withdraw from eastern ukraine and crimea. he couldn't do any of that and today the country is stunned and the world is stunned and america is a whole lot weaker than we were going into today. >> president trump says that he's doing this because he wants the united states and russia to have a stronger relationship. take a listen to him talking about why that's important. >> nothing would be easier politically than to refuse to meet, to refuse to engage but that would not accomplish anything. as president, i cannot make decisions on foreign policy in a futile effort to appease partisan critics or the media or democrats who want to do nothing but resist and obstruct. >> so, let me play devil's advocate for a second, senator. he has a point, president trump, in that there is consensus view that russia is a geopolitical foe of the united states. and that there is a lot of good to be done in his view if russia