THE WHITE HOUSE COORDINATOR FOR
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, JOHN
KIRBY, AND HERE IS PART OF THAT
CONVERSATION.
>> DID PRESIDENT BIDEN
ACCOMPLISH WHAT HE WANTED TO IN HIS SPEECH?
HIS SPEECH?
>> YES, HE DID.
HE FELT VERY GOOD ABOUT THE
CHANCE TO TALK TO THE POLISH
PEOPLE, AND THE WORLD, QUITE
FRANKLY, ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT
THE SUPPORT TO UKRAINE HAS BEEN
THIS PAST YEAR.
IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE WE ARE A
YEAR INTO, BUT HOW MUCH MORE
CRITICAL THAT SUPPORT WILL BE
IN THE WEEKS AND MONTHS AHEAD,
AS WE EXPECT THE WEATHER TO
IMPROVE AND EXPECT THE RUSSIANS
TO GO BACK ON THE OFFENSE.
>> THE PRESIDENT MADE AN
INTERESTING CHOICE.
HE TOOK ON PUTIN HEAD ON.
HE SAID, THE U.S. AND WEST ARE
NOT PLANNING ON ATTACKING
RUSSIA.
WHY DID THE PRESIDENT DECIDE TO
COUNTERPUNCH VLADIMIR PUTIN?
>> THIS HAS BEEN PROPAGANDA,
QUITE FRANKLY, THAT MR. PUTIN
HAS BEEN TRYING TO GET OUT
THERE SINCE BEFORE HE INVADED
ON FEBRUARY 24th.
THAT UKRAINE WAS PLANNING SOME
SORT OF AN ATTACK.
THAT THIS WAS ABOUT AN
EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO RUSSIA,
TO THE PEOPLE OF RUSSIA, AND IT
IS JUST FALSE.
UKRAINE POSED NO THREAT TO
ANYBODY, LET ALONE RUSSIAN NEXT-
DOOR.
THE PRESIDENT THOUGHT IT WAS
REALLY IMPORTANT TO MAKE THAT
POINT, TO PUSH BACK ON THAT
EXACT IDEA, WHICH IS NOT A NEW
NOTION BY VLADIMIR PUTIN.
HE HAS BEEN FUELING THIS BEFORE HE INVADED.
HE INVADED.
>> PRESIDENT PUTIN, WHO SPOKE
TODAY, DID NOT CALLOUT
PRESIDENT BIDEN BY NAME.
PRESIDENT BIDEN MADE THE
OPPOSITE CALCULATION.
WHY?
>> PRESIDENT 30 IS THE
AGGRESSOR HERE.
HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR A WAR
THAT IS KILLED THOUSANDS OF
UKRAINIANS, TOOK MILLIONS FROM
THEIR HOMES, MORE THAN
1,000,000 1/2 ARE HERE IN
POLAND.
PRESIDENT PUTIN IS RESPONSIBLE.
PRESIDENT BIDEN THOUGHT IT WAS
IMPORTANT TO MAKE THAT CLEAR.
ALSO, TO MAKE THE CASE THAT
PRESIDENT PUTIN HAS NOT
ACHIEVED ANY OF HIS STRATEGIC
OBJECTIVES.
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT ONE OF THE
BIG HEADLINES TODAY.
PRESIDENT PUTIN ANNOUNCING THAT
RUSSIA PLANS TO SUSPEND
PARTICIPATION IN THE NUCLEAR
TREATY.
WAS THE ADMINISTRATION CAUGHT
OFF GUARD BY THE TIMING OF
THIS?
>> HE HAD ANNOUNCED THAT HE
WOULD SUSPEND THIS SOME TIME
AGO.
THIS IS UNFORTUNATE, AND
IRRESPONSIBLE FOR A MODERN
POWER TO PULL OUT OF ARMS
CONTROL, NO MATTER WHAT ELSE IS
GOING ON IN THE WORLD.
NO MATTER WHAT THE TENSIONS ARE
BETWEEN THE U.S. AND RUSSIA OVER THERE WAR IN UKRAINE.
OVER THERE WAR IN UKRAINE.
>> THE ARMS TREATY WAS THE LAST
ARMS TREATY BETWEEN THE U.S.
AND RUSSIA.
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR
U.S. SAFETY AND SECURITY?
>> I HOPE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE
CONTINUING TO MONITOR RUSSIA'S
NUCLEAR POSTURE AS BEST WE CAN.
WE SEE NO INDICATION THAT MR.
PUTIN PLANS TO USE WEAPONS OF
MASS DESTRUCTION OF ANY KIND.
WE ARE WATCHING US CLOSELY AS
WE CAN.
I CAN ALSO SAY, ANYTHING THAT
WOULD CAUSE THIS TO CHANGE --
>> LET ME ASK IT THIS WAY.
FOR AMERICANS WHO ARE SITTING
AT HOME, AND ARE WORRIED THAT
THIS MAY MEAN PUTIN IS MORE
LIKELY TO USE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,
THE FACT HE IS SUSPENDING
PARTICIPATION IN THE TREATY.
>> IT'S DIFFICULT TO DEFINE
THAT FROM HIS STATEMENTS TODAY.
THAT'S NOT THE SAME AS SAYING
HE INTENDS TO USE NUCLEAR
WEAPONS.
IT IS IRRESPONSIBLE THAT A
MODERN NUCLEAR POWER WOULD PULL
OUT OF A ARMS AGREEMENT LIKE
THIS.
WE WERE DEDICATED TO IT.
WE EXTENDED IT AS SOON AS WE
CAME INTO OFFICE.
WE WILL SEE WHAT HIS STATEMENT
TODAY ACTUALLY MEANS.
>> WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, YOU
WILL LOOK AT IT?
>> WE WILL TRY TO DETERMINE, AS BEST WE CAN, WHAT MR. PUTIN
BEST WE CAN, WHAT MR. PUTIN
MEANS BY HIS STATEMENTS TODAY.
WE ARE COMFORTABLE WITH OUR
POSTURE AND OUR ABILITY TO
PROTECT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, TO
PROTECT OUR ALLIES AND
PARTNERS.
WE ARE VERY COMFORTABLE WITH
THAT AND WE HAVEN'T SEEN
ANYTHING THAT WOULD CHANGE THAT
POSTURE.
>> HE WARNED HIS COUNTERPARTS
THERE WOULD BE SERIOUS
CONSEQUENCES.
YET, HIS COUNTERPARTS ARE IN
RUSSIA AS WE SPEAK.
WHAT YOU MAKE OF THAT?
>> IN TERMS OF BILATERAL
RELATIONS, IT IS NOT HELPFUL TO
SEE THAT CHINA HAS NOT YET
DENOUNCED OR CONDEMNED THIS WAR.
WE WOULD WANT THEM TO MAKE THAT
CHOICE AND JOIN THE REST OF THE