'Special Report' All-Star Panel on Bret Baier's exclusive with President Zelenskyy

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‘Special Report’ panel reacts to exclusive Zelenskyy interview

Ben Domenech, Matthew Continetti and Juan Williams discuss the exclusive interview on ‘Special Report’ with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy.

This is a rush transcript from "Special Report," April 1, 2022. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

BRET BAIER, ANCHOR: Let's bring in our panel -- and ta-da, in studio, Juan Williams is FOX News analyst. Ben Domenech, editor of the transom.com and host of the "Ben Domenech podcast on Fox News Radio. That's not him, by the way. That's Matthew Continetti, fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

This is Ben Domenech aforementioned.

And, you know, it's been a while since we have been in the studio. So, we are getting the kinks out.

Ben, let me talk to you about this interview and what you took away from it.

BEN DOMENECH, "THE BEN DOMENECH PODCAST": Well, there were a couple of things. One, it really stood out to me the question that you asked pointedly about the China relationship here and Zelenskyy lacking really an answer other than to say that the United States needed to be part of that conversation, enabling that conversation to happen.

They are the elephant in the room. We saw Lavrov go and meet with his counterpart in China this week, along with his counterpart in India. The truth is that Russia, it would not be doing what they were doing without that backing and the permission coming from their biggest backers in China.

Zelenskyy didn't really have an answer for that. He also though was pressing the case as he has been doing repeatedly for heavier weaponry. They want to add steel to the pines of the porcupine here. They know that is something that they need in order to have any real prospect of negotiated peace.

BAIER: Speaking of negotiations, he also, Juan, said he security guarantees from a host of nations. This is outside of NATO, in Article 5, but including the U.S., which, by the way gave a security guarantee in 1994 when they gave up their nuclear program but didn't really hold in there.

But, what about that? They are not to that point, obviously. It's interesting to hear him talk about the nations he has reached out to and agreed to.

JUAN WILLIAMS, FOX NEWS POLITICAL ANALYST: Right. He said that President Biden was considering it in the interview with you.

What struck me there was that he said he is open to the negotiation and with specifics. I think made news there when you said, you know, the Russians had agreed to allow some refugees to go and now he thinks that they have been firing at those refugees and that is, he says he wouldn't tell you, Bret, as to any of thinks direct orders as commander-in-chief but suggested, at least I took that, that that's why you saw Ukraine firing today at that Russian military depot.

BAIER: Yeah, didn't definitively answer that but also in the way he answered it kind of.

WILLIAMS: I thought he gave it away.

And the other thing was the assassination business. I thought, again, you made news there. The suggestion that, yes, there had been assassination attempts and that he would have to get rid of people, a general, I think he said to you, and people in his secret service.

BAIER: Yeah.

Matthew, your thoughts?

MATTHEW CONTINETTI, AMERICAN ENTEPRISE INSTITUTE: Putin has failed achieve his initial goal which is toppling Zelenskyy's government. Now the danger is that the conflict will freeze and Putin will be able to occupy more territory than he had before the invasion and the West will lose interest in Ukraine.

My takeaway from your interview, Bret, was that Zelenskyy needs more help. He needs more weapons and he needs more intelligence so that he can change the facts in the ground, forcing a negotiation where he will have the upper hand.

BAIER: I think there is this feeling, Ben, that Russians may be losing but they may also regroup and try to fortify and dig n different places and just not leave until the west gets bored with this and moves on.

DOMENECH: You could refer to the Russian generals who have died to this point as being just a first wave. The way the Russians work historically, they frequently have bad first years then they figure things out. They regroup and they come back.

And to Matthew's point, I really do think that is a circumstance that Zelenskyy fears as well and knows in the undercurrent here that that's a real risk. I'm glad you asked him that question. I think it's one that has to be answered not just at this end of Pennsylvania Avenue, but at the other end as well.

BAIER: Okay. We are going to have more on this about the interview. Also we are going to touch on the U.S. economy where they are with the news out of the U.S. after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZELENSKYY: I am not prepared to fulfill what Russia demands at the negotiation table. I do not want to give them anything of what we own. We don't want any of their land. We don't need -- we don't ask for the life of their people. Let them go home.

Heavy weapons will give an opportunity to talk with them at the negotiation table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BAIER: President Zelenskyy. We're back with the panel, Juan, Ben and Matthew Continetti.

Down the row here, any other thoughts about the interview and where Ukraine is right now?

WILLIAMS: I think it is interesting he said no land concessions. We have been following all week the Russian assault on the east and the thought that they might just say, OK, we're going to stop here. Clearly, Zelenskyy is not buying that.

BAIER: Matthew?

CONTINETTI: I was struck by his answer on sanctions. You pointed out some strengthening in the Russian economy since the war started. He defended sanctions. He's right. But sanctions are not enough, he needs more tools.

DOMENECH: Seem to me the subtext of the interview was him asking the audience of one in the White House to stop thinking about this as the former head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and start thinking about it as the commander-in-chief and the leader of the West.

BAIER: All right. Speaking of the U.S. here. A jobs report out today, March jobs report, and being touted by the president, 431,000 jobs added, unemployment rate down to 3.6 percent.

Big picture good, solid economy.

Obviously, Juan, inflation is still a major concern for families and for the Federal Reserve.

WILLIAMS: Correct. And so, you know, you don't need any rose colored glasses. As you say, it's a very good report, but looking to the future. It looks a little bit cloudy because of inflation as you said. Gas prices still an issue, and supply chain disruptions because the war goes on.

BAIER: Matthew?

CONTINETTI: Biden's numbers on the economy are dragging down his overall approval rating to dangerous levels. And until inflation abates, his ratings will continue to fall.

BAIER: Ben?

DOMENECH: As long as this war goes on, you're going to see increases in food prices that will extend into the summer and could upend political regimes in some of the poorest and most unstable parts of the world.

BAIER: Meantime, on the southern border, you have this surge of already immigrants coming across. And known getaways and they are tracking all of these record numbers. And Title 42 announced officially today that it's going to go away, May 23rd. A lot of people, Democrats and Republicans, Juan, are saying this is going to be a big, big moment.

WILLIAMS: It's going to be a big, big problem. So, the question is how do we deal with it? What position can you take? You can take away 42. But then do you have people remain in Mexico?

The administration is going to have to impose some kind of order here. We don't know what that plan might be. To my mind, where is the Congress? Why can't congress, you know, Republican and Democrat, say here is immigration reform. It's so critically needed.

BAIER: Joe Manchin saying we are already facing an unprecedented increase in migrants this year. And that will only get worse if the administration ends the Title 42 policy. We are nowhere near prepared to deal with that influx.

We got the announcement today though, Ben. It's happening.

DOMENECH: It is happening. And the people who should be most worried about it are the two senators from Arizona in particular, Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema. This is something that they have been warning the administration about, to not do this. Unfortunately, it's happening and we're going to see the ramifications.

BAIER: Do you think, Matthew, that immigration goes up the chain important issues as we head towards November?

CONTINETTI: I think so. It's already where we saw Biden's erosion last spring when the crisis began as a result of him reversing the Trump policies on the border. Biden needs a change n attitude on the border, on energy, and defense.

BAIER: But doesn't seem like change is coming, does it, Juan?

WILLIAMS: Not -- well, we are going to see what happens with immigration, not going to still. But in terms of inflation and energy, I think he is taking steps. He is trying to deal with the supply chain, trying to right now consider, you know, even a tax holiday on gas.

BAIER: It's good to have you guys back in studio.
 

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