>>> HOW BADLY IS VLADIMIR PUTIN
BIG MISINFORMED BY THE ADVISERS?
>> THAT'S AN OPEN QUESTION.
THERE'S A LOT OF SPECULATION.
BUT HE SEEMS TO BE -- I'M NOT
SAYING THIS WITH A CERTAINTY.
HE SEEMS TO BE SELF ISOLATING
AND THERE'S SOME INDICATION THAT
HE HAS FIRED OR PUT UNDER HOUSE
ARREST SOME OF HIS ADVISERS.
BUT I DON'T WANT TO PUT TOO MUCH
STOCK IN THAT AT THIS TIME
BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THAT MUCH
HARD EVIDENCE.
>> THIS PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
SPEAKING CAREFULLY A SHORT TIME
AGO AND TRYING TO FLESH OUT FOR
THE REPORTERS IN THE ROOM THE
U.S. INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENT
ABOUT HOW INFORMED RUSSIAN
PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN IS
ABOUT HOW THINGS ARE GOING IN
UKRAINE.
THE ASSESSMENT SUGGEST THAT IS
HE IS MISLED BY SOME ADVISERS
ABOUT RUSSIA'S FAILURES ON THE
BATTLE FIELD WHY.
THE KREMLIN SPOKESPERSON SAYS
THAT NEITHER THE U.S. PENTAGON
OR THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
HAVE REAL INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT
IS HAPPENING AND DON'T
UNDERSTAND PRESIDENT PUTIN
COMING AS RUSSIA'S PROMISES TO
SCALE BACK ATTACKS IN UKRAINE
APPEAR TO BE BROKEN OR
COMPLETELY DISINGENUOUS FROM THE
START.
FORCES CONTINUE TO POUND KYIV
AND THE CITY OF CHERNIHIV.
THERE'S ATTACKS IN NEARLY 20
UKRAINIAN CITIES AND TOWNS IN
THE PAST 7 DAYS.
TODAY NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL
STOLTENBERG SAID THAT THERE'S NO
INTENTION TO WITHDRAW FROM
UKRAINE AND APPEARS TO BE WHAT
THEY HAVE SUGGESTED,
REPOSITIONING THE FORCES FOR
MORE POTENTIALLY BRUTAL ATTACKS. LET'S BRING IN ALI AROUZI AND ON
LET'S BRING IN ALI AROUZI AND ON
SET WELCOMING JULIA IAFFI.
JULIA, WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT
THIS.
WE TEND TO SORT OF FLATTEN NEWS
ABOUT BOTH COUNTRIES, UKRAINE
AND RUSSIA.
BUT TELL ME YOUR -- WHAT IS
EVERYONE GETTING AT WITH PUTIN?
SOUNDS LIKE MISINFORMED IS THAT
HE'S WATCHING TUCKER CARLSON AND
A DIFFICULT TIME SORT OF
PRESENTING DIFFICULT TRUTHS
ABOUT UKRAINE.
IS THAT A FAIR READ OF THIS
ASSESSMENT?
>> I THINK IT IS.
I THINK CORRECTLY THIS IS WHAT
HAPPENS IN DICTATORSHIPS, RIGHT?
ESPECIALLY ONES BASED ON FEAR
AND FEAR OF IMPRISONMENT OR
DEATH.
PEOPLE ARE SCARED TO BRING BAD
NEWS WORRIED THAT THE MESSENGER
WILL BE SHOT AND I THINK THAT'S
THE CASE HERE AND THE CASE IN
THE LEAD-UP TO THE WAR BECAUSE
HE SEEMS TO HAVE MISCALCULATED
SO, SO BADLY AND FUNDAMENTALLY.
HE WAS GETTING SUCH BAD
INFORMATION OR MAKING SUCH WRONG
ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT UKRAINE AND
HOW RUSSIAN FORCES WOULD BE
PERCEIVED WHEN THEY WENT INTO
UKRAINE AND SEEMS LIKE THIS IS
NOT A NEW PHENOMENON.
THIS IS SOMETHING TO HEAR IN
MOSCOW EVEN BACK IN 2018 THAT HE
WAS ISOLATED AND THE INFORMATION
GETTING TO HIM WAS LESS AND LESS
GOOD.
ACTUALLY I HEARD ABOUT THIS
HAPPENING IN LIKE 2014, 2015.
BUT THEN THE TWO YEARS OF COVID
DIDN'T HELP AND I THINK HIS
CIRCLE HAS SHRUNK AND NOW
REPORTED TENSION BETWEEN HIM AND
THE PEOPLE IN THAT TINY CIRCLE
AROUND HIM.
I WONDER WHERE HE IS GETTING ANY
INFORMATION.
>> DO YOU WORRY THAT WE'RE
GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE THIS
IS BECOMING ALMOST CLINICAL?
TALKING ACT INTEL ASSESSMENTS
AND TROOP REDEPLOYMENT.
EVERY DAY SOMEONE IS DYING FROM
A BRUTAL BOMBARDMENT OF RUSSIAN
TROOPS.
THE TRUTH IS UKRAINE IS A LIVING
HELL FOR CIVILIANS AND CHILDREN.
>> YEAH.
I THINK IT SPEAKS A LOT TO THE
HELPLESSNESS AND DESIRE TO SEE
THE WAR END AND SO I THINK I SEE
PEOPLE IN THE WEST TRYING TO
LOOK FOR HOPE IN THE
NEGOTIATIONS THAT ENDED EARLIER
THIS WEEK.
AND ANY KIND OF RUSSIAN PROMISES
EVEN THOUGH THIS GOVERNMENT HAS
NEVER KEPT ITS WORD.
>> RIGHT.
>> AND HAS USED TACTICS LIKE
THIS IN SYRIA HELPING TO CLAW
BACK EVERY INCH OF TERRITORY AND
TECHNICALLY PARTICIPATING IN AND
THEN HOSTING TALKS TO GIVE THEM
COVER TO DO THE DAMAGE BUT I
THINK PEOPLE REALLY WANT TO
BELIEVE THAT THIS WAR IS ABOUT
TO END OR COULD END SOON.
EVEN THOUGH PEOPLE IN MOSCOW ARE
TELLING ME I WOULDN'T HAVE MUCH
HOPE FOR THE NEGOTIATIONS.
MANY IN MOSCOW I THINK ROOTING
FOR THE NEGOTIATIONS TO FAIL
BECAUSE THEY WANT PUTIN TO SEE
THIS THROUGH.
THAT ORIGINAL CRAZY PLAN.
THEY WANT HIM TO FINISH IT AND