would come back
“Ceding Ukrainian land for peace is just abstract words. It’s not only about reality, even more about philosophy. Putin was talking about Donbas, but then he decided to occupy Kyiv, our capital. ... Nobody trusts Putin to stop if we leave Donbas. He will pause. Then he will come back in one year, two years, or five years.”Read statement
James Stavridis says Trump's remark on Ukraine's shape "sounds ominous" and points to a land-for-peace deal he hates
“Well, it sounds ominous. What it probably portends is the 20 percent, roughly, of Ukraine that Putin is currently in control of, the eastern slice that connects Crimea up to the Rodina, the motherland, as the Russians say, about 20 percent. It's kind of a trade land for peace deal, if you will. Certainly, Zelenskyy will hate that deal. I hate that deal. We all should hate that deal.”Read statement
Guy Benson asks why Trump would object to Ukrainian disrespect for "the butchers of Moscow"
“I don’t understand why anyone, let alone the President of the United States, and I think some of his policies on Russia have been very good, not always, but why would he object to perceived disrespect by the Ukrainians for their invaders, tormentors, the butchers of Moscow? I feel like disrespect is kind of the very least they should harbor. For the Russians.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "David Sanger says Trump has "gone out of his way to excuse or diminish what Russia has done"". First published: 2026-11-15. Last updated: 2026-11-15. https://disputeindex.com/events/9026-on-cnn-sanger-says-trump-s-remark-about