THE TRAIN IS SUPPOSED TO LEAVE
AT 10:05 EASTERN, IN ABOUT 25
MINUTES.
WE ARE WATCHING PEOPLE COME OUT
AND FILL THAT TRAIN UP.
I'M JOINED ONCE AGAIN BY THE
FORMER AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE,
MARIE YOVANOVITCH, AMBASSADOR,
THANKS FOR WAITING, COLONEL
ALEXANDER VINDMAN WAS ON THE
SHOW EARLIER THIS WEEK.
HE SAID THERE'S ESSENTIALLY A
DIRECT LINE BETWEEN WHAT
HAPPENED ON THAT JULY 2019
PHONE CALL BETWEEN DONALD TRUMP
AND PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR
ZELENSKYY, AND WHAT WE'RE
SEEING NOW.
HE BELIEVED DONALD TRUMP
WEEKEND ZELENSKYY BY
WITHHOLDING A WHITE HOUSE
MEETING, AND MILITARY AID, AT
THE EXACT TIME WHEN HE NEEDED
THE MOST.
TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER, HOW
DAMAGING WAS THAT WHOLE
INCIDENT, IN WHICH YOU ALSO
BECAME INVOLVED TO THE STANDING
AND POTENTIAL SUCCESS OF
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY IN UKRAINE
RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, THERE IS NO QUESTION
THAT THAT WHOLE SERIES OF
EVENTS REALLY DAMAGED THE TRUST
BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES.
SO LEWINSKY HAD BEEN, A
NON-POLITICIAN, HE'D BEEN A
POLITICIAN.
THIS IS ONE OF HIS FIRST
EXPERIENCES IN INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS, HE SAID THAT AFTER
THAT HE DIDN'T TRUST ANYONE.
IT WAS QUITE DAMAGING, AND MORE
THAN THAT I THINK IN THE
TRANSCRIPTS WERE RELEASED,
OTHERS LIKE PRESIDENT PUTIN
COULD SEE THE CONTEMPT WITH
WHICH PRESIDENT TRUMP WAS
DEALING WITH PRESIDENT
ZELENSKYY.
I THINK THAT IN ITSELF WAS VERY
DAMAGING.
MORE BROADLY, THE WHOLE WORLD
COULD SEE THAT THE PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES WAS READY TO
TRADE CORN ASHEVILLE SECURITY
INTERESTS, FOR HIS OWN PERSONAL
POLITICAL GAIN.
HUGELY, HUGELY DAMAGING,
BECAUSE YOU HAVE EVERYBODY WHO
IS SO INCLINED WANTING TO JUMP
ON TO THE GRAVY TRAIN.
SO, YEAH, I WOULD SAY IT WAS A
VERY DAMAGING INCIDENT.
BUT FAST FORWARD TO TODAY.
ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY
HAS MADE THE TRANSITION FROM
COMEDIAN TO PRESIDENT OF A
AND THEIR LITTLE CHILDREN.
THAT'S THE LAST RAIN WILL
PROBABLY SEE FOR A COUPLE OF
HOURS.
AMBASSADOR, SORRY FOR THE
INTERIM OPTION, TELL ME ABOUT
THIS EFFORT YOU ARE PART OF --
EUROPEAN UNION, AND ULTIMATELY
NATO.
>> WELL, THAT WAS U.S. POLICY.
IT WAS ALSO UKRAINIAN POLICY,
FOLLOWING THE REVOLUTION OF
DIGNITY IN 2014, AND WITH THAT
TERM MEANS, IT'S KIND OF AN
OBSCURE TERM FOR AMERICANS.
WHAT IT MEANS IS, RULE OF LAW.
UKRAINIANS WERE TIRED OF HAVING
ONE SET OF RULES FOR THE
OLIGARCHS AND LEADERS OF THE
COUNTRY, WHERE THEY CAN DO
EVERYTHING THEY WANTED, AND
ORDINARY PEOPLE HAD TO FOLLOW
THE LAWS, AND WE'RE OFTEN THE
VICTIMS OF CORRUPT EFFORTS TO
SHAKE THEM DOWN, AND SO FORTH.
PEOPLE WERE SICK OF IT.
AND THEY MOUNTED THE STREET
DEMONSTRATIONS, BECAUSE THEY
WANTED TO JOIN THE EU, WHEN THE
PREVIOUS PRO RUSSIAN PRESIDENT
HAD TURNED HIS BACK ON THAT,
AND IT TURNED INTO THE
REVOLUTION OF DIGNITY.
SO THERE WAS A --
CAME IN.
AND THERE IS A VERY CLEAR
POLICY ON THE PART OF THE
UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT, AND PRO
REFORM ACTIVISTS, AND
POLITICIANS, THEY WANTED TO
TURN THE COUNTRY AROUND, GET A
HOLD OF CORRUPTION, MOVE
FORWARD ON THEIR DEMOCRATIC
EFFORTS, AND CREATE THE RULE OF
LAW IN UKRAINE.
WE WANTED TO SUPPORT THAT.
WE THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE
TERRIFIC FOR UKRAINE, A COUNTRY
AFTER ALL, 44 MILLION PEOPLE IN
THE HEART OF EUROPE.
AND, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE
GOOD FOR US AS WELL, TO HAVE A
STRONG DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY AS A
PARTNER, IN THAT PART OF
EUROPE.
SO, WE ALL WERE WORKING QUITE
HARD TO SUPPORT THE EFFORTS OF
THE UKRAINIANS IN THAT
DIRECTION.
I THINK ZELENSKYY, FIRST IN HIS
FIRST PROFORMA GOVERNMENT WAS
WORKING IN THAT DIRECTION.
TO SAY THAT REFORMS IN ANY
COUNTRY, WHETHER IT'S THE U.S.,
UKRAINE, OR THIRD COUNTRY, IT
GOES IN FITS AND STARTS, IT'S
NEVER A STRAIGHT LINE.
SO THE UKRAINIANS HAVE MADE
PROGRESS SINCE 2014, THEY HAVE
MADE PROGRESS SINCE ZELENSKYY
CAME TO POWER.
BUT IT'S NOT A STRAIGHT LINE, I
THINK THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE ARE
STILL HOPING FOR MORE PROGRESS,
IN THAT AREA.
BUT RIGHT NOW, THE ENTIRE
COUNTRY, THE ENTIRE POLITICAL
SPECTRUM IS UNITED BEHIND
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY TO FIGHT
THE COMMON FOE, WHICH IS
RUSSIA.
>> YEAH, IT'S IMPORTANT TO
REMEMBER THAT NO COUNTRY IS A
MONOLITH, AND UKRAINE HAS ITS
OWN POLITICS INSIDE OF IT.
BUT RIGHT NOW THEY ARE UNITED
AROUND THIS.
A FINAL COMMENT FROM YOU, A
FINAL THOUGHT FROM YOU.
YOU KNEW OF VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY
WHEN HE FIRST BECAME PRESIDENT.
MOST AMERICANS HAVEN'T HEARD
THE NAME.
HE'S A YOUNG MAN, 44 YEARS OLD
RIGHT NOW, AS RECENTLY AS A
MONTH AGO THERE WERE WESTERN
LEADERS SANE THIS GUY IS NOT UP
TO THE CHALLENGE OF GOING
AGAINST THE MASTER MANIPULATOR,
VLADIMIR PUTIN.
WET HAS VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY
DONE THAT IS IMPRESSED YOU IN
THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS?
>> WELL, I'VE BEEN VERY
IMPRESSED BY HOW HE HAS USED
HIS COMMUNICATION SKILLS, AS AN
ACTOR AND COMEDIAN, AND HIS
EXECUTIVE SKILLS, AS THE HEAD
OF A LARGE MEDIA EMPIRE, AND
NOW THE PRESIDENT OF A LARGE
COUNTRY IN THE HEART OF EUROPE.
HE HAS COMBINE THOSE TWO
TALENTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH HIS
PEOPLE IN A TIME OF GREAT
STRESS IN PERIL.
UNITE THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE
BEHIND HIM, AND INSPIRE THE
WORLD.
THE MAN HAS MET THE MOMENT, HE
IS A TRUE UKRAINIAN HERO RIGHT
NOW.
>> AMBASSADOR, THANK YOU FOR
YOUR TIME TONIGHT, WE REALLY
APPRECIATE IT.