AND CHINESE AGGRESSION TOWARD
TAIWAN.
>> Bill: THANK YOU FOR THAT.
>> Dana: LET’S BRING IN JOHN
KIRBY, STREEJ I CAN
COMMUNICATIONS AT THE NATIONAL
SECURITY COUNCIL.
WHAT WILL PRESIDENT BIDEN SAY
TODAY SO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
CAN KNOW WHAT HE IS THINKING?
>> I THINK YOU’LL HEAR FROM THE
PRESIDENT A FULL THROATED
DEFENSE THE UNITED STATES IS
DOING TO SUPPORT UKRAINE OVER
GOING ON SEVEN MONTHS OF WAR TO
INCLUDE THE SECURITY ASSISTANCE
WE’RE PROVIDING AND OTHER
FINANCIAL AID.
THE WAY THE UNITED STATES HAS
MARSHALED THE REST OF THE WEST
AND COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD
TO DO THE SAME.
I THINK HE WILL BE FIRM WHERE
WE STAND ON UKRAINE AND THEIR
TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AND
SOVEREIGNTY AND HOW IMPORTANT
IT IS TO PUSH FOR THAT.
>> Bill: ARE WE EFFECTIVELY AT
WAR WITH RUSSIA?
>> NOT AT ALL.
NO, WE ARE NOT.
RUSSIA IS AT WAR INSIDE UKRAINE.
DESPITE THE RHETORIC WE HEARD
FROM PUTIN TRYING TO MAKE IT
ABOUT THE WEST VERSUS RUSSIA OR
THE UNITED STATES VERSUS RUSSIA
ORNATE OWE VERSUS RUSSIA,
NOTHING CAN BE FARTHER FROM THE
TRUTH.
UKRAINE IS FIGHTING TO DEFEND
THEIR COUNTRY.
>> Bill: YOU COULD ARGUE THE
WEAPONS WE HAVE PROVIDED
LATELY, THE ROCKETS WHICH ARE
HIGH MOBILITY ROCKETS THAT
TRAVEL 50 MILES IN THE AIR HAVE
TURNED THE TIDE OF THIS WAR IN
FAVOR OF THE UKRAINIANS.
THEY ARE NOW ABLE TO HIT AMMO
DEEP OWES IN CRIMEA THAT THEY
COULD NEVER GET CLOSE TO BEFORE.
>> THE SYSTEMS THAT WE PROVIDED
HAVE DEFINITELY HELPED.
YOU MENTION THE HIGH MOBILITY
ARTILLERY ROCKET SYSTEMS.
UKRAINE IS USING THEM TO GREAT
SUCCESS ON THE BATTLEFIELD
RIGHT NOW.
THEY ARE PARTICULARLY WELL
SUITED TO THE DONBAS IN THE
SOUTH.
WHAT HAS TURNED THE TIDE HERE,
IF THE TIDE HAS TURNED.
THERE IS MOMENTUM ON THE
UKRAINIAN SIDE, NO QUESTION.
IS THE UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES,
THE SOLDIERS, TROOPS, UKRAINIAN
PEOPLE WHO REFUSED TO GIVE UP.
THEY’RE USING THESE SYSTEMS
VERY EFFECTIVELY.
THEY HAVE GOOD COMMAND AND
CONTROL.
GOOD ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE.
THEY’RE SMART HOW THEY ARE
INTEGRATING THEIR MILITARY
CAPABILITIES.
THEY DESERVE THAT CREDIT.
>> Dana: WHAT ABOUT THAT PUTIN
SEEMS LIKE HE IS CORNERED OR
PUT INTO A CORNER.
HE DOES NOT HAVE THE SUPPORT OF
PRESIDENT XI OF CHINA ANY
LONGER ON THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE
NOR THE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA.
THEY BOTH TOLD HIM LAST WEEK
BACK OFF.
AND NOW YOU HAVE PEOPLE INSIDE
HIS OWN GOVERNMENT SAYING YOU
AREN’T DOING GOOD ENOUGH.
DOES THE CORNERED PUTIN NOT
BLUFF WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT
NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
>> YOU’RE RIGHT.
HE IS DEFINITELY UNDER MORE
PRESSURE NOW INTERNALLY AND
EXTERNALLY.
IT IS INCREASINGLY CLEAR MR.
PUTIN IS NOT DOING WELL IN
UKRAINE.
WHAT ELSE TO CALL UP A
MOBILIZATION OF 300,000 TROOPS?
WHY ELSE WOULD YOU SPEEDILY
RUSH THESE SHAM REFERENDA IN
THE DONBAS AND SOUTH TO
POLITICALLY GAIN LEGITIMACY
OVER TERRITORY YOU DON’T HAVE
MILITARY CONTROL OVER.
WE THINK HE IS FEELING THE
PRESSURE.
WE HAVE BEEN MINDFUL FROM THE
VERY BEGINNING, DANA, ABOUT THE
RISKS OF ESCALATION AND SAID
FROM THE BEGINNING AND YOU
WOULD SEE THE RHETORIC LAST
NIGHT IS CONSISTENT WITH THIS
FROM HIM.
IT IS IRRESPONSIBLE FOR A
NUCLEAR POWER TO SPEAK THAT WAY
ABOUT THE POSSIBLE USE OF ANY
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION.
>> Bill: LAST QUESTION.
SEVEN MONTHS INTO THE WAR YOU
JUST MENTIONED.
WHAT IS THE GOAL OF THE UNITED
STATES?
IS IT OUR GOAL TO DEFEAT RUSSIA?
>> HOUR GOAL HAS BEEN CLEAR AND
SIS TENT FROM THE BEGINNING.
WE WANT TO SEE UKRAINE SUCCEED
ON THE BATTLEFIELD SO THEY CAN
SUCCEED AT THE NEGOTIATING
TABLE.
AS THE PRESIDENT SAID WE’LL BE
AT THAT FOR AS LONG AS IT TAKES.
>> Bill: THEY CAN’T DO THIS.
THEY CAN’T BE WHERE THEY ARE
WITHOUT US.
>> THEY HAVE GOTTEN A LOT OF
SUPPORT NOT JUST FROM THE
UNITED STATES BUT 40 SOME ODD
OTHER COUNTRIES.
THEY HAVE GOTTEN A LOT OF
SUPPORT.
THOSE SAME COUNTRIES, INCLUDING
PRESIDENT BIDEN AND THE UNITED
STATES HAVE COMMITTED TO
CONTINUE TO HELP THEM FOR AS
LONG AS IT TAKES AND VERY
APPRECIATIVE FOR THE SUPPORT
THEY’RE GETTING FROM OUTSIDE
UKRAINE.
THEY KNOW HOW CRITICAL IT HAS
BEEN.
WE CAN’T FORGET THE SKILL,
BRAVERY AND CAPABILITY THEY ARE
BRINGING TO THEIR OWN DEFENSE
NOW.
>> Dana: TALK ABOUT TAIWAN.
PRESIDENT BIDEN SAID WE WOULD
DEFEND.
JAKE SULLIVAN SAID THIS
YESTERDAY.
TAKE A LOOK.
>> SOMEONE SAID SPECIFICALLY TO
HIM HAVE YOU JUST ANNOUNCED A
MAJOR POLICY CHANGE?
HE SAID NO, I HAVE NOT.
I’VE ANSWERED A HYPOTHETICAL
QUESTION.
WHEN THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES WANTS TO ANNOUNCE
A POLICY CHANGE HE WILL DO SO
AND HASN’T DONE SO.
>> Dana: COULDN’T YOUR POLICY
BE THE SAME IF IT’S A
HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION OR NOT?
>> WE’VE BEEN NOTHING BUT
CONSISTENT.
THE PRESIDENT WAS ANSWERING A
HYPOTHETICAL QUESTION ABOUT THE
DEFENSE OF TAIWAN AND HE
ANSWERED IT IN THAT CONTEXT.
BUT HE ALSO HAS BEEN VERY CLEAR
IN THE PAST WHEN HE HAS
ANSWERED SIMILAR QUESTIONS
SIMILAR WAYS THAT NOTHING HAS
CHANGED ABOUT OUR ONE CHINA
POLICY OR OUR POLICY WITH
RESPECT TO TAIWAN AND LOOK,
BROADLY SPEAKING AND STEPPING
BACK WE TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY.
WE JUST ANNOUNCED OVER A
BILLION DOLLARS OF ARM SALES TO
TAIWAN A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.
WE TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY OUR
COMMITMENT UNDER THE TAIWAN
RELATIONS ACT TO MAKE SURE
TAIWAN CAN DEFEND ITSELF.
>> Bill: I LOOKED AT THE
TRANSCRIPT.
IT DIDN’T LOOK LIKE A
HYPOTHETICAL.
HE SAID WHAT SHOULD CHINESE
PRESIDENT XI KNOW ABOUT YOUR
COMMITMENT TO TAIWAN.
I THINK THE REASON WHY THE
QUESTION KEEPS COMING UP
PRESIDENT BIDEN REFERRED TO IT
HOW MANY TIMES, FOUR TIMES NOW,
RIGHT?
FOUR TIMES TOTAL AND THE WHITE
HOUSE HAS HAD TO CLEAN THIS UP.
COULD THERE BE A STRATEGIC
AMBIGUITY TO HIS ANSWER TO KEEP
PRESIDENT XI OFF BALANCE?
WOULD YOU ACCEPT THAT ARGUMENT?
>> I WOULD JUST TELL YOU
NOTHING HAS CHANGED ABOUT OUR
APPROACH TO TAIWAN.
NOTHING HAS CHANGED ABOUT OUR
DESIRE TO MAKE SURE TAIWAN CAN
DEFEND ITSELF AND NOTHING HAS
CHANGED.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT JAKE
SAID THE OTHER DAY, NOTHING HAS
CHANGED ABOUT THE FACT WE DON’T
WANT TO SEE THE STATUS QUO
CHANGE CERTAINLY NOT BY USE OF
FORCE.
>> Dana: I COULD TALK TO YOU
FOR ANOTHER HALF HOUR SO YOU
COULD GET TO THE PRESIDENT’S
SPEECH.
THANK YOU FOR COMING BY.