KENNEDY: OH, PUTIN HAS PAINT
HIMSELF INTO A CORNER.
NOBODY PUTS BABY IN THE CORNER.
UKRAINIAN FORCES JUST WON BACK A
CITY, AND RUSSIANS ARE TAKING TO
THE STREETS OVER PUTIN’S
MOBILIZATION ORDER.
AND VLAD’S MOVE TO FORMALLY
ANNEX FOUR UKRAINE TERRITORIES
WAS CONDEMNED BY VIRTUALLY EVERY
NATION ON THE PLANET.
EVEN CHINA’S PISSED ABOUT IT.
SO WILL HE TURN TO NUCLEAR
WEAPONS?
RETIRED U.S. ARMY GENERAL DAVID
PETRAEUS ON SUNDAY WHAT -- LAID
OUT WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IF PUTIN
WENT NUKING.
>> WE WOULD RESPOND BY LEADING A
NATO, A COLLECTIVE EFFORT THAT
WOULD TAKE OUT EVERY RUSSIAN
CONVENTIONAL FORCE THAT WE CAN
SEE AND IDENTIFY ON THE
BATTLEFIELD OF UKRAINE AND AND
ALSO IN CRIMEA AND EVERY SHIP IN
THE BLACK SEA.
KENNEDY: THAT SOUNDS LIKE FUN.
NOT AN IDEAL SITUATION FOR
MOSCOW OR THE WORLD, REALLY FOR
US.
SO SHOULDN’T WE BE STOCKING UP
OUR BOMB SHELTERS, OR IS THE
RUSSIAN PRESIDENT ALL BARK AND
NO BITE?
HERE WITH ME NOW, PORTMAN SQUARE
GROUP CHAIRMAN AND CEO, MIKE
BAKER IS BACK.
SO --
>> THANK YOU.
KENNEDY: SO, BAKER, SABER
RATTLING HAS BEEN MET WITH A
PRETTY FIRM MEDIA RESPONSE HERE
FROM DAVID PETRAEUS TO H.R.
McMASTER, AND McMASTER SAID
THAT IF PUTIN USES A MUSIC, IT
WOULD BE A SUICIDE WEAPON.
A NUKE.
WHAT DO YOU SEE HERE?
>> YEAH.
I DON’T KNOW THAT IT’S
PARTICULARLY GOOD FORM OR
HELPFUL MAYBE IN THE CURRENT
ENVIRONMENT FOR FORMER GENERALS
OR AGENCY DIRECTORS OR ANYONE TO
BE OUT THERE TALKING ABOUT HOW
MANY RUSSIAN SOLDIERS WE’RE
GOING TO KILL IF HE USES OR
DEPLOYS A TACTICAL NUKE ON THE
BATTLEFIELD.
I THINK THAT IS BEST LEFT TO THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAVING VERY
SERIOUS, VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD,
VERY IMPRESSIVE CONVERSATION OFF
THE RADAR SCREEN WITH PUTIN’S
ADVISERS IF HE STILL HAS ANY.
LOOK, THE PROBLEM WE’RE FACING
IS, AS YOU POINTED OUT, PUTIN’S
GOT HIMSELF INTO A CORNER.
HE’S GOT AN EVER SHRINKING
CIRCLE OF ADVISERS OR PEOPLE
THAT ACTUALLY FEEL, I THINK, UP
TO THE TASK OF TELLING HIM THE
TRUTH ON ANY GIVEN SUBJECT.
HE’S GOT THOUSANDS OF MEN
FLEEING RUSSIA TRYING TO AVOID
CONSCRIPTION.
HE’S TURNED TO NORTH KOREA AND
IRAN TO, TO BUILD BACK HIS
WAREHOUSE OF ARTILLERY AND
DRONES.
HE’S JAILING PROTESTERS AND
JOURNALISTS.
LOOK, THIS IS, IN NO WAY IS THIS
GOING WELL FOR HIM.
BUT THE PROBLEM IS WHERE’S THE
OFFRAMP.
WHERE IS AN EXIT FROM HIS
PERSPECTIVE.
THE WORLD IS CALLING HIM A WAR
CRIMINAL, AS THEY HAVE FOR SOME
TIME, AS HE DESERVES TO BE
CALLED A WAR CONCERN. --
CRIMINAL.
AND SO THE PROBLEM IS, YOU KNOW,
HOW DOES HE GET HIMSELF OUT OF
THIS MESS IF, IN FACT, HE’S
INCLINED TO, BECAUSE THERE ARE
VERY FEW OPTIONS AND, AS YOU
POINTED OUT, THEY’VE BEEN
IMPLYING -- INCLUDING DMITRY
MEDVEDEV, WHO TYPICALLY HAS BEEN
NOT PRONE TO TO DRAMA -- THEY’RE
ALL IMPLYING THAT, YOU KNOW,
THEY WOULD USE MUSICS TO DEFEND
THE MOTHERLAND. -- NUKES.
KENNEDY: THAT’S A HORRIBLE IDEA.
[LAUGHTER]
THIS WHOLE THING --
>> I BELIEVE IT IS TOO.
KENNEDY: YOU REALLY HAVE BEEN
CASSANDRA THIS WHOLE TIME.
YOU HAVE BEEN LAYING OUT
EVERYTHING, WHAT HAPPENED LAST
WEEK OR THE WEEK BEFORE, YOU
WERE TALKING ABOUT THE
REFERENDUM AND, YOU KNOW, THAT
WAS GOING TO BE HIS ACE IN THE
HOLE.
SO IF THERE WERE ANY FURTHER
INCURSIONS INTO ONCE
RUSSIAN-CLAIMED TERRITORY, HE
WAS GOING TO GET THEM BACK BY
JUST CALLING THEM RUSSIA AND HEN
ATTACKING THE U.S. OR WHOEVER
ELSE WAS SUPPLYING WEAPONS IN
THOSE REGIONS.
SO NOW IT SEEMS LIKE UKRAINE,
THE MILITARY HAS A LITTLE BIT
MORE OF AN UPPER HAND.
SO NOW WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP?
>> WELL, THAT’S THE PROBLEM.
LOOK, AN MENTION SAYINGS WAS, IT
WAS BIZARRE, IT WAS -- AND NOT
JUST ROUNDLY CONDEMNED BY
EVERYONE INCLUDING THE U.N.,
WHEN THE U.N. CONDEMNS
SOMETHING, YOU KNOW SOMETHING’S
UP, RIGHT?
THEY TYPICALLY DON’T GET OFF
THEIR ASS TO DO ANYTHING.
BUT, LOOK, IT WASN’T JUST
CONDEMNED, IT WAS RIDICULED,
RIGHT IN AND, AGAIN, YOU HAVE TO
LOOK AT THIS PROSECUTE
PERSPECTIVE OF WHERE IS -- FROM
THE PERSPECTIVE OF WHERE IS
PUTIN GOING?
HE’S TRIED THIS LIMITED
MOBILIZATION.
HE’S GOING TO THROW TENS OF
THOUSANDS OF POORLY TRAINED
TROOPS INTO THE MIX AS CANNONED
FODDER.
EVEN THE RUSSIAN PRESS IS
STARTING TO CRACK.
EVEN THE RUSSIAN PRESS IS
STARTING TO POINT OUT THE FACT
THAT THIS WAR, THIS MILITARY
OPERATION AS PUTIN TRIES TO CALL
IT ISN’T GOING WELL.
SO THE MORE DOORS THAT GET
CLOSED, THE MORE CONCERNING THIS
IS, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, EVER
SINCE THIS WHOLE THING
STARTED --
KENNEDY: YES.
>> -- OUR PROBLEM HAS BEEN
TRYING TO READ HIS PLANS, HIS
MOMENTIVES, HIS INTENTIONS
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IT’S TOUGH.
THAT’S A HEAVY LIFT TO GET
INSIDE HIS --
KENNEDY: NO, YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY
RIGHT.
WE ARE AT A FOCAL POINT, AND WE
WILL REACH CRITICAL MASS EITHER
WHERE ALL OF RUSSIAN SOCIETY
INCLUDING THE PRESS AND FORMER
ADVISERS, YOU KNOW, THEY’VE
FINALLY HAD ENOUGH AND THEY GAIN
ENOUGH STRENGTH TO STAND UP TO
HIM AND TOPPLE HIM, OR HE
REACHES CRITICAL INSANITY MASS,
AND HE TIPS OVER IN THE OPPOSITE
DIRECTION AND STARTS USING
WHATEVER HE HAS IN HIS ARSENAL,
AND THEN WE’RE ALL HOSED.
ALL RIGHT.
WELL, BAKER, AS LONG AS WE’VE
GOT YOU ON THE FRONT LINES,
WE’RE GOOD TO GO.
TALK TO YOU VERY SOON.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
IT’S BEEN A CHEERY
CONVERSATION --
KENNEDY: IT REALLY HAS.