>>> THE WORLD STILL WALKS IN THE SHADOW OF ANOTHER WORLD WAR.
>> WE MUST NEVER FORGET THAT THE MEN IN THE KREMLIN REMAIN
DEDICATED, DANGEROUS COMMUNISTS.
>> HISTORY TELLS US THAT GREAT NATIONS HAVE OFTEN BEEN DRAGGED
INTO LORE WITHOUT INTENDING IT, BY CONFLICTS BETWEEN SMALLER
NATIONS.
>> BLOOD AND IRON RULED BEHIND THE CURTAIN.
HUNGARY FELL TO SOVIET TANKS. IN BERLIN THE COMMUNISTS BUILT A
WALL TO LOCK THEIR PEOPLE IN. CZECHOSLOVAKIA ROSE AND FELL TO
SOVIET TANKS.
>> AS GREAT POWERS, WE CAN AND SHOULD USE OUR INFLUENCE TO
PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING.
>> MR. GORBACHEV, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL.
>> THE IRON CURTAIN BETWEEN EAST GERMANY AND WEST BERLIN HAS COME
TUMBLING DOWN.
>> GORBACHEV SIGNED HIMSELF AND THE SOVIET UNION OUT OF
BUSINESS. THE RUSSIAN FLAG HAS REPLACED
THE HAMMER AND SICKLE OVER THE KREMLIN.
>> VLADIMIR PUTIN BECAME PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA.
>> PUTIN SAID THE COLLAPSE OF THE SOVIET EMPIRE WAS A GREAT
TRAGEDY.
>> RUSSIAN PLANES AGAIN BOMBING GEORGIAN TARGETS THIS MORNING.
>> RUSSIA ATTACKED AND INVADED AN OCCUPIED CRIMEA.
>> Translator: I HOPE NO ONE WILL CROSS RUSSIA'S RED LINE,
BUT IN EACH CASE WE ARE THE ONE WHO SAY WILL DECIDE WHERE THE
RED LINE IS.
>> MORE THAN 100,000 FORCES NOW CIRCLING UKRAINE.
>> THIS IS THE MOST DANGEROUS MOMENT.
>> IT WILL BE UGLY, HORRIBLE.
>> WILL PUTIN INVADE UKRAINE?
>> WE'RE READY TO IMPOSE SEVERE SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA.
RUSSIA HAS A CHOICE BETWEEN WAR AND ALL THE SUFFERING IT WILL
BRING OR DIPLOMACY.
>> THE WAR IN UKRAINE RAGES. THE SITUATION IS GETTING MORE
DIRE BY THE HOUR.
>> UKRAINE'S PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY CALLING ON UKRAINIANS TO STAND
THEIR GROUND. [ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]
>> PUTIN IS A CRIMINAL.
>> ANTI-WAR PROTESTS ARE POPPING UP AROUND RUSSIA.
>> FROM PARIS TO LONDON TO BERLIN.
>> THE U.S. AND ALLIES RATCHETED UP FINANCIAL PRESSURE ON PUTIN
WITH MASSIVE SANCTIONS.
>> THE RUSSIAN ECONOMY IS IN FREEFALL AT THIS POINT.
>> PUTIN HAS PUT HIS NUCLEAR DETERRENCE FORCES ON HIGH ALERT.
>> TWO CITIES IN THE SOUTH ARE REPORTEDLY SURROUNDED.
>> THE QUESTION IS WHAT'S NEXT.
>> WHAT IS PUTIN'S END GAME HERE?
>> IT'S A GLOBAL TEST FOR THE PRESIDENT.
>> HE THOUGHT THE WEST AND NATO WOULDN'T RESPOND.
HE THOUGHT HE COULD DIVIDE US AT HOME AND EUROPE AS WELL, BUT
PUTIN WAS WRONG. WE ARE READY.
>>> HI, GUYS.
>> HI.
>> SNACKS.
>> I'M OUTSIDE THE U.N. WHERE THEY HAVE CALLED A RARE MEETING
OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
>> I'M IN FRONT OF THE CAPITOL WHERE THE STATE OF THE UNION
WILL BE TONIGHT RIGHT BEHIND ME.
>> NAPALM.
>> I'M OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE. THEY'RE TRYING TO WARD OFF A
WORLD WAR, THE THINGS YOU DO ON STATE OF THE UNION DAY.
>> I'M ON THE LINE NOW.
>> YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU.
>> I'M 150 MILES FROM THE UKRAINIAN BORDER, CLOSE ENOUGH
FOR IT TO FEEL DIFFERENT THAN THE UNITED STATES, BUT ALSO FAR
ENOUGH AWAY THAT I'M NOT IN A FALLOUT SHELTER CURRENTLY.
>> YIKES.
>> SO WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS NIGHTMARE THAT WE'RE
CURRENTLY FACING. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT GROUND WAR
IN EUROPE SINCE WORLD WAR II. A WAR IN WHICH WE'RE INVOKING
THE SPECTER OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
>> WE'VE ALL BEEN COMPLETELY AMAZED --
>> BY THE FEROCITY OF THE UKRAINIAN RESISTANCE, BY HOW
MUCH HARDER THEY MADE IT SO FAR ON RUSSIA THAN EVERYBODY
EXPECTED, INCLUDING THE RUSSIANS.
BUT THE HORRIFIC AS OF TODAY, 660,000 REFUGEES HAVE FLED
UKRAINE AND ABOUT HALF OF THEM HAVE COME TO POLAND.
>> QUOTING VLADIMIR LENIN, THERE ARE DECADES WHERE IT SEEMS LIKE
NOTHING HAPPENS AND WEEKS WHERE IT SEEMS LIKE DECADES HAVE
HAPPENED, AND THIS IS ONE OF THEM.
>> NOW WE HAVE BIDEN VERSUS PUTIN, AND PUTIN WILLING TO TAKE
STEPS THAT WE THOUGHT WERE UNIMAGINABLE.
>> BIDEN HAS HAD A ROUGH START, BUT HE'S THE GUY WHO HAS THE
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE WORNG WITH COALITION, WORKING WITH
ALLIANCES. THAT'S HIS DNA.
>> JOE BIDEN, SOMEONE WHO HAS LED FOREIGN POLICY FOR FOUR
DECADES, WAS PART OF THE FOREIGN POLICY ESTABLISHMENT DURING THE
COLDER WAR. MAYBE HE IS THE RIGHT FOE TO
TAKE ON VLADIMIR PUTIN RIGHT NOW.
>> WELL, BIDEN WAS BEING CALLED BY HIS CRITICS A FEEBLE INEPT
LEADER. LO AND BEHOLD THIS MAN HAS
MANAGED TO LEAD THE COALITION OF THE WEST AGAINST AN AUTOCRATIC
DICTATOR.
>> BUT HE'S MATCHED AGAINST SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T SEEM TO GIVE
A SHIT.
>> YOU HAVEN'T SEEN A SHOWDOWN LIKE THIS SINCE KENNEDY AND
KHRUSHCHEV. THE FACT THAT HE'S GOING
TOE-TO-TOE WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN SAYS A TON ABOUT HIS ABILITY TO
CONJURE UNITY IN AN OTHERWISE INCREDIBLY FRACTURED POLITICAL
LANDSCAPE.
>> A WEEK AGO, IT WAS STUNNING TO HEAR FROM SOME OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT FIGURES IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WHO CAME OUT
AND SAID NICE THINGS ABOUT VLADIMIR PUTIN.
>> I HAVE ENORMOUS RESPECT FOR HIM.
I'VE BEEN CRITICIZED FOR SAYING THAT.
>> PUTIN IS SMART. OUR LEADERS ARE DUMB.
>> PUTIN PLAYED THIS ALMOST LIKE A SYMPHONY CONDUCTOR.
THEY HAVE A PRESIDENT, WE DON'T.
>> YOU REMEMBER WHEN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WAS THE PARTY
OF REAGAN? [ LAUGHING ]
WELL, THEY ARE FIRMLY, SQUARELY THE PARTY OF TRUMP BECAUSE IT'S
A LAYUP FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY OF OLD.
WHO'S THE BAD GUY HERE? VLADIMIR PUTIN.
>> THE STATE OF THE UNION IS TONIGHT.
AND I THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO THE STATE OF THE UNION.
THEY HAVE NOT HAD A GREAT GO OF THINGS.
THE VOTING RIGHTS ACTS DIDN'T GO ANYWHERE.
BUILD BACK BETTER DIED. INFLATION IS HIGH.
THIS IS THE MOMENT WHERE YOU TURN THE PAGE AND TRY TO GET A
NEW NARRATIVE GOING.
>> NOTHING LIKE A WORLD WAR FOR A RESET, RIGHT?
>> SO THIS IS NOT THE ENVIRONMENT THAT THE WHITE HOUSE
WANTED TO DELIVER THIS STATE OF THE UNION, BUT THERE IS VERY BIG
LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PRESIDENT.
WHAT CAN HE SAY NOW TO RALLY THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, INSPIRE THEM
AND FRANKLY FLIP TO STANDING WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
THIS IS THE KIND OF MOMENT THAT DEFINES A PRESIDENCY.
>> AS I SIT HERE IN FRONT OF THE CAPITOL, WE REALIZE WHY THIS
MATTERS, WHY FREEDOM MATTERS, WHY DEMOCRACY MATTERS, AND IT
REALLY FEELS RIGHT NOW THAT WE ARE ON THE BRINK OF SOMETHING
REALLY DARK AND REALLY DANGEROUS.
>> PRESIDENT BIDEN DELIVERS HIS FIRST STATE OF THE UNION
ADDRESS.
>> IT'S A MOMENT OF HIGH DRAMA TONIGHT.
THIS IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL STATE OF THE UNION.
>> UKRAINE UNDER HEAVY RUSSIAN ATTACK THIS EVENING THAT WILL
FEATURE PROMINENTLY IN THE PRESIDENT'S REMARKS.
>> PRESIDENT BIDEN IS ON HIS WAY TO THE CAPITOL TO MAKE HIS STATE
OF THE UNION ADDRESS.
>> WITH PEACE AND DEMOCRACY HANGING IN THE BALANCE RIGHT NOW
IN EUROPE --
>> THE U.S. AND U.S. PRESIDENT MARSHALING A COALITION TO DEFEND
DEMOCRACY.
>> MADAM SPEAKER, THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
[ APPLAUSE ]
>> SIX DAYS AGO, RUSSIA'S VLADIMIR PUTIN SOUGHT TO SHAKE
THE VERY FOUNDATIONS OF THE FREE WORLD, THINKING HE COULD MAKE IT
BEND TO HIS MENACING WAYS. BUT HE BADLY MISCALCULATED.
HE THOUGHT HE COULD ROLL INTO UKRAINE AND THE WORLD WOULD ROLL
OVER. INSTEAD, HE MET WITH A WALL OF
STRENGTH HE NEVER ANTICIPATED OR IMAGINED.
HE MET THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE. [ APPLAUSE ]
AND AS I HAVE MADE CRYSTAL CLEAR, THE UNITED STATES AND OUR
ALLIES WILL DEFEND EVERY INCH OF TERRITORY THAT IS NATO TERRITORY
WITH THE FULL FORCE OF OUR COLLECTIVE POWER.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL, AND MAY GOD PROTECT OUR TROOPS.
>> ALL OF THIS SUBURBAN MOMS IN MY FAMILY LOVED THE SPEECH.
>> GOOD!
>> SO THAT'S LIKE THE BIG WIN.
>> I'VE HEARD SOME RUMBLINGS ABOUT THAT.
>> THE THING THAT IS FUNNY, IT DOESN'T CREEK ANYMORE.
THAT HALLWAY CREAKED THE SAME PLACE ALL THROUGH CLINTON AND
OBAMA.
>> THE RUG IS DIFFERENT BUT THE OLDER WHITE MEN IS STILL THE
SAME. IT'S NOT CHANGED.
>> SO YOU AND I BOTH WORKED HERE BEFORE BUT I CAN'T RECALL A
MOMENT WHERE THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES HAD SO MUCH ON
THE LINE, NOT JUST FOR HIS PRESIDENCY BUT FOR THE WORLD.
HOW DID YOU ALL THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WANTED TO CONVEY TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE FIRST ABOUT UKRAINE?
>> WELL, WE THOUGHT A LOT, ESPECIALLY OVER THE LAST COUPLE
OF DAYS, AND HE DID, ABOUT HOW MUCH OF THE SPEECH SHOULD BE
ABOUT RUSSIA AND UKRAINE AND HOW MUCH SHOULD BE ABOUT OTHER
DOMESTIC ISSUES. IT'S SUCH A TRICKY BALANCE.
WE DECIDED THAT REALLY KICKING OFF THE SPEECH FELT LIKE MEETING
THE MOMENT THAT WE'RE ALL LIVING IN, RIGHT?
>> RIGHT. BECAUSE IT'S FOREFRONT OF
EVERYONE'S MIND.
>> IT'S FRONT AND CENTER. IT FEELS LIKE THERE'S A WAR IN
EUROPE AND IT'S SCARY, AND YOU HAVE THIS RUSSIAN PRESIDENT
THREATENING NUCLEAR WAR.
>> YES!
>> AND IT FEELS VERY SCARY.
>> YEAH.
>> SO IT FELT IMPORTANT TO HIM TO KIND OF GET EVERYBODY BACK UP
TO SPEED. HERE'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN PUTTING
TOGETHER, THIS GLOBAL COALITION, AND TO TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING
WE'RE DOING TO TRY TO HELP THE PEOPLE WHOSE IMAGES YOU'RE
SEEING WHO ARE SUFFERING ON YOUR TELEVISION SCREEN.
>> IT IS STRIKING TO ME THAT PUTIN SUCCEEDED IN UNITING NATO
ALLIES AFTER SOME HURT FEELINGS IN AFGHANISTAN.
>> I THOUGHT THIS WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT LINES IN THE
EARLY PART OF THE SPEECH. PRESIDENT PUTIN THOUGHT HE COULD
DIVIDE US AT HOME, HE THOUGHT HE COULD DIVIDE THE WEST, AND HE
WAS WRONG.
>> I HAVE HEARD SO MANY PEOPLE COMMENT TO ME ABOUT NOT HAVING
SEEN REPUBLICANS STAND UP TO SUPPORT SOMETHING BIPARTISAN IN
A VERY LONG TIME.
>> IT'S A THROWBACK IN SOME WAYS TO MORE UNITY ON NATIONAL
SECURITY ISSUES AMONG DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS.
>> YEAH. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE BEEN
THROUGH SO MUCH. IS THAT PART OF IT, THAT THEY'RE
NOT JUST WORRIED ABOUT UKRAINE OBVIOUSLY, IT'S COVID, IT'S
INFLATION, IT'S LIKE ALL OF THESE THINGS COMING AT THEM AND
DID HE WANT TO REASSURE THEM ACROSS THE BOARD?
>> YEAH. YOU KNOW, I THINK PART OF IT
WAS, AND PART OF WHAT HE HAS TRIED TO DO AND WE HAVE TRIED TO
DO OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS IS PROVIDE SOME REASSURANCE AND
SOME CALM.
>> AND YOU WANT TO PREPARE US FOR WORSE.
>> EXACTLY. WE HAVE SEEN PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY
STAND UP AND BE COURAGEOUS. WE HAVE SEEN THE UKRAINIAN
PEOPLE FIGHT LIKE HELL. BUT THE RUSSIAN MILITARY IS
INCREDIBLY POWERFUL. THEY HAVE EVERY INTENTION OF
TAKING KYIV. THAT IS PRESIDENT PUTIN'S
AMBITION.
>> THE STAKES OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE, THEY ARE NOT -- IT IS
NOT WHAT I EVER EXPECTED TO SEE AGAIN.
DO YOU THINK THE PRESIDENT DID ENOUGH TO PREPARE THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE FOR WHAT MIGHT BE COMING?
>> I THINK THAT THIS WAS -- THE PRESIDENT'S FOCUS TONIGHT WAS ON
MAKING SURE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHY IT WAS IMPORTANT
FOR US AS A COUNTRY TO STAND UP FOR DEMOCRACY AGAINST AUTOCRACY,
WHY IT MATTERED TO STAND UP AGAINST A DICTATOR, AND HE WILL
CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT IT.
>>> IT HAS BEEN ONE WEEK SINCE RUSSIA BEGAN ITS INVASION OF
UKRAINE.
>> ZELENSKYY HAS CALLED THIS OPEN, UNDISGUISED TERROR.
>> MARK BRZEZINSKI IS THE U.S. AMBASSADOR TO POLAND.
HIS GRANDFATHER WAS A POLISH DIPLOMAT.
HIS FATHER IS ONE OF THE GRAND FIGURES OF AMERICAN FOREIGN
POLICY IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 20thth
20th CENTURY.
>> WE CAME HERE TO AFFIRM THE TREATY AND MOVE THE ARMS PROCESS
FORWARD BY SETTING MORE AMBITIOUS GOALS FOR OURSELVES
AND FOR THE SOVIETS.
>> NOW MARK IS A FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SWEDEN, AND JUST
WAS APPOINTED JOE BIDEN'S AMBASSADOR HERE.
AH, SIR.
>> THAT'S TEDDY.
>> TEDDY?
>> AND HE HAS HIS OWN OWN SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT.
>> DOES HE HAVE MORE POWERS THAN YOU AT THIS POINT?
>> PROBABLY. COME ON IN.
THIS IS THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM GIVEN TO MY FATHER BY
PRESIDENT CARTER FOR NORMALIZATION OF RELATIONS WITH
CHINA IN 1979.
>> HOW OFTEN DID YOUR FATHER WEAR THOSE TO DINNER ON A NORMAL
TUESDAY NIGHT?
>> PRETTY MUCH ALL THE TIME.
>> THE STATE OF THE UNION IS BASICALLY A DOMESTIC POLITICAL
SPEECH FOR AMERICAN CONSUMPTION BUT IT'S ALSO A SPEECH THAT HAS
A SECOND AUDIENCE, THE BALTICS AND OTHER NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES
WANT TO HEAR WHAT FROM JOE BIDEN AND DID THEY HEAR IT FROM JOE
BIDEN WITH WHAT THEY JUST SAW?
>> WHETHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, NGO LEADERS, LOCAL ACTIVISTS,
PEOPLE TRYING TO HEAR FROM JOE BIDEN IS A MESSAGE OF ASSURANCE
AND DETERRENCE. AS PRESIDENT BIDEN SAID, NATO
AND AMERICA WILL DEFEND EVERY SQUARE INCH OF NATO TERRITORY.
THOSE WORDS FROM THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT COULD NOT BE MORE
IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF THE STABILITY IN EVERY SENSE OF THIS
REGION IN THE WORLD.
>> ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT YOU IS THAT YOU WERE ON
THE NSC UNDER BILL CLINTON IN 1999 WHERE YOU WERE IN CHARGE OF
THE RUSSIAN DESK. SO YOU BASICALLY HAVE BEEN
TRACKING VLADIMIR PUTIN IN A CLOSE WAY.
>> I HAVE BEEN.
>> FOR A LONG TIME, RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
>> AS YOU THINK ABOUT PUTIN'S DECISION TO INVADE, WHAT WAS IT
REALLY ABOUT AND HOW DO YOU THINK HE THINKS IT ENDS?
>> THIS IS A MAN FROM THE KGB WHO HAS AN EMBRACE OF CZARIST
RUSSIA NARRATIVE THAT HE WANTS FOR HIS OWN.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TACTICALLY? THAT MEANS KYIV AND ODESA, THE
TWO PRINCIPAL CAPITOLS OF CZARIST RUSSIA OF THE PAST THAT
HE WANTS TO BE REMEMBERED AS RESURRECTING.
BUT HE HAS TO ASK HIMSELF, IF HE HOLDS THOSE CAPITOLS AND
EVERYTHING ELSE IS TOTALLY FALLING APART AROUND HIM, DID
THAT HAVE THE KIND OF BENEFIT IN TERMS OF HIS LEGACY THAT HE
WANTED? BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HE'S GOING
TO GET.
>> VLADIMIR PUTIN IS A GLOBAL SUPER VILLAIN.
WE HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING QUITE LIKE HIM.
NOW HE'S INVOKING THE SPECTER OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
HOW MUCH DO YOU WORRY ABOUT THAT?
>> THIS IS A REGION OF THE WORLD WHERE WE HAD THE CHERNOBYL
DISASTER, SO NUCLEAR TRAGEDY IS FRONT OF MIND FOR EVERYONE
AROUND HERE. I HAVE TO SAY THAT WHEN I SAW
THAT PRESIDENT PUTIN HAD PUT HIS NUCLEAR FORCES ON ALERT, I WAS
STUNNED. IF THERE IS A THREAT AND
CHALLENGE THAT BRINGS EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD TOGETHER
AROUND AN UNDERSTANDING THAT PRESIDENT PUTIN IS A THREAT, A
DANGER AND A CRUEL PERSON NOT JUST TO UKRAINE BUT TO THE
GLOBAL COMMUNITY, IT WAS THAT.
>> THERE'S A VIEW THAT THERE ARE TOUGH DAYS AHEAD BUT WE KNOW
WHERE THIS IS GOING TO END UP. VLADIMIR PUTIN IS GOING TO LOSE.
>> RIGHT.
>> IS THAT CLEAR TO YOU?
>> THAT'S COMPLETELY CLEAR TO ME.
THIS IS PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN'S FINEST HOUR.
HE HAS SPENT DECADES BUILDING A NETWORK IN THE TRANSATLANTIC
COMMUNITY, BRINGING COUNTRIES INTO NATO.
BECAUSE, REMEMBER, AS A YOUNG SENATOR, HE WAS A SPEARHEAD FOR
BRINGING CENTRAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES INTO NATO.
THAT NEEDS TO BE REMEMBERED. HE HAS SPENT THOUSANDS OF HOURS
WITH THE WORLD'S BEST EXPERTS UNDERSTANDING CENTRAL AND
EASTERN EUROPE, INCLUDING MY LATE FATHER.
WHAT HE WOULD HAVE SAID IS, I THINK, MORE FOCUS SHOULD HAVE
BEEN DONE OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS TO REALLY TRY TO POLITICALLY AND
ECONOMICALLY STABILIZE UKRAINE SO IT WOULD NOT BE SUCH A VACUUM
AND AN ATTRACTIVE VICTIM FOR AN EXPANSIONIST PRESIDENT PUTIN TO
CREATE HIS IMAGE OF A RUSSIAN SUPERPOWER.
HE PREDICTED THAT, AND THAT IS WHAT WE ARE SEEING.
>> RUSSIAN FORCES CLOSING IN ON CITIES IN SOUTHERN UKRAINE.
>> IN KHERSON, THERE ARE REPORTS THAT IT'S FALLEN TO RUSSIAN
FORCES, THE FIRST BIG CITY TO FALL.
>> UKRAINE SAYS MORE THAN 2,000 CIVILIANS HAVE BEEN KILLED.
>> FROM FRENCH OFFICIALS FOLLOWING PRESIDENT MACRON'S
CALL WITH PUTIN, THEY BELIEVE THE WORST IS YET TO COME.
>> WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IS ALREADY SCARY ENOUGH.
STALIN ELIMINATED MILLIONS OF HIS OWN PEOPLE, SAYING THAT
THAT'S FOR THE GOOD OF THE NATION.
WHO KNOWS WHAT PUTIN THINKS WHAT IS FOR THE GOOD OF THE NATION.
>> YOU OCCUPY A PARTICULAR PLACE IN RUSSIAN HISTORY, YOUR FAMILY
DOES. YOUR GRANDFATHER SPENT TIME IN
KYIV IN UKRAINE.
>> HE LOVED UKRAINE. HE WOULD BUILD UKRAINE, RAISE IT
FROM THE ASHES AFTER WORLD WAR II.
SO THE IDEA THAT ANOTHER KREMLIN LEADER IS DEMOLISHING IT IS --
IT'S INCOMPREHENSIBLE.
>> LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW BIDEN HAS PLAYED HIS HAND.
>> NOT A FAN.
>> YEAH, YOU'RE NOT A FAN. A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
CONGRATULATING HIM FOR THE RADICAL TRANSPARENCY REGARDING
U.S. INTELLIGENCE OF RUSSIAN FORCES AMASSING AT THE BORDER,
THE FACT THAT THEY MOVED SWIFTLY ON SANCTIONS, THE FACT THAT HE'S
HELD TOGETHER A COALITION OF THE WEST AND TAKEN VERY EXTREME
MEASURES TO CRIPPLE THE RUSSIAN ECONOMY.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?
>> ALL WHAT YOU SAID IS TRUE. THE REASON I'M NOT A FAN IS
BECAUSE IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF AMERICAN GUNG-HO MENTALITY THAT
WE'RE JUST GOING TO JUMP ON A HIGH HORSE AND RALLY THE TROOPS
AND WE'RE JUST GOING TO GO INTO THAT VILLAGE.
YOU DON'T DEAL WITH AN AUTOCRAT LIKE THAT.
YOU DON'T EMBARRASS AN AUTOCRAT. YOU DON'T TELL HIM HE'S GOING TO
INVADE BUT HE HASN'T DECIDED YET.
>> YOU THINK THERE WAS A MOMENT THERE WHERE HE REALLY HADN'T
DECIDED HE WAS GOING TO GO TO WAR, BUT THAT BIDEN'S RADICAL
TRANSPARENCY ABOUT WHAT THE RUSSIANS HAD PLANNED AND WHAT
THEY WERE DOING, THAT THAT ACTUALLY HURT THE CAUSE?
>> IT SEEMED TO ME THAT THERE WERE MOMENTS -- IN EFFECT PUTIN
WAS SAYING WE ARE GOING TO TAKE THE TROOPS OUT AND BIDEN SAID,
NO, NO, NO, THEY DON'T MEAN IT. I THINK THERE WAS A MOMENT WHERE
PUTIN SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT, I'M GOING TO SHOW THEM I MEAN IT.
>> WE'RE PAST THE POINT NOW WHERE HE'S JUST SHOWING BIDEN
WHO'S BOSS.
>> RIGHT.
>> NOW WE'RE AT THE POINT WHERE HE IS BOMBING CIVILIAN
INFRASTRUCTURE --
>> PEOPLE ARE DYING.
>> AND PEOPLE ARE DYING. AND A LOT OF THEM HAVE TIES BACK
TO RUSSIA. IF YOU ARE IN RUSSIA RIGHT NOW,
CAN YOU REALLY FIND OUT WHAT'S HAPPENING?
>> OH, THEY DO FIND OUT. PEOPLE TALK ALL THE TIME, OF
COURSE. BUT FOR RUSSIANS NOW, IT'S NOT
THE SHUTTING DOWN OF WHAT THEY DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE WAR.
>> RIGHT.
>> IT'S JUST SHUTTING THE WORLD OFF.
AND THAT'S WHAT MAY BE A SALVATION FOR PUTIN.
BECAUSE SANCTIONS MAY BE -- ECONOMY, FINE.
BUT DISNEY MOVIES.
>> CULTURAL ASPECTS.
>> CULTURAL ASPECTS, SOCIAL ASPECTS.
>> SO YOU THINK THAT'S ALL GOOD FOR PUTIN.
>> I THINK IT'S ALL GOOD FOR PUTIN.
>> AS YOU OFFER IT, ALL THE MEASURES WE'VE TAKEN TO ACT AS
DETERNTS DETERNRENTS AND WEAKEN PUTIN'S
HAND HAVE HAD THE OPPOSITE EFFECT AND THE SHUTOFF OF RUSSIA
FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD WILL MAKE HIM STRONGER.
>> PUTIN'S POPULARITY BY THE WAY IS GOING UP.
IT WAS AT 65, 66% SOME SHORT TIME AGO.
NOW IT'S 71.
>> TODAY THE FRENCH SAID THE WORST IS YET TO COME.
>> RIGHT.
>> WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?
>> WELL, YOU ASKED ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
IF I WOULD MAKE MY DICTATORIAL PREDICTIONS, HE WOULD GO AS FAR
AS HE NEEDS TO. MASS CASUALTY EVENTS?
>> MASS CASUALTY. USING WEAPONS THAT ARE
FORBIDDEN. I THINK PUTIN WILL GO DOWN IN
HISTORY AS AN EARTH-SHATTERING FIGURE.
HE IS A RUSSIAN NATION THAT WAS A DEFENDER OF EUROPE IN WORLD
WAR II. NOW BOMBING EUROPE, ESSENTIALLY
BEGINNING WORLD WAR III.
>> MORE THAN 1 MILLION PEOPLE ARE NOW REFUGEES OF VLADIMIR
PUTIN'S WAR IN UKRAINE. IT TOOK THREE MONTHS FOR THE
REFUGEE COUNT FROM SYRIA'S CIVIL WAR TO HIT THE 1 MILLION MARK.
>> HERE IN UKRAINE, IT'S TAKEN JUST SEVEN DAYS TO REACH THAT
TOTAL.
>> VERY GOOD. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE
NOW IT'S COLD AND PEOPLE WHO COME TO POLAND, THIS IS THE BEST
WHAT WE CAN DO.
>> THE SCALE OF THIS REFUGEE CRISIS HAS RAMPED UP REALLY FAST
OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST EIGHT DAYS WHILE THE FIGHTING
HAS INTENSIFIED IN UKRAINE, BUT NO ONE THINKS IT'S GOTTEN AS BAD
THERE AS IT'S GOING TO GET, SO PEOPLE HERE ARE BRACING FOR A
MUCH MORE INTENSE INFLUX. THERE'S TIMES WHEN THIS PLACE IS
COMPLETELY JAMMED. RIGHT BEHIND ME OVER HERE,
THAT'S THE BORDER CROSSING. LAST CHECKPOINT, ABOUT 100 YARDS
ON THE OTHER SIDE, YOU'RE IN UKRAINE.
IF YOU ARE SEEKING REFUGE FROM VLADIMIR PUTIN'S BARBARRISM,
BOMBS, WAR THAT IS BEING RAINED DOWN ON UKRAINE NOW, THAT'S THE
DOOR YOU'VE GOT TO COME THROUGH. THOSE ARE THE FIRST STEPS TO
SHELTER, SAFETY, FREEDOM FROM HARM.
WHAT'S ALSO IN EVERYBODY'S MIND, IF YOU LIVE ON THE BORDER WITH
UKRAINE, IF VLADIMIR PUTIN TAKES UKRAINE, WE'RE NOW LIVING RIGHT
NEXT DOOR TO RUSSIA. AND NOT JUST RUSSIA, BUT AN
EMBOLDENED VLADIMIR PUTIN WHO'S TAKEN OVER A COUNTRY WITH
IMPUNITY AND SO THIS BORDER IS SYMBOLIC ABOUT A FEAR OF WHAT
THE FUTURE COULD HOLD. BEYOND IT IS THE DMZ OF NORTH
KOREA AND SOUTH KOREA WHERE HOSTILE FORCES ARE STANDING
ACROSS FROM EACH OTHER. AND TODAY, PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY
OF UKRAINE GAVE AN EMOTIONAL PRESS CONFERENCE.
>> THIS IS THE END OF THE WORLD IF THE RUSSIAN ACTIONS, THIS
WORLD IS AT AN END.
>> IT'S CHILLING. IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD IN
PARTICULAR, THOSE ARE THE KIND OF WORDS THAT MAKE PEOPLE
REMEMBER A PAST THAT'S NOT THAT VERY FAR IN THE PAST AND IT'S
GOING TO BE A REALLY, REALLY SCARY TIME, EVEN SCARIER THAN IT
IS ALREADY.
>> RUSSIAN TROOPS ATTACKED EUROPE'S LARGEST NUCLEAR POWER
PLANT OVERNIGHT. UKRAINE'S PRESIDENT, VOLODYMYR
ZELENSKYY, CALLED IT TERROR ON AN UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL.
>> I'M ABOUT TO TALK TO FORMER AMBASSADOR JOHN BOLTON, WHO WAS
THE LEADING FOREIGN POLICY HAWK AND ADVISOR TO EVERY REPUBLICAN
PRESIDENT GOING BACK TO RONALD REAGAN.
AS THE WAR ESCALATES IN UKRAINE, DONALD TRUMP IS SAYING OF COURSE
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT ON MY WATCH.
BUT JOHN BOLTON WAS IN THE OVAL OFFICE WITH TRUMP APPEARED HE'S
BEEN ON TV SAYING SOMETHING QUITE DIFFERENT.
>> THE FACT IS THAT HE BARELY KNEW WHERE UKRAINE WAS.
HE ONCE ASKED JOHN KELLY, HIS SECOND CHIEF OF STAFF, IF
FINLAND WERE A PART OF RUSSIA.
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
CLASSIC REPUBLICAN ORTHODOXY WAS TO BE ANTI-AUTHORITARIANISM,
SPECIFICALLY ANTI-RUSSIA AND ANTI-PUTIN.
AND YET WE'VE SEEN A VERY DIFFERENT STRIPE OF RESPONSE
FROM REPUBLICANS, INCLUDING TRUMP, INCLUDING MIKE POMPEO,
INCLUDING TUCKER CARLSON. HAVE YOU BEEN SURPRISED BY THE
TURN OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ON THE ISSUE OF RUSSIA AND PUTIN?
>> WELL, I DON'T THINK THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS TURNED THAT
MUCH. I THINK THERE ARE A FEW
OUTLIERS.
>> WELL, YOU SAY IT'S AN OUTLIER BUT TUCKER CARLSON PROBABLY HAS
THE BIGGEST MEGAPHONE IN THE CON REFOR
REF COUNTRY FOR REPUBLICANS.
>> I DON'T THINK HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT.
IT MAY BE GOOD FOR ENTERTAINMENT, BUT FUNDAMENTALLY
I THINK THE COUNTRY'S INTERESTS ARE BETTER UNDERSTOOD BY A LOT
OF PEOPLE WHEN THEY SEE THE NATURE OF THIS THREAT.
>> THERE'S ALWAYS AN ELECTION AROUND THE CORNER.
HOW DOES THIS ALL PLAY IN 2024 IN REPUBLICAN POLITICS DO YOU
THINK?
>> WELL, I THINK THIS KIND OF CRISIS IS HELPING THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY RECENTER ITSELF ON ITS BASIC PRINCIPLES.
AND THE DISTORTIONS OF THE TRUMP PERSONALITY FORCE FIELD ARE
BEGINNING TO RECEDE. SO I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF ANY
REALLY SERIOUS CONTENDER FOR THE 2024 NOMINATION WOULD TAKE
ANYTHING BUT A VERY STRONG POSITION AGAINST THIS RUSSIAN
AGGRESSION.
>> PRESIDENT BIDEN, TALK ABOUT HIS RESPONSE AND WHAT HE'S DOING
RIGHT, WHAT HE MAYBE SHOULD BE DOING DIFFERENTLY.
>> WELL, I THINK HE HAS SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON DIPLOMACY, BUT
LET'S BE CLEAR, A UNITED NATO IN THE FACE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
ISN'T DOING THE UKRAINIANS ANY GOOD.
SANCTIONS HAVE FAILED AND PUTIN IS NOW GRINDING UKRAINE INTO THE
DIRT. THE FAILURE WAS NOT STOPPING THE
RUSSIAN MILITARY FROM COMING ACROSS THE BORDER, AND I DO
FAULT BIDEN AND OTHER WESTERN LEADERS FOR NOT DOING ENOUGH.
THE ANCIENT ROMANS HAD A SAYING, IF YOU WANT PEACE, PREPARE FOR
WAR.
>> DO YOU THINK RECENT AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IGNORED THE THREAT?
>> YEAH, I THINK THE LAST THREE PRESIDENTS REALLY DIDN'T
UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF THE THREAT, BELIEVED THAT THEY COULD
USE RHETORIC TO GET AROUND IT, OR JUST SIMPLY UNDERESTIMATED.
I THINK PUTIN THOUGHT HE WAS GETTING A LOT OF WHAT HE WANTED
FROM TRUMP IN THE CONTROVERSIES WITHIN NATO THAT TRUMP CREATED
AND WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A VERY REAL POSSIBILITY HE ACTUALLY
WOULD TRY TO WITHDRAW FROM NATO IF HE HAD A SECOND TERM.
>> I THINK THE WORLD IS STUNNED AT WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
>> ARE YOU HOPEFUL ABOUT THE OUTCOME OF THIS?
>> WELL, WE'VE SEEN ENORMOUS DESTRUCTION.
I THINK MORE IS COMING. AND THE THREAT TO NATO'S
SECURITY IS REAL. I THINK PEOPLE NEED TO
UNDERSTAND, THERE'S NO ARC TO HISTORY.
THERE'S NO INEVITABLE LINE OF PROGRESS.
RONALD REAGAN USED TO SAY WE HAVE TO FIGHT FOR OUR FREEDOM
EVERY DAY. AND YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT IT VERY
QUICKLY. THERE ARE NO EASY DAYS IF YOU
WANT TO LIVE IN FREEDOM.