JOHN YANG: Good evening.

I'm John# Yang.

White House envoys met again## with Ukrainian officials in Miami today to# discuss President Trump's proposed path to## peace in Ukraine.

It was their# seventh meeting over two weeks,## including a session this past Sunday that# included Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The State Department said# they've agreed on a key item,## a peacekeeping arrangement for post-war Ukraine.

The administration's national security# strategy, released this week, says ending## the war is a core U.S.

Interest in order# to stabilize European economies, prevent## unintended escalation or expansion of the war,# and reestablish strategic stability with Russia.

The congressionally mandated# document reflects a shift from the## stance of previous administrations,# including Mr.

Trump's first term.

Earlier, I spoke with Matthew Kroenig, vice# president and senior director of the Atlantic## Council's Scowcroft center for Strategy and# Security.

He helped write similar strategy## statements under Presidents George W. Bush# and Obama.

And in the first Trump term.

MATTHEW KROENIG, The Atlantic Council: I think# overall it was a good document with strengths,## but also with weaknesses.

So strengths,# a good strategy should tell you what's## new and different, and this one did that# with the focus on the Western Hemisphere.

It also had some new ideas for new challenges,# how the United States can maintain technological## leadership.

So I think those were the strengths.# On the weaknesses, I think it downplayed democracy## and human rights, which I think is a mistake,# was probably too critical of our European allies## and I think also downplayed the challenges# we face from autocratic rivals like China.

JOHN YANG: You're at the Reagan# National Defense Forum right now,## and I suspect there are# representatives from Europe.## What are you hearing from them or from# others at the forum about this document?

MATTHEW KROENIG: Yes, mixed opinions on# the document.

One European ambassador I## was speaking to last night said, you# know, this seems to be a consistent## message now following J.D.

Vance's tough# speech at the Munich Security Conference.

And so it would be irresponsible as# a European official not to question## America's commitment to Europe and to think# about how Europe might need to go its own way.

JOHN YANG: On Europe, the document# says that Europe faces the prospect## of civilizational erasure because of immigration## policies and suppression of political# opposition.

What's your reaction to that?

MATTHEW KROENIG: Yes, well, I# do think that's something of an## extension of domestic politics for the# so called New Right in the Republican## Party.

And so I think they see their# enemies as liberals and progressives,## that's in the United States but also in Europe.# And so I think taking some of their domestic## political positions and exporting those to# Europe is what accounts for those passages.

JOHN YANG: You mentioned, the absence of# talking about democracy and human rights.## In their place, it seems to me the emphasis is on## economic relationships around the# world.

What do you think of that?

MATTHEW KROENIG: Our allies and partners in the# Western Hemisphere have often felt like they## are overlooked, that the United States# has paid more attention to Europe,## to the Middle East and to Asia.

And so# I think they see this new focus on the## Western Hemisphere as overall a good thing.

And# there's also talk about economic partnerships.

So I think that makes a lot of sense.

It's# one of the strengths of the strategy and## I think will be welcomed by the countries# that are the recipients of that investment.

JOHN YANG: This document is not only# different from previous presidents,## it's also different from Mr.

Trump's# first administration.

In that document,## the world was framed as competition between# those who favor repressive systems and## those who favor free societies.

What do you make of that change?

MATTHEW KROENIG: Well, you're right, that is a# big change.

The 2017 National Security Strategy,## the main takeaway was great power# competition with China and Russia.## This one kind of downplays the threat# from autocratic rivals.

North Korea## is not even mentioned.

Russia and China are# presented as not posing much of a challenge.

So I think the difference is the difference# in personnel.

And Trump won.

He was new to## Washington and so he was staffed by kind of# traditional Reaganite Republicans for this## administration.

He does have some# of those traditional Republicans,## but he also has more in the so called# restraint camp and populist camp.

And so I see the fingerprints of these# different groups on this document.

JOHN YANG: What do you see as the practical# impact of this document?

It's something that## Congress mandates that has to be produced.# But what sort of its practical significance?

MATTHEW KROENIG: It does have practical# implications.

Our allies and adversaries are## carefully reading this document.

As I mentioned,# I was talking about it with several allies## just over the past 24 hours.

But then it also# provides direction to the vast national security## bureaucracies.

Mid and lower level officials in# the Department of Defense, the State Department,## the intelligence community, want to know what# they should be doing on a day to day basis.

And## so this document does provide an authoritative# statement of the President's priorities.

JOHN YANG: How do you think this is# being read in Beijing or in Moscow?

MATTHEW KROENIG: Well, I think the answer# may be different.

It does talk a lot about## maintaining deterrence in the Indo Pacific.# It keeps our traditional policy with regard## to Taiwan talks about winning the economic# and technology competitions with China.

The Russia challenges presented almost as# squabbling between Europe and Russia and## almost positions the United States as a mediator# trying to restore.

So I suspect Putin will see## that as a step forward from his point of view,# compared to traditional strategies that I think## correctly portrayed Russia more as a threat# to Europe and a threat to the United States.

JOHN YANG: Matthew Krone from the# Atlantic Council, thank you very much.

MATTHEW KROENIG: My pleasure.# Thanks for having me.