WERE WIPED OUT THEN DID WE WIN
THIS BATTLE?
I’M NOT SURE.
>> Dana: PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY
REFLECTING ON THE HUMAN COST OF
RUSSIA’S INVASION AS MOSCOW
REFOCUSES ITS FORCES TO BE A
BRUTAL ASSAULT ON EASTERN
UKRAINE.
LET’S BRING BACK IN GENERAL
JACK KEANE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING WITH US
THIS MORNING.
I THOUGHT THAT ANSWER WAS VERY
REAL, RIGHT?
SO WE CAN LOOK HERE IN THE WEST
SAYING THEY KEPT KYIV BUT HE
HAS HAD TO GO AND WITNESS
FIRSTHAND THE SAVAGE RE IN
BUCHA AND WONDERING IF THEY DID
WIN.
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THAT?
>> WELL, CERTAINLY AS TO WHAT
HAS TAKEN PLACE IT IS HARD TO
DESCRIBE VICTORY WHEN YOU HAVE
THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT CIVILIANS
KILLED LIKE THAT.
CERTAINLY THEY DID PUNISH THE
RUSSIANS CERTAINLY IN KYIV AND
THEY FORCED THEIR WITHDRAWAL
AND MANY OF THOSE UNITS ARE
RECONSTITUTING THEMSELVES, DANA.
BUT IT GETS TO A PROBLEM, I
THINK, THAT THE UNITED STATES
AND NATO HAS TO A CERTAIN
DEGREE.
WE HAVE SECRETARY BLINKEN AND
WE HAVE THE NATIONAL SECURITY
ADVISOR SULLIVAN TALKING ABOUT
RUSSIA ALREADY SUFFERING A
STRATEGIC FAILURE.
AND I THINK PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY
WOULD TAKE ISSUE WITH THAT
BECAUSE THEY ARE PUMMELING HIS
CITIES.
THEY HAVE KILLED THOUSANDS, HE
BELIEVES NOW TENS OF THOUSANDS
OF HIS CIVILIANS.
THEY ARE OCCUPYING MORE
TERRITORY THAN WHAT THEY DID
PRIOR TO THE INVASION.
NOW, THERE HAS BEEN SOME
SUCCESS IN THE NORTH BUT TO
DESCRIBE THIS AS A STRATEGIC
FAILURE FOR THE RUSSIANS, I
THINK IT’S IN ERROR AND
MISPLACED.
THE REASON WHY THEY’RE DOING
IT, DANA, IS BECAUSE THEY WANT
TO SEE A DEAL MADE.
THEY WANT AN AGREEMENT MADE.
I’M CONVINCED THAT’S WHERE THE
UNITED STATES LEADERSHIP IS AND
MOST OF NATO.
BORIS JOHNSON BEING THE
EXCEPTION WHEN HE STOOD
SIDE-BY-SIDE WITH PRESIDENT
ZELENSKYY AND TALKED ABOUT
VICTORY AND DEFEATING THE
RUSSIANS.
ZELENSKYY BELIEVES THE WAY TO
STOP THE KILLING AND THE
ATROCITIES IS TO DRIVE THE
RUSSIANS OFF HIS TERRITORY.
THAT’S WHAT HIS OBJECTIVE IS.
I THINK WE NEED TO SUPPORT THAT
OBJECTIVE.
HE ALSO SAID SOMETHING VERY
REVEALING IN THAT INTERVIEW
OVER THE WEEKEND.
THIS IS PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY
WHEN HE SAID YOUR DIPLOMACY,
DIDN’T SPECIFY A COUNTRY,
IMPLIED THE UNITED STATES AND
NATO, YOUR DIPLOMACY IS
DESTROYING MY COUNTRY.
IN OTHER WORDS, PUSHING TOWARDS
A DEAL VERSUS A VICTORY.
>> Dana: WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW
ABOUT YOUR THINKING ON THIS NEW
GENERAL THAT’S COMING ON THE
SCENE FOR RUSSIA?
>> WELL, HE HAS BEEN THERE FOR
SIX YEARS, WHICH IS A VERY LONG
TIME TO BE IN COMMAND OF THE
SOUTHERN MILITARY DISTRICT,
WHICH INCLUDES CRIMEA AND THE
DONBAS REGION.
WHEN WAR BEGAN ON FEBRUARY
24th, HE WAS IN CHARGE OF THE
WAR IN THE DONBAS REGION IN THE
SOUTH, WHICH IS HIS
RESPONSIBILITY.
SO WHAT HAS TAKEN PLACE IS NOT
NEW TO HIM.
I THINK THE RUSSIANS ARE MAKING
MORE OUT OF THIS THAN WHAT IT
NEEDS TO BE BECAUSE WHAT’S
REALLY TAKING PLACE HERE IS THE
WAR GOING FORWARD AT LEAST IN
THE UPCOMING WEEKS WILL ALL BE
FOUGHT IN HIS DISTRICT.
ALL THE REINFORCEMENTS ARE
COMING TO HIM AND LOGICAL HE
WOULD BE PUT IN CHARGE OF THE
WHOLE WAR WHICH IS TAKING PLACE
LARGELY IN THE VERY AREA HE HAS
BEEN OPERATING WITH ANYWAY.
CERTAINLY HE HAS THIS
EXPERIENCE IN SYRIA WHERE HE
WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR CERTAINLY
AGAIN SIDES AND ATROCITIES.
BUT EVERY RUSSIAN GENERAL
REGARDLESS OF NAMED WOULD BE
EXECUTING THAT DOCTRINE, WHICH
IS TO KILL INNOCENT CIVILIANS,
TO PRESSURE AND CHANGE THE WILL
OF THE POPULATION.
AND THAT IS A WAY OF WAR FOR
THEM AND IT IS DESPICABLE TO
WATCH IT UNFOLD BEFORE OUR EYES
LIKE THIS.