ALONG WITH THE HOST OF "WAY TOO
EARLY" AND WHITE HOUSE PR CHIEF
AT "POLITICO" JONATHAN LEMIRE.
LET'S DIVE IN.
>>> RUSSIAN FORCES ARE BEARING
DOWN ON THE UKRAINIAN CAPITAL AS
NEW SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW THEY
ARE JUST 17 MILES AWAY FROM THE
CENTER OF THE CITY.
THE IMAGES RELEASED BY MAXAR
TECHNOLOGIES YESTERDAY SHOWED A
40-MILE-LONG CONVOY OF HUNDREDS
OF RUSSIAN TANKS AND ARTILLERY
APPROACHING KYIV.
PHOTOS SHOW DEVELOPMENTS OF
GROUND FORCES AND ATTACK
HELICOPTER UNITS IN SOUTHERN
BELARUS.
>> WE HAVE MUCH TO GET TO.
LET'S KEEP THE PICTURES UP FOR A
SECOND.
DAVID IGNATIUS, IT IS
EXTRAORDINARILY FRUSTRATING FOR
AMERICANS AND PEOPLE ACROSS THE
WEST TO SEE THIS, A SLOW-MOVING
TRAIN OF DEATH TO KYIV WHEN, OF
COURSE, EVERYBODY IN THIS
COUNTRY UNDERSTANDS YOU CAN'T DO
ANYTHING IN UKRAINE WITHOUT
LAUNCHING -- OR MOST UNDERSTAND
WITHOUT STARTING WORLD WAR III.
AT THE SAME TIME WE'RE WATCHING
IN SLOW MOTION A HUMANITARIAN
CRISIS DEVELOP THAT WE COULD
LITERALLY TAKE CARE OF IN 15
MINUTES BY SCRAMBLING JETS AND
WIPE THIS ENTIRE CONVOY OFF THE
FACE OF THE EARTH.
WE CAN'T DO THAT, BUT THE
QUESTION IS WHY CAN'T THE
UKRAINIANS WITH THE MIGS THEY'RE
GETTING FROM THE EU, WHY CAN'T
ANYTHING DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE
SLOW APPROACHING HUMANITARIAN
NIGHTMARE?
>> THE ANSWER, JOE, MUST BE THAT
THEIR FORCES HAVE BEEN SO FAR TO
THE POINT THEY'RE NOT CAPABLE OF
TAKING THE ACTION ON WHAT, AS
YOU SAY, IS AN OBVIOUS SITTING
TARGET IF WE CAN SEE IT IN THESE
PHOTOGRAPHS WE'RE LOOKING AT, SO
CAN THE UKRAINIANS.
LIKE YOU, I WAKE UP EVERY
MORNING THESE DAYS WONDERING IF
KYIV HAS FALLEN, WAITING FOR THE
TERRIBLE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS
THAT SEEMS AHEAD.
THE RUSSIANS ARE NOT BACKING
OFF.
AS YOU SAY, WITHOUT DIRECTLY
ENGAGING THE RUSSIANS IN A
CONFLICT THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN I
THINK SENSIBLY SAYS IS NOT
APPROPRIATE FOR THE UNITED
STATES, THERE IS VERY LITTLE WE
CAN DO EXCEPT STAND WITH THE
PEOPLE OF UKRAINE, SUPPORT THEM
IN WHATEVER WAYS PEOPLE CAN AND
REPORT THEIR STORY.
I HAVE NEVER BEEN PROUDER OF MY
COLLEAGUES THAN THE JOURNALISTS
I SEE ON TELEVISION IN KYIV AND
KHARKIV, RISKING THEIR NECKS TO
BRING US A TRUE PICTURE OF WHAT
IS HAPPENING.
>> YEAH.
IT REALLY IS INCREDIBLE
REPORTING.
BUT, ED, IT IS FRUSTRATING.
SO FRUSTRATING FOR AMERICANS,
PEOPLE OF THE WEST, PEOPLE ALL
OVER THE WORLD TO SEE THIS
NIGHTMARE UNFOLDING IN SLOW
MOTION.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN ONE MORE TIME TO
OUR VIEWERS OUT THERE THAT ASK
WHY CAN'T AMERICA DO SOMETHING
ABOUT THIS, WHY CAN'T THEY GO --
BECAUSE I DO HAVE, I DO HEAR
THAT QUESTION AN AWFUL LOT.
MY SHORTHAND IS, WELL, BECAUSE
WE DON'T WANT TO START WORLD WAR
III.
>> THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD ANSWER.
I MEAN I THINK IF WE'RE
FRUSTRATED NOW, WHICH WE ARE,
ANGUISHED BY WATCHING THIS VERY
SLOW ADVANCE OF THE CONVOY.
ONLY MOVED THREE MILES
YESTERDAY.
THERE ARE LOGISTICAL PROBLEMS
THERE.
BUT IF WE ARE FRUSTRATED NOW, I
THINK WE AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET.
THAT FRUSTRATION IS PROBABLY
GOING TO GO THROUGH THE ROOF.
WE ARE SEEING, I THINK, THE
BEGINNINGS OF A SIEGE SITUATION
DEVELOP FOR KYIV AND FOR OTHER
MAJOR CITIES LIKE KHARKIV,
MARIUPOL, ALL OF THE MAJOR
CITIES ARE BEING ENCIRCLED.
SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE MASSIVE
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS, SOMETHING
THAT WILL PUT WHAT WE ARE
LOOKING AT TODAY INTO THE SHADE.
THE REASON WHY WE CANNOT TAKE
THAT CONVOY OUT OR IMPOSE A
NO-FLY ZONE OR UKRAINE IS
BECAUSE THAT WILL AUTOMATICALLY
ENTAIL TAKING OUT RUSSIAN JETS,
WHICH IS WAR.
>> RIGHT.
>> AND WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND
NATO IS WORLD WAR III.
>> YES.
>> SO THAT'S THE REASON.
>> ALSO, DAVID, TO YOUR POINT
YOU CAN DEDUCE WHAT NBC'S CAL
PERRY IS BACKING UP WITH HIS
REPORTING, THAT THE UKRAINIANS
HAVE ZERO AIR SUPERIORITY AT
THIS POINT.
THAT MIGHT BE WHY THEY'RE ASKING
FOR THE NO-FLY ZONE, BUT IT IS
FRUSTRATING TO WATCH.
YOU SEE THIS BIG CONVOY, WILLIE,
JUST MAKING ITS WAY TOWARD THE
CENTER OF KYIV.
>> IT IS A QUESTION MANY PEOPLE
HAVE ASKED.
IN MILITARY PARLANCE, THOSE ARE
SITTING DUCKS.
YOU KNOW WHERE THEY ARE, THEY'RE
MOVING SLOWLY AND WITH ANY AIR
FORCE YOU COULD TAKE THEM OUT
BEFORE THEY GOT NEAR KYIV.
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY HE SAID IT
REMAINS A KEY GOAL FOR MOSCOW,
ADDING IT WAS HIT BY THREE
MISSILE STRIKES YESTERDAY.
U.S. OFFICIALS SAY UKRAINIANS
ARE PUTTING UP A SIGNIFICANT
FIGHT AND SLOWING DOWN THE
RUSSIANS SO FAR.
>> WE'RE ALSO SEEING THE
UKRAINIANS PUT UP A VERY STIFF
AND DETERMINED RESISTANCE ON
THEIR CAPITAL CITY.
THEY HAVE MADE IT VERY DIFFICULT
FOR THE RUSSIANS TO CONTINUE TO
MOVE AHEAD.
WE BELIEVE THAT BASED ON WHAT WE
KNOW OF WHAT THEIR PLANS WERE
THAT THEY ARE BEHIND SCHEDULE,
THAT THEY HAVE FACED A STIFFER
RESISTANCE THAN THEY
ANTICIPATED.
>> WHILE UKRAINE'S SECOND
LARGEST CITY KHARKIV COMING
UNDER INTENSE SHELLING.
DOZENS HAVE BEEN KILLED IN
ATTACKS YESTERDAY.
THEY WARN CASUALTIES COULD RISE.
A VIDEO RELEASED BY STATE
EMERGENCY SERVICES SHOWS A
RUSSIAN MIGHTSSILE HITTING
KHARKIV'S GOVERNMENT BUILDING.
NO WORD ON DEATHS THERE YET.
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY CONDEMNED
THE ATTACK AND CALLED IT A WAR
CRIME.
THIS AS THE HEAD OF A REGION
EAST OF THE CAPITAL SAID AT
LEAST 70 SOLDIERS WERE KILLED
YESTERDAY AFTER A RUSSIAN
MISSILE ATTACK ON A MILITARY
BASE.
NBC NEWS HAS NOT YET
IDENTIFIED -- VERIFIED THOSE
NUMBERS.
MEANWHILE, THE INTERNATIONAL