There will be some "very candid" discussions behind closed doors about how the United States and Russia can "collaborate" on issues such as counterterrorism and Syria when President Donald Trump meets behind closed doors with Russian President Vladimir Putin later this month, former White House adviser Sebastian Gorka said Wednesday.
"He knows this man is a former KGB colonel, he knows he's a disrupter," Gorka, now a national security strategist for Fox News, told "Fox & Friends." "Whether it's going to identify the minimum areas where we can collaborate with each other, whether it's counter terrorism, whether it's Syria, and have . . . I think, some very candid discussions behind closed doors."
Gorka noted, just after his inauguration, Trump held a press conference at Trump Tower in New York, and was asked about Putin and Russia.
"The president gave a very accurate answer," Gorka said. "He said we should have better relations with Russia because it is a geopolitical player, [and] 'right now it doesn't look very likely, and so be it.'"
Now, after leaving the door open, Trump will meet with Putin, said Gorka. The meeting is scheduled to take place July 16.
Gorka also said Wednesday he has some concerns about how North Korea has followed through on leader Kim Jong Un's meeting with Trump, following reports of expansions at one of the country's nuclear missile facilities.
"I always have concerns when you are dealing with a dictatorship," he said. "Remember Ronald Reagan said 'trust, but verify.' In the case of a Stalinist regime in North Korea, I say trust and mistrust, but verify."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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