The President's Daily Brief - February 28th, 2025: Putin Warns Europe Against Sabotaging Talks With Trump & Jailed Kurdish Militant Leader Calls For End To 40-Year Conflict With Turkey

Episode Date: February 28, 2025

In this episode of The President's Daily Brief:     We'll begin with the latest threats from Russian strongman Vladimir Putin, who is warning European leaders against sabotaging potential rapprochement between Moscow and Washington. His remarks come as Russian and U.S. diplomats held their second round of direct talks in Istanbul on Thursday, and as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with President Trump at the White House regarding the war in Ukraine. Later in the show, the jailed leader of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party has called on his forces to disarm and disband, potentially signaling an end to its bloody 40-year conflict with Turkey's leaders. Plus, the Israeli military releases the findings of a major investigation into Hamas’s barbaric 7 October attack, acknowledging that the IDF underestimated the terror group and failed to properly protect their border. In our 'Back of the Brief' segment, President Donald Trump vows to move forward with crippling sanctions on Canada and Mexico next week, claiming our northern and southern neighbors are not doing enough to stem the flow of drugs into the US. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.     YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Second Half 2025, all rights reserved. It must provide a recent consumer mobile bill in the name of the person, and regain me the deal, additional terms, conditions, and restrictions apply. It's Friday, 28 February. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right. Let's get briefed.

First, Vladimir Putin is warning European leaders not to undermine attempts to restore diplomatic relations between Moscow and Washington. His remarks come as Russian and U.S. diplomats held their second round of direct talks in Istanbul on Thursday. And as British Prime Minister Kirstarmer met with President Trump at the White House regarding the war in Ukraine. Well, Putin, frankly, is acting like he's got the upper hand. Later in the show, we'll turn to Turkey, where the jailed leader of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party, that's referred to as the PKK, has called on his forces to disarm and disband. This is very big news, potentially signaling an end to its bloody 40-year conflict with Ankara. Plus, the Israeli military releases the findings of a major investigation into Hamas' 7 October attacks,

acknowledging that the IDF, the Israeli defense forces, underestimated the terror group and failed to properly protect their border. Well, you may well agree with me that, you know, we didn't actually need a year and a half in a major investigation to tell us that they failed to protect their border. And in today's back of the brief, President Trump vows to move forward. with crippling sanctions on Canada and Mexico next week, claiming that America's northern and southern neighbors are not doing enough to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S. But first, today's PDB spotlight.

We'll start things off today with the latest threats from Russian strongman slash despot slash president for life, Vladimir Putin, who's warning European leaders against sabotaging potential rapprochement between Moscow and Washington. How about that? You didn't know that I spoke French, did you? Raprochement. Speaking on Thursday to Russia's FSB security service, the successor to the Soviet area KGB, which he once led, Putin said attempts to reboot long-frozen ties with the U.S. are going well and inspiring, quote, hope across Russia, but accused European leaders of working to undermine their progress,

that's according to our report from Reuters. As we've been tracking here on the PDB, diplomatic talks began last week in Riyadh between U.S. and Russian delegations, much to the alarm, of course, of leaders in Kiev and NATO, who were not invited, and who fear they're being left in the dark about the Trump administration's strategy to end the war in Ukraine. Putin's remarks were carefully calibrated, heaping praise on President Trump for what he called his pragmatic approach to diplomacy, while blaming former President Biden for causing what he described as a crisis in the, quote, entire system of international relations, end quote. The comments are seen by many as part of a deliberate strategy to use flattery to draw the Trump administration closer

to Russia than further away from Europe and Ukraine. Turning his attention to Europe, Putin said it was clear that many on the continent were not keen to see the two nuclear powers establish warmer ties and issued a not so thinly veiled threat warning against any interference. Yeah, it's not really veiled it anyway, is it? He claimed that, quote, some Western elites are still determined to maintain instability in the world, and these forces will try to disrupt or compromise the dialogue that has begun, end quote. Putin said Russia would, quote, use all possibilities when he comes to diplomacy and our intelligence services to disrupt such attempts, though he didn't elaborate on what that might.

might look like. But he went further in its criticism of Europe, saying, quote, they have begun to destroy Western society itself from within, evidenced by the problems in the economies of many Western countries and in their domestic policies and politics. End quote. Now, the irony of the statement is hard to ignore, given the economic crisis facing the Putin regime due to his single-minded focus on funding Russia's war machine. But who knows? Perhaps Putin just lacks a sense of irony or self-awareness. The comments came as Russian and U.S. teams held their second round of discussions on Thursday, this time in Istanbul, Turkey.

The talks lasted for six hours and reportedly focused on restoring staffing at their respective embassies in Washington and Moscow in order to build a foundation for further negotiations, though neither the Kremlin nor the White House disclosed details of the meeting. Prior to the discussions, however, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department stressed that Ukraine was not on the agenda. Following the meeting, a spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry said the latest talks would be among many aimed at rebuilding trust between Moscow and Washington, before more substantive negotiations regarding ending the war in Ukraine would begin.

That statement, echoed remarks made by Putin on Monday that suggests a deal to secure an end to the war may still be very far off. In the meantime, Trump has been holding talks with European leaders this week at the White House he held a friendly meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, who pressed Trump to take a more deliberate approach towards ending the war. On Thursday, British Prime Minister Kier Starrmer visited the White House to deliver a similar message. The meeting laid bare the lingering divisions, though, between Trump and his counterparts in Europe. While Trump struck an optimistic tone on reaching a ceasefire deal in Ukraine,

saying his diplomatic outreach to Russia was, quote, moving along pretty rapidly, Starmor advocated for a more cautious approach, saying, quote, we have to get it right. It can't be peace that rewards the aggressor, end quote. Now, for what it's worth, I'm reminded of what Churchill said during World War II about Hitler and the notion of appeasement. You can't negotiate with the tiger when your head is in its mouth. Starrmer pushed forward direct U.S. military support in Ukraine in the event that a ceasefire deal has reached to serve as a deterrent against fuel. Russian aggression. But Trump brushed the request aside, saying the mineral rights deal that he struck this week with Ukraine would serve as an effective security guarantee for Kiev. Trump said, quote, we are a backstop because we'll be over there. We'll be working. We're going to have a lot

of people over there, end quote. Now, as we've been tracking here on the PDB, after weeks of tense negotiations, the Trump administration and Kiev struck a tentative deal to grant the U.S. preferential access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals, though the deal still reportedly lacks explicit security assurances for Kyiv. All lies in Europe, of course, will be on the White House Friday when Ukrainian President Zelensky meets face-to-face with President Trump to formally sign the agreement. All right. Coming up after the break, the jailed leader of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party calls on his forces to disarm and disband, signaling a potential end to their bloody force. 40-year conflict with Turkey's leaders.

Plus, the Israeli military releases the findings of a major investigation into the 7 October attacks by Hamas, admitting that they gravely underestimated the Iran-vaacked terror group. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the BDB. The imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or known as the PKK, Abdullah Ocelan, issued a stunning call for his terror group to disband and lay down its arms on Thursday, potentially ending Turkey's four-decade-long war would be Kurdish separatists. Speaking from his prison cell on an island off of Istanbul,

Ocelon called on PKK leadership to convene a Congress and formally dissolve the terror group. His message was read by pro-Kurdish politicians who visited him earlier in the day, signaling the latest and perhaps most significant attempt at brokering peace between Ankara and the long-established organization, the PKK. The timing is no coincidence. Turkish President Erdogan is deep in political maneuvering to amend the country's constitution, a process that hinges on support from the pro-Kurdish people's equality, a democracy party, known as DEM. Under current laws, Erdogan, who's been in power since 2003, that's correct, he's been in power since 2003,

as both prime minister and president cannot seek another term unless early elections are called. And such a move, well, that would require Kurdish political backing. Ah, we're starting to see a connection here. And that support may now be within reach, thanks to a proposal floated in October by Devlet Batchelie, leader of the nationalist movement, party, and a key Erdogan ally. Batchelie suggested Ochoon could be granted parole if the PKK formally renounced violence and disbanded. The offer is widely seen as an attempt to secure Kurdish vote. for Erdogan's constitutional reforms, adding a sharp political dimension to Ocelon's call for disarmament.

Despite more than two decades and near total isolation, Ocelon remains the PKK's ideological load star. But whether the group's leadership, which is primarily operating out of northern Iraq, will comply, well, that's another matter. Some factions, particularly those aligned with Kurdish groups in Syria, may see continued armed struggle as non-negotiable. in their pursuit of autonomy. The Turkish government has not disclosed what, if any, concessions it has offered in exchange for disarmament. The DEM party welcomed Ochoon's statement, but has stopped short of endorsing Erdogan's constitutional amendments outright. In Kurdish majority cities across southeastern Turkey, however, crowds gathered in public spaces dancing and celebrating in anticipation of what many see as a historic moment. Ocelon's message underscored the grievances that fueled the

PKK's terror campaign, citing decades of state policies that sought to erase Kurdish identity and deny political rights. But he insisted that armed struggle was no longer necessary, stating, quote, there is no alternative to democracy in the pursuit and realization of a political system. Democratic consensus is the fundamental way, end quote. A senior official from Erdogan's ruling party echoed that sentiment, urging the PKK to heed the call, saying, quote, if the terrorist organization gathers to dissolve itself, Turkey will be freed from its shackles. Now, skepticism does remain high, given the failure of previous peace efforts, including a similar initiative back in 2015 that collapsed into renewed violence.

Okay, shifting to Israel. The IDF has admitted its failure to prevent the barbaric 7 October 23 Hamas terror attacks, calling it, quote, one of the greatest failures in its military history. An internal investigation revealed Thursday details of how years of miscalculated intelligence left the IDF unprepared. The report compiled by the IDF Southern Command, after tens of thousands of hours of analysis, paints a damning picture of Israel's security posture in the lead-up to the attack. At the time, Israeli military leaders were primarily focused on countering threats from Iran and Hezbollah, relegating Hamas to a secondary concern.

The investigation determined that this miscalculation left the country open to the deadliest single-day attack in modern Israeli history. As tensions escalated elsewhere, the IDF had scaled back its presence along the Gaza perimeter, diverting resources to Lebanon and the West Bank. Meanwhile, Hamas systematically identified and exploited vulnerabilities in Israel's high-tech border security system. What was designed to be an impenetrable barrier turned out to be, well, no match for a well-coordinated terror operation. That was years in the making. At 6.30 a.m., on 7 October, 2023, Hamas launched its terror attack in three waves, firing nearly 4,700 rockets and mortars from Gaza, while approximately 5,600 terrorists breached Israeli territory. The initial assault proved catastrophic, as most of the kidnappings and murders occurred in the first few hours, catching Israeli forces entirely off guard.

By 5 p.m., hundreds of Hamas terrorists were inside Israel, with evidence suggesting their objective was to push deeper into the country and seize key military installations. The IDF's response was paralyzed by critical communication failures. With standard military channels down, commanders were forced to rely on Google Maps and mobile phones to coordinate. Early warning systems, assumed to provide ample time for a counterattack, proved insufficient against the scale and speed of Hamas' assault. Compounding the failings were years of misjudged intelligence, and this can't be understated. Israeli officials long dismissed the notion that Hamas possessed the capability for full-scale war, believing that economic incentives to Hamas would serve as a deterrent. Surveillance efforts failed to recognize Hamas' military build-up

misinterpreting movements as routine training exercises. The report underscores that blatant warning signs were overlooked, such as Hamas' terror operatives activating Israeli SIM cards inside Gaza. A situational assessment had been scheduled for 7 October, but of course, by the time Israeli officials were set to convene, Hamas had already executed its plan. The attack, however, was not a product of spontaneous escalation. According to intelligence obtained from captured Hamas documents and sources inside Gaza, the operation had been years in the making. Former Hamas leader Yaya Sinwar is believed to have first conceived the plan all the way

back in November of 2016, with formal approval granted by Hamas leadership in July 2019. Over the years, Hamas successfully deceived Israeli officials into believing that it prioritized economic stability over military confrontation. It was a disinformation, SIOP campaign. A brief war in 2021 further reinforced Israel's false confidence that Thomasa's capabilities had been diminished, when, in reality, the terror group was just quietly preparing for 7 October. In the wake of the report's findings, calls for a national inquiry have intensified. Prime Minister Netanyahu, however, has stated that any formal inquiry must wait until the ongoing war concludes.

All right, coming up in the back of the brief, President Trump vows to move forward with crippling sanctions on Canada and Mexico next week. I'll be back with those details. How many discounts does USAA auto insurance offer? Too many to say here. Multi-vehicle discount. Safe driver discount? New vehicle discount. Storage discount. How many discounts will you stack up? Tap the banner or visit USAA.com slash auto discounts.

Restrictions apply. In today's back of the brief, President Donald Trump is turning his sights back on Mexico and Canada, once again sparking fears that a trade war could be imminent. On Thursday, Trump said his proposed 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods, which he paused from implementing earlier this month, would go into effect this Tuesday. He claimed the tariffs are needed to force changes in Mexico and Canada's respective border policies, accusing America's northern and southern neighbors of not doing enough to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S., and that's according to a report from the New York Times. Taking to truth social, Trump said the deadly opioid fentanyl was still pouring across both borders at, quote, very high and unacceptable levels.

He added, quote, we cannot allow this scourge to continue to harm the U.S., and therefore, until it stops or is seriously limited, the proposed tariffs will indeed go into effect. as scheduled, end quote. He also called out China for being the main supplier of fentanyl entering the U.S. and said he would be imposing an additional 10% tariff next week on Chinese imports, on top of the 10% he already imposed earlier this month. As you'll recall, Trump first threatened Mexico and Canada with 25% tariffs in early February in order to stem the flow of migrants and drugs, as well as to address what he argued were imbalances in the North American free

trade pact. But Trump paused the tariffs before they could take effect, after both countries made promises to beef up border security and increase enforcement against drug traffickers. A White House official said Thursday that while President Trump is pleased with their efforts to reduce migration, he's still deeply concerned over the high levels of fentanyl being trafficked into the country. Now, Canadian and Mexican officials are meeting with their counterparts in the Trump administration Friday in an attempt to again stall the tariffs, which could deal a significant economic blow to both countries. Canada is particularly vulnerable to their effects as roughly 75% of Canadian exports go directly to the U.S. But economists are also concerned that if implemented,

the tariffs could significantly raise the price of consumer goods stateside at a time when Americans are still grappling with inflation and high interest rates. The U.S. is the low largest importer of foreign goods, with Mexico, Canada, and China making up the U.S. top three global suppliers. And that, my friends, is the President's Daily Brief for Friday, 28 February. Now, if you have any questions for comments, and I hope you do, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. And don't forget, synchronize you watches, because the latest episode of our extended weekend show, the PDB Situation Report, airs this evening at 10 p.m. on the first TV. You can also catch it as well as past episodes on our YouTube channel,

and you can find our YouTube channel at President's Daily Brief. And as you might suspect, we're on every podcast platform everywhere. We're talking the possibility of a second phase of the Israel-Khamas ceasefire, the lack of any alternative governing authority for Gaza, the possible resurgence of Hamas, Trump's meeting with Zelensky, and U.S. energy independence. Give it a listen. It's packed with information. Still, zero calories. I'm Mike Baker. I'll be back later today with the BDB afternoon bulletin. Until then, well, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool.