One year ago, the world was literally at the time bracing for the fall of Kiev.
Seems like a lot longer ago than a year, but think back to that year.
Perhaps even the end of Ukraine.
One year later Kiev stands, and Ukraine stands, democracy stands.
The Americans stands with you, and the world stands with you.
>> That is President Joe Biden, having taken a surprise trip to Ukraine,
as we enter just a few days in the future.
It's gonna be the one year anniversary of Russia's invasion of that country.
As he points out, the country does still stand much of it anyway, a lot of it.
Not so much when it comes to infrastructure, the many, many people who
have died, the many, including children who have been carted away to Russia.
There's a lot of people who are not still standing, but the nation still is.
And so surprising trip there, obviously dangerous.
We found out that they apparently have warned the Russian government that they
will be going there supposedly to tamp down hostilities.
Because obviously, killing the president by accident or
on purpose, would sort of be an issue.
In any event,
I'm curious Francesca what you think about Biden's decision to head to Ukraine?
>> I think it's ballsy, given just how backed into a corner Vladimir Putin is and
I think Biden knows that.
The war is not going well for him.
The casualties are mounting even more so than they were.
This war is nowhere near an end.
But, I mean I also think it was an important stance to take.
So I'm of two minds on this and I think it is important to mark it.
I don't know if going to Ukraine was the way to mark that occasion,
a one year anniversary.
But look, I have to say,
I do think that of of the things that Biden has handled,
railway strike aside, railway strike bad.
Ukraine, maybe a B on how we have entered into this war in
a way that feels both principled, not overly belligerent,
necessarily not a full out hot war, and also not a sitting
on our hands let's just let Russia take over Ukraine,
which my God would absolutely be happening under trump.
That being said, I'm sad that we're even in this situation and that we could not
have used and I still believe we should be using diplomatic measures and
means in the future to end this war and to have prevented this war to begin with.
But but like that's another discussion, that's a separate discussion.
>> Yeah and it's hard, obviously we're not experts on the geopolitics of Ukraine,
its past with Russia, all that stuff.
Although some background and some of this stuff.
But, yeah it's difficult,
when you look at some of the moves and things that Putin has said,
he doesn't seem to be a fully rational actor from the point of view of,
if you're evaluating whether as a leader who really seems to care about
what is best for the country, or the soldiers, or the citizenry.
I mean, willingly throwing tens, maybe eventually hundreds of thousands
of Russians into a massive meat grinder, seems like a bad call.
Hardly unprecedented when it comes to Russia or the United States.
I mean, Afghanistan back in the eighties was a similar sort of thing.
The preference for either saving face or projecting strength,
warding off challenges, over the lives of your people, the state of your economy,
if that was what you're gonna care about, makes a little bit harder to imagine
that diplomacy will will work, but obviously you still have to do that.
I agree that if Biden hadn't won in 2020 it's hard to imagine
that we would be marking this anniversary in the same way.
But anyway, yeah, look there's a lot to hate about this situation for
pretty much everyone.
>> Yes. >> I am sure, as many people point out,
that there is a lot of waste and when it comes to the money that's being spent.
But there's also a case being made as to that aid being the thing that has
allowed this anniversary to be reached without Putin giving a speech in Kiev.
So, [CROSSTALK] it's a complex situation.
>> It is and I think that one thing, and I haven't watched the entire speech, so
I apologize if he maybe said this, but I do think there needs to be both for
the American people, the Ukrainian people, and the Russian people some kind of
vision of peace and saying we want to support the Ukrainian people and
their sovereignty, and their autonomy, and their ability to defend themselves.
However, we are looking forward to a settled ceasefire and peace.
The last we've heard from Zelenskyy is that he would like Putin to be gone,
right?
That there should be regime change in Russia.
And I think that is a line that Biden should firmly say,
that is not what we are aiming for, that is not our goal.
>> Yeah, it's totally fine to support him, but also disagree with him.
I think that's very natural.
>> Of course.
>> And to use the diplomatic pressure
is not only necessarily to be deployed against Russia.
We're spending tens of billions of dollars on a regular basis that should buy
some influence.
[MUSIC]