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>> INCREDIBLE TO THINK THAT
THREE DAYS AGO THIS WAS A
KINDERGARTEN.
THIS IS WHERE THE ROCKET HIT.
COMPLETELY DESTROYED.
LIZ: VIRGIN GROUP FOUNDER SIR
RICHARD BRANSON ON GROUND IN
UKRAINE TO WITNESS THE
DESTRUCTION RUSSIA HAS WROUGHT
IN ITS 130-DAY WAR AGAINST THE
INDEPENDENT NATION.
AS WESTERN LEADERS ASSIST THE
WAR-TORN COUNTRY BY COMMITTING
BILLIONS IN WEAPONRY, SIR
RICHARD MADE THE BOLD CHOICE TO
TOUR THE CAPITAL CITY OF KYIV
DESPITE THE ONGOING RUSSIAN
THREAT.
WHILE THERE, HE DID MEET WITH
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY AND
UKRAINIAN BUSINESS LEADERS TO
LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW THE WEST
CAN BEST PLAN TO REBUILD THE
EASTERN EUROPEAN NATION.
HE HAS JUST RETURNED AND JOINS
US LIVE.
SIR.
RICH: AFFORD, THANK YOU. -- SIR
RICHARD, THANK YOU.
IT’S ONE THING TO VISIT AN
ACTIVE WAR ZONE, IT’S ANOTHER TO
GO TO THE VERY TARGET OF A WAR
ZONE.
IN THIS CASE, KYIV.
WHY NOW, AND WHAT COMPELLED YOU
TO MAKE THE TRIP?
>> I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND BETTER
EXACTLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
I WENT IN 2014 AFTER FIRST
INVASION BY RUSSIA.
I’VE KEPT IN OUCH WITH UKRAINE
SINCE. -- IN TOUCH WITH UKRAINE
SINCE.
AND I WAS CONCERNED THAT THE
WEST IS STILL NOT DOING ENOUGH.
AND HAVING BEEN THERE, SEEN THE
DEVASTATION, TALKEDDED TO THE
FOREIGN MINISTER, TALKED TO THE
PRESIDENT, I REALIZE THAT THE
WEST -- THE CIVILIZED WORLD,
EUROPE AND AMERICA AND SOUTH
KOREA AND OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE
THAT, AHA WE’VE PLEDGED A LOT,
BUT WE’VE JUST GOT TO RAMP UP
OUR SUPPORT.
IF WE DON’T GET THE WEAPONS THIS
QUICKLY, RUSSIA WILL CONTINUE
THEIR RELENTLESS MARCH INTO
UKRAINE.
IT WON’T JUST BE THE EAST
UKRAINE AND THE PORTS THAT GO,
IT WILL BE A LOT OF THE WEST OF
UKRAINE AND, ULTIMATELY, THE
WHOLE OF UKRAINE.
AND IT’S GOING TO COST A FORTUNE
TO PUSH THEM BACK OUT AGAIN.
SO NOW’S THE TIME THAT WE’VE
JUST GOT TO GET WEAPONS THERE SO
THEY CAN HOLD THE LINE.
LIZ: A LOT OF WEAPONS ARE HAVE
ALREADY GONE THERE, AND ALREADY
WHAT MANY WOULD CONSIDER AN
ENORMOUS AMOUNT HAS BEEN SPENT.
BUT GUESS WHAT?
AN ENORMOUS NUMBER OF LIVES HAVE
BEEN LOST IN HORRIFIC SITUATION.
WHAT WAS THE ONE THING THAT
COMPELLED YOU MOST, THAT STRUCK
YOU MOST ABOUT WHAT YOU SAW ON
THE GROUND?
>> OH, JUST THE INCREDIBLE
BRAVERY OF THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE.
THEY’RE, I MEAN, WHEN YOU SAY A
LOT OF WEAPONS HAVE ALREADY
GONE, THERE’S SOMETHING THAT FOR
EVERY 10, 15 WEAPONS THAT THE
RUSSIANS HAVE, HEAVY GOT 1.
SO IT’S REALLY THEIR EXTREME
BRAVERY THAT HAS MANAGED TO HOLD
THE RUSSIANS BACK AS LONG AS
THEY HAVE.
BUT WHAT THE RUSSIANS ARE DOING
IS LITERALLY JUST LEVELING
CITIES.
I MEAN, THEY’RE NOT FIGHTING
HAND-TO TO-HAND COMBAT, THEY’RE
LITERALLY LEVELING THE CITIES
AND THEN COMING IN TO A LEVELED
CITY.
AND HAY WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT
UNLESS -- THEY WILL CONTINUE TO
DO THAT UNLESS WE CAN GET AN
EQUAL NUMBER OF WEAPONS TO THE
RUSSIANS TO GIVE THESE WONDERFUL
UKRAINIANS A CHANCE.
AND THEY ARE FIGHTING ON ALL OUR
BEHALVES.
THEY’RE FIGHTING ON THE REST OF
EUROPE’S BEHALF, AMERICA’S
BEHALF, ON THE FREE WORLD’S
BEHALF.
AND NO TIME TO GET -- YOU KNOW,
SOUTH KOREA, FOR INSTANCE, HAS
MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY MORE
WEAPONS THAN THEY NEED.
THEY COULD GIVE 5% OF THE
WEAPONS HEAVY GOT TO -- AGAINST
NORTH KOREA, AND THAT WOULD BE,
THAT WOULD BE SUFFICIENT.
FOR WHAT THE UKRAINIANS NEED.
LIZ: WELL, YOU’RE A KING BRIDGE
BUILDER, AND YOU ARE GREAT AT
COMPROMISE, AND YOU ARE GREAT AT
CONVINCING PEOPLE TO DO THINGS
THEY DON’T WANT TO DO BUT YOU
FEEL THEY SHOULD.
I MEAN, WOULD YOU EVER APPROACH
PUTIN OR IS HE A LOST CAUSE?
AND IF SO, HOW WOULD YOU
CONVINCE HIM TO PUSH BACK? FROM
UKRAINE?
>> THE ONLY WAY THAT HE CAN BE
CONVINCED IS IF HE FEELS HE’S
NOT GOING TO WIN.
AND THE ONLY WAY THAT HE WILL
KNOW THAT HE’S NOT GOING TO WIN
IS IF THE UKRAINIANS ARE GIVEN
THE FIREPOWER TO HOLD THE LINE
AND THEN MAYBE START PUSHING IT
BACK.
IF YOU DON’T GET THAT, PUTIN
WILL CONTINUE, HE’LL CONTINUE
THROUGH UKRAINE, HE’LL CONTINUE
THROUGH POLAND, AND HE JUST WILL
NOT STOP.
NOW IS THE TIME TO STOP HIM --
LIZ: WELL, FROM STOPPING TO
STARTING, HOW DO YOU START
REBUILDING?
BECAUSE BUSINESS IS THE KEY TO
THAT, IS IT NOT?
>> IT CERTAINLY IS.
AND I’M TRYING TO ENCOURAGE MANY
COMPANIES THAT LEFT MOSCOW AND
RUSSIA TO SET UP IN KYIV.
LIZ: GOOD IDEA.
>> YEAH.
COMPANIES LIKE STARBUCKS, FOR
INSTANCE, AND OTHER COMPANY
COMPANIES TO SHOW THEY’RE
WILLING.
BUT THE REBUILDING, IT WOULD BE
LOVELY TO START TODAY.
I THINK WE’VE JUST GOT TO GET
OUR PRIORITIES RIGHT AND STOP
THIS RELENTLESS MARCH OF THE
RUSSIANS, AND THEN WE CAN
CONCENTRATE ON REBUILDING.
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY ASKED IF I’D
BE ON A BOARD CALLED UNITED 24
TO START REBUILDING UKRAINE.
AND THE MOMENT WE GOT, THE
MOMENT THINGS HAVE SETTLED A
BIT, I’LL OBVIOUSLY BE DELIGHTED
TO TO LOOK AT THAT.
LIZ: I HOPE SO.
WE NEED YOU THERE.
THANK YOU, SIR RICHARD.
I AND THE MEMORY OF MY UKRAINIAN
GRANDPARENTS THANK YOU FOR
STICKING UP AND CARING ABOUT US.