WILL BE SPENT ON POLITICS HERE IN MINNESOTA, IN WASHINGTON, D.C., AND BEYOND.

>> Cathy: AS A MATTER OF FACT, INTERNATIONAL POLITICS IS WHERE WE WILL START TONIGHT.

THREE YEARS AGO THIS WEEK, RUSSIA INVADED UKRAINE.

THE U.S.

POSITION IN THAT WAR HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY WITH A NEW ADMINISTRATION.

PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS CLAIMED THAT UKRAINE WAS THE AGGRESSOR AND HAS TRADED PUBLIC BARBS WITH UKRAINE PRESIDENT ZELENSKY, CALLING HIM A DICTATOR.

EARLIER TODAY AT THE WHITE HOUSE THERE WAS A CONTENTIOUS MEETING BETWEEN THE TWO WORLD LEADERS THAT TURNED INTO PRESIDENT TRUMP AND VICE PRESIDENT ADVANCES YELLING AT AND BERATING PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY IN FRONT OF INTERNATIONAL NEWS MEDIA.

ZELENSKYY WAS THEN TO TOLD TO LEAVE.

PROFESSOR DAVID SCHULTZ IS A POLITICAL SCIENTIST YOU'VE SEEN ON OUR PROGRAM MANY TIMES OVER THE YEARS.

AMONGS PLACES SHE'S INSTRUCTED, RUSSIA, BELARUS AND UKRAINE.

>> YES.

>> Cathy: IT INCLUDED INTERNATIONAL NEWS MEDIA AND IT HAD PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY AND PRESIDENT TRUMP TALKING ABOUT THIS DEAL.

THE LAST TEN MINUTES, THOUGH, WAS THIS BIZARRE SHOUTING MATCH THAT INCLUDED THE VICE PRESIDENT.

AND MOST PEOPLE ARE SAYING, WELL, THIS S UNPRECEDENTED PUBLIC BEHAVIOR TOWARD ALLY AND A FELLOW WORLD LEADER.

ALTHOUGH TRUMP SUPPORTERS SAY ZELENSKYY OVERSTEPPED AND ACTED LIKE A SPOILED CHILD AND DESERVED IT.

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE?

>> NO, NEVER HAVE SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE.

USUALLY BY THE TIME YOU GET TO THE POINT YOU HAVE HEADS OF STATE MEETING EVERYTHING IS WORKED OUT.

EVERYTHING IN TERMS OF DEALS, NEGOTIATIONS, SO FORTH AND ANYTHING THAT THEY'RE DOING ON CAMERA AT THIS POINT IT'S KIND OF PROFORM, IT'S THE PHOTO OP, SHAKING HANDS AND SO FORTH.

AND THIS REALLY SORT OF SUGGESTS A LOT OF IFFERENT THINGS INCLUDING THE FACT THAT, WHAT, THEY DIDN'T HAVE THINGS WORKED OUT UNTIL THEY WENT INTO THIS PUBLIC DISPLAY.

BUT PART OF ME WONDERS HOW MUCH OF THIS AT LEAST ON THE PART OF TRUMP AND ADVANCES WAS SET UP.

AND THE REASON WHY I SAY THAT IS WITHIN MINUTES OF ALL THAT HAPPENING THERE'S A PRESS RELEASE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT ON TRUTH SOCIAL ABOUT THIS.

YOU SORT OF WONDER WHAT WAS GOING ON IN TERMS OF THE YEAROR MOTIVES AND WHY SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD BREAK OUT.

YOU ALMOST NEVER EE IN TERMS OF HEADS OF STATE.

>> WHAT DID YOU THINK OF VANCE CHIMING IN WHEN HE DID.

>> NOT USUALLY.

I DON'T WANT TO SAY VICE PRESIDENTS ARE SEEN AND NOT HEARD BUT GENERALLY VICE PRESIDENTS ARE SEEN AND NOT HEARD AND REALLY IT'S ABOUT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES MEETING WITH ANOTHER HEAD OF STATE.

AGAIN THIS IS ALSO SOMETHING FAIRLY, USE THE PHRASE AGAIN, UNPRECEDENTED AND PRETTY UNUSUAL IN TERMS OF HOW DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS ARE OCCURRING.

IF WE THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT EVEN WITH YOUR ENEMIES YOU DON'T USUALLY DO THAT KIND OF STUFF ON TELEVISION IN FRONT OF A FULL PRESS CONFERENCE, MAYBE YOU HAVE HEATED DISCUSSIONS OUTSIDE OF CAMERA BUT CERTAINLY YOU WANT TO MAKE IT LOOK GOOD IN TERMS AT LEAST OF WHAT YOU'RE PROJECTING.

>> Eric: IF THERE WAS A BIT OF SHOW BUSINESS HERE MAYBE WE COULD OVERANALYZE IT AS FAR AS THE REACTION FROM NATO COUNTRIES, EUROPE.

SHOULD WE -- CAN WE POSSIBLY OVERREAD THIS OR IS THIS SOME BIG INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM?

>> THIS IS A BIG INTERNATIONAL PROBLEM AND IT GOES BACK TO EARLIER IN THIS WEEK AND EARLIER IN THE WEEK YOU MIGHT RECALL IS THE UNITED STATES VOTES WITH A RESOLUTION WITH BELARUS, NORTH KOREA, AND RUSSIA ABOUT THE CAUSES OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE SO THAT WAS ENOUGH O SCARE EVERYBODY.

ADD THIS TO IT HERE, YOU CAN MAYBE HAVE A ONE-OFF AS A ROOKIE MISTAKE AND SAY, OKAY, NEW ADMINISTRATION, NEW PEOPLE, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.

BUT LINK THOSE WO TOGETHER MY COLLEAGUES, YOU KNOW, BACK IN EUROPE AS YOU MENTIONED IN THE ENTER HERE I'VE TAUGHT IN LITHUANIA, RUSSIA, BELARUS, ALL COUNTRIES LIKE THAT, ESPECIALLY LET'S SAY IN WHAT WE WOULD CALL LIKE THE UKRAINES, LITHUANIA, KIND OF THE FREE PART OF THAT WORLD THERE, THEY ARE VERY, VERY WORRIED AT THIS POINT BECAUSE THEY'RE THINKING THAT THE WHOLE POST-WAR, POST WORLD WAR II GUARANTEE IS U.S. PROVIDING FOR SECURITY GUARANTEES FOR EUROPE, THEY NO LONGER THINK THAT'S THERE.

AND IF THAT HAPPENS, IF THE U.S. IS NO LONGER GUARANTEEING EUROPEAN SECURITY, THAT COMPLETELY REARRANGES EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN BUILT FOR, WHAT NEARLY, WHAT, 80 YEARS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

>> Cathy: LET ME JUST DIG INTO A LITTLE BIT DEEPER, YOU MENTIONED THOSE SMALLER BALTIC STATES, I WAS ON THE AUSTRIAN STATE MEDIA WEBSITE AND ALSO THE BBC AND EVERYONE'S MORTIFIED IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY SAW.

WHAT DOES WHAT WE SAW MEAN THEN IN TERMS OF OTHER LARGER ALLIES?

SAME THING YOU EXPLAINED OR MAYBE SOMETHING ELSE?

>> IT'S NOT QUITE SURE.

THERE'S A LINE WE CAN SORT OF DIVIDE.

THOSE COUNTRIES THAT USED TO BE PART OF THE SOVIET ORBIT PRIOR TO THE END OF THE COLD WAR WE LOOK AT THE WORLD DIFFERENTLY COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE EUROPE.

AND IT'S VERY DIFFERENT REACTIONS BUT INCREASINGLY EVEN FOR EXAMPLE IF WE LOOK AT THE U.K., THE U.K. GREAT BRITAIN ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT, WHAT, THEY MAY BE PREPARED TO PUT BOOTS ON THE GROUND AND PROVIDE OTHER SUPPORT AND SO SOME OF THE COUNTRIES IN EUROPE LIKE FRANCE, LIKE THE U.K. ARE VERY, VERY MUCH STARTING TO SAY, HEY, IF THE UNITED STATES IS NOT THERE, WE NEED TO BE THERE BUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO IT.

GERMANY IS KIND OF THE ODD MAN IN THE MIDDLE RIGHT NOW, THEY JUST HAD ELECTIONS, THEY'RE NOT QUITE SURE WHERE THEY NEED TO BE AT THIS POINT.

BUT CERTAINLY I THINK THERE IS AN OVERALL EUROPEAN CONCERN AS I'M GETTING FROM MY FRIENDS ALL ACROSS EUROPE BUT CERTAINLY THE LINE WOULD BE TO SAY THAT GO FROM LIKE, I DON'T KNOW, POLAND, ROMANIA, EASTWARD, IT'S A VERY, VERY DIFFERENT AND MUCH MORE IMMEDIATE FEAR.

>> Eric: IS THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NOW PRORUSSIA OR IS IT JUST TRUMP IS PRO-RUSSIA?

>> THAT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION HERE.

BECAUSE CLEARLY TRUMP SEEMS TO BE PRO-RUSSIA.

THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME, A LITTLE BIT OF CARPING WITHIN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN CONGRESS BUT FOR THE MOST PART BECAUSE TRUMP HAS TAKEN OVER THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WHATEVER VOICES OF DISSENT THERE ARE, THEY'RE REALLY MUFFLED AT THIS POINT.

BUT IF YOU LOOK AT IT, IF YOU LOOK AT EXCEPT FOR A VERY SMALL NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM THE LAST FEW VOTES THERE STILL IS SUPPORT WITHIN A LOT OF REPUBLICANS TO SAY THAT, WHAT, RUSSIA IS THE ENEMY, OR AT LEAST THEY'RE NOT OUR FRIEND, AND THE AMERICAN PUBLIC AS I'VE SEEN PUBLIC OPINION POLLS IS STILL SAYING THAT UKRAINE SHOULD BE OUR FRIEND AND RUSSIA IS OUR ADVERSARY.

>> Eric: AS USUAL, APPRECIATE YOU COMING OVER.

>> Cathy: THANK YOU.