UKRAINE AND OFFICIALS ACCUSING
RUSSIA OF PREPARING A TERRORIST
ATTACK ON CHERNOBYL, HOW WORRIED
SHOULD WE BE ABOUT ANOTHER
NUCLEAR MELTDOWN?
JOINING ME NOW IS DAVID
ALBRIGHT.
SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU.
I'M SURE YOU KNOW U.S. OFFICIALS
SAY CHINA'S NUCLEAR CAPABILITY
IS ADVANCING.
CONSTRUCTION HAS RESUMED AT
NORTH KOREA'S NUCLEAR TESTING
GROUND AND NOW WE HAVE THIS
THREAT FROM RUSSIA.
SO I KNOW FOR A LOT OF FOLKS AT
HOME, A LOT OF MY CONVERSATIONS
HAVE BEEN HOW CONCERNED SHOULD
WE BE THAT THREE NATIONS WHO ARE
NOT FRIENDS OF THE U.S. ARE
ADVANCING THEIR NUCLEAR
CAPABILITIES?
>> I THINK WE HAVE TO BE VERY
CONCERNED.
THERE'S NO REASON TO PANIC BY
ANY MEANS.
UNITED STATES STILL REMAINS THE
STRONGEST POWER IN THE WORLD
BOTH CONVENTIONALLY AND WITH
NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
AND WE HAVE LOT OF ALLIES.
THE WORLD HAS TAKEN AN UGLY TURN
AND WHAT'S HAPPENED IN UKRAINE
IS GOING TO DETERMINE THINGS FOR
MANY YEARS TO COME AND A KEY
PART OF THAT WILL BE NUCLEAR
WEAPONS AND HOW COUNTRIES THINK
ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
THE SAD THING ABOUT THIS TO ME
IS I LIVED THROUGH MUCH OF THE
COLD WAR AND I THOUGHT WE WERE
THROUGH THAT.
IT'S JUST THAT PUTIN IS
DELIBERATELY TESTING THE WEST.
THREATENING THE USE OF NUCLEAR
WEAPONS AND ALSO CREATING
SCENARIOS WHERE HE'S TRYING TO
THINK OF WAYS HE COULD ACTUALLY
USE SAY A SMALL NUCLEAR WEAPON
AGAINST THE WEST AND MAKE US IN
AENS
A SENSE, STALL OR GIVE INTO HIS
CONCESSIONS.
IF THERE WAS A UKRAINE SITUATION
ESCALATED SAY INTO POLAND.
THAT'S REALLY QUITE SCARY.
TO USE NUCLEAR WEAPONS OFFENSIVELY LIKE THAT.
OFFENSIVELY LIKE THAT.
IT'S A NEW DYNAMIC THAT MAYBE,
CALL IT A NEW DYNAMIC, AN OLD
ONE THAT I THOUGHT WE HAD TURNED
THEIR BACKS ON. >> I REMEMBER HIGHLANDING UNDER
>> I REMEMBER HIGHLANDING UNDER
MY DESK IN SCHOOL DURING BOMB
DRILLS
DRILLS DURLG
DRILLS
DRILLS DURING THE END OF THE
COLD WAR.
NUCLEAR SITES RELY ON
ELECTRICITY TO GET SITES
RUNNING.
BUT WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK,
THOSE LINES ARE FRAYING, LINES
ARE DAMAGED.
I WANT YOU TO LISTEN TO WHAT THE
UNDER SECRETARY GENERAL FOR THE
U.N., HIS WARNING AND WE'LL TALK
ABOUT IT ON THE OTHER SIDE.
>> AN ACCIDENT INVOLVING A
NUCLEAR FACILITIES IN UKRAINE
COULD HAVE SEVERE CONSEQUENCES
FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND
ENVIRONMENT AND ALL STEPS MUST
BE TAKEN TO AVOID IT.
THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ACCIDENT
CAUSED BY FAILURE TO A REACTOR'S
POWER SUPPLY OR THE INABILITY TO
PROVIDE REGULAR MAINTENANCE IS
GROWING BY THE DAY.
>> IF IT IS GROWING BY THE DAY,
WHAT DANGERS DO THOSE DOWNED
POWERLINES POSE AT THIS NUCLEAR
FACILITY?
>> SOME OF THE POWERLINES ARE
BEING REESTABLISHED, BUT ONE OF
THE PROBLEMS THAT'S ALWAYS FACED
NUCLEAR POWER IS IT'S THE THING
WES DIDN'T
S WE DIDN'T ACCOUNT FOR AND
HERE, WE HAVE A NEW ONE.
WAR.
THESE SITES WERE NOT DESIGNED TO
WITHSTAND THE CONDITIONS OF WAR
AND NOW WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS THE
CONDITIONS THAT EXIST WHEN A
FOREIGN POWER OCCUPIES A NUCLEAR
PLANT.
YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH
MAINTENANCE.
STAFF MORAL.
YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT COULD
ADDITIONAL CONFLICT LEAD TO THE
COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER.
AND SO YOU HAVE A SITUATION THAT
WE'RE NOT REALLY PREPARED FOR
AND THAT THE PEOPLE IN UKRAINE
WHO RUN THESE PLANTS ARE
PROBABLY SHORT STAFFED,
EXHAUSTED.
VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WITH WHO
THEY'RE DEALING WITH.
AND ARE NOT ABLE TO DO THE
MAINTENANCE THAT'S NECESSARY.
AT THE CHERNOBYL PLANT, THEY'VE
BEEN RUNNING ON DIESEL
GENERATORS AND THINGS HAVE TO BE
SACRIFICED WHEN YOU DO THAT.
AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE
SACRIFICED CAN AFFECT THE CHANCE
OF A NUCLEAR ACCIDENT HAPPEN.
>> YEAH.
I HAVE TO TELL YOU, IODINE PILLS
ARE SELLING OUT.
PEOPLE ARE TAKING THIS THREAT
SERIOUSLY IN A LOT OF AREAS.
I WANT YOU TO LISTEN TO GENERAL
BARRY McCAFFREY AND I'M CURIOUS
YOUR OPINION ON WHAT HE SAYS
ABOUT RUSSIA MAKING STATEMENTS.
TAKE A LISTEN AND I'LL ASK YOU
ABOUT IT.
>> YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT
NUCLEAR WEAPONS, YOU CAN MAKE
GOOFY STATEMENT, BUT HE KNOWS
FULL WELL THAT IF THE RUSSIANS
EMPLOYED TACTICAL NUCLEAR
WEAPONS INSIDE UKRAINE, A FIRST
STRIKE ON THE UNITED STATES, YOU
CAN'T WIN A NUCLEAR CONFLICT.
RUSSIA WOULD BE VAPORIZED IN THE
FOLLOWING THREE DAYS.
>> HE'S REFERENCES OF COURSE
PUTIN.
I'M CURIOUS, I'M COMING UP
AGAINST A HARD BREAK, BUT DO YOU
AGREE WITH THAT STATEMENT SM?
>> I AGREE WITH IT, BUT I THINK
PUTIN IS BEGINNING TO THINK HE
COULD USE NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
AFTER ALL, NATO'S STRATEGY IN
THE COLD WAR WAS THAT WE KNEW WE
COULDN'T FIGHT OFF THE RUSSIAN
ARMY, SO WE WOULD USE LOW YIELD
NUCLEAR WEAPONS TO TRY TO DETER
THEM.
MOST PEOPLE, INCLUDING MYSELF,
THOUGHT WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS
RUSSIA WILL ATTACK IN A MASSIVE
WAY FIRST, BUT NONETHELESS, NATO
BELIEVED THAT AND I THINK PUTIN
IS NOW BELIEVING HE CAN USE
NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN A LIMITED WAY
AND THAT SOMEHOW THAT WILL NOT
TRIP A MASSIVE U.S. RESPONSE.
I THINK HE'S WRONG AND I AGREE
WITH THE GENERAL THAT ANY USE OF