>>> THERE ARE TWO THINGS WE
LEARNED FROM DONALD TRUMP ABOUT
HIS CAMPAIGN AND ADMINISTRATION.
FIRST, THE STRANGE ADMIRATION
FOR VLADIMIR PUTIN WHICH IS WELL
DOCUMENTED AND SECOND, HIS
OBSESSION WITH WEAKENING
UKRAINE.
IN 2016, WE SAW THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN STRIP THE REPUBLICAN
PLATFORM OF A PROVISION
SUPPORTING MILITARY AIDE FOR
UKRAINE.
TRUMP'S CRONIES PUSHED FOR A
SO-CALLED PEACE PLAN THAT WOULD
HAVE DISMEMBERED
UKRAINE'SUKRAINE'S
UKRAINE'S TERRORITORY AND LIFTED
SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA AND HE
SPREAD THE RUMOR IT WAS UKRAINE
AND NOT RUSSIA THAT INTERFERED
IN THE 2016 ELECTION.
TRUMP USED OFFICE TO EXTORT
UKRAINE'S GOVERNMENT WITHHOLDING
CONGRESSIONALLY APPROVED
MILITARY ASSISTANCE FOR A HIT
JOB ON HIS POLITICAL OPPONENT,
JOE BIDEN.
PUT SIMPLY, TRUMP HELD UKRAINE
SECURITY HOSTAGE FOR HIS OWN
PERSONAL GAIN AND TREATED
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY NOT AS AN
ALLY BY PAWN AND GOT HIM
IMPEACHED IN 2019.
A KEY WITNESS IN THE IMPEACHMENT
WHO HERSELF WAS A VICTIM OF
TRUMP'S SCHEME IS SPEAKING OUT
IN "LESSONS FROM THE EDGE"
MARIE YOVANOVITCH DETAILS THE
GRUELING SMEAR CAMPAIGN THAT
PROMPTED HER FIRING.
BROUGHT UPON THE UNITED STATES
AND WEAKENED UKRAINE AND
EMBOLDENED RUSSIA AND AS
YOVANOVITCH SAID AT THE TIME,
UKRAINE DESERVED OUR UNWAVERING
SUPPORT.
>> SUPPORTING UKRAINE IS THE
RIGHT THING TO DO, IT'S ALSO THE
SMART THING TO DO.
IF RUSSIA PREVAILS AND UKRAINE
FALLS TO RUSSIAN DOMINION, WE
CAN EXPECT TO SEE OTHER ATTEMPTS
BY RUSSIA TO EXPAND IT'S
TERRITORY AND INFLUENCE.
>> FORMER ERER AMBASSADOR TO UKR
MARIE YVONNEOVANOVITCH IS HERE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
THE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING
NOW TO UKRAINE, WERE YOU EVER
ABLE TO WRAP YOUR MIND AROUND
WHY DONALD TRUMP HIMSELF AND HIS
ADMINISTRATION WERE SO AGAINST
UKRAINE, WHY THEY HAD IT IN FOR
UKRAINE?
DID YOU GET YOUR MIND AROUND WHY
THAT?
>> BIZARRE.
HE DIDN'T THINK A LOT ABOUT
UKRAINE BUT THOUGHT ABOUT RUSSIA
AS A GREAT POWER AND SORT OF
ACCEPTED I THINK PUTDENIN'S VIEW
UKRAINE NOT BEING A REALLY
COUNTRY AND IF IT WAS, IT WAS A
WEAKER COUNTRY AND THEREFORE NOT
WORTHY OF HIS ATTENTION.
>> AS PEOPLE WILL REMEMBER YOUR
NAME AS THE PERSON WHO IS
ASSOCIATED WITH THE PHRASE SHE'S
GOING TO GO THROUGH SOME THINGS
BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO FIRE YOU
AND GIVE YOUR PORTFOLIO TO RUDY
GIULIANI AND MAKE HIM IN CHARGE
OF POLICY.
AT THE TIME, DID YOU SEE WHAT HE
WAS DOING AS A BIGGER PICTURE OF
A BIG PRORUSSIA MOVE ON THE PART
OF THE UNITED STATES?
DID YOU ANTICIPATE THE IDEA HE
WANTED TO GET OUT OF NATO?
WAS ANY OF THAT ON YOUR MIND AT
THE TIME?
>> WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO ME, IT
WAS ALL AROUND ME AND I COULD
FEEL, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING WAS
GOING ON BUT BECAUSE PEOPLE WERE
TELLING ME ESPECIALLY
UKRAINIANS, SENIOR LEVEL
UKRAINIANS, YOU BETTER WATCH OUT
BECAUSE THERE ARE PEOPLE HERE
AND PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES
THAT ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO GET
YOU REMOVED AND I WOULD CALL
BACK TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT AND
SAY WHAT IS GOING ON?
IS THERE A PROBLEM WITH WHAT I'M
DOING?
NO, NO, EVERYTHING IS FINE.
I FIGURE IT'S THE LOW LEVEL KIND
OF RUMOR THAT IS ALWAYS KIND OF
CIRCLING ANY CAPITOL, RIGHT?
SO I WASN'T COMPLETELY AWARE OF
ALL OF THE THINGS GOING ON
AROUND ME.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP IS
WELL-KNOWN AND OUTSPOKEN
FEELINGS ABOUT NATO, IT WAS
QUITE CLEAR HE THOUGHT NATO WAS
NOT A GOOD INSTITUTION AND OTHER
ALLIES WERE TAKING THE U.S. FOR
A RIDE AND WE WERE SUPPORTING
THEM IN WAYS WE SHOULDN'T BE.
I THINK I'VE HEARD PEOPLE CLOSE
TO THE PRESIDENT FROM HIS
ADMINISTRATION SAYING THAT IF HE
HAD HAD A SECOND TERM, HE WOULD
NO DOUBT HAVE PULLED THE U.S.
OUT OF NATO.
>> I WONDER ABOUT THAT, TOO.
YOU HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION ON
WITH NICOLLE WALLACE, I WATCHED
HER SHOW EVERY DAY AND SHE DID
ASK YOU THIS QUESTION EVERYONE
IS ASKING AND THROWING OUT
THERE, WOULD THIS HAPPEN IF
DONALD TRUMP HAD BEEN PRESIDENT?
YOU KNOW, MY KIND OF THOUGHT ON
IT IS IT WOULD HAVE HAD TO.
PUTIN WOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO
BECAUSE TRUMP WOULD GIVE HIM
UKRAINE.
IS THAT YOU ARE YOR SENSE?
>> I THINK PRESIDENT PUTIN WAS
GETTING WHAT HE NEEDED OUT OF
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.
WE WERE, I THINK, I THINK, ON A
PATH TO LEAVING NATO.
SO THAT, NATO WITHOUT THE UNITED
STATES IS PROBABLY NOT A
SECURITY ALLIANCE THAT IS GOING
TO LAST VERY LONG.
AND SO I THINK THAT WOULD HAVE
ADDRESSED MANY OF PUTIN'S
ALLEGED CONCERNS.
I THINK THAT WHAT WE'RE SEEING
NOW IS ABOUT IN A CERTAIN SENSE,
IT'S ABOUT RUSSIA'S SECURITY BUT
MANY OTHER THINGS INCLUDING
PUTIN'S OBSESSION WITH UKRAINE,
HIS BELIEF IT'S NOT A REAL
COUNTRY.
HIS DESIRE TO RECREATE THE
RUSSIAN EMPIRE, THE SOVIET
UNION, HIS NEED TO SORT OF
ESTABLISH HIMSELF IN A POSITIVE
WAY BEFORE THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTIONS.
IT'S ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS AND
ALSO ABOUT IN MY OPINION TEARING
DOWN THE INTERNATIONAL ORDER
THAT HAS SERVED US SO WELL SINCE
WORLD WAR TWO.
>> TAKE THE MEASURE YOU DO NOT
CHRIS CROSS WITH THE ZELENSKYY
ADMINISTRATION, MAYBE JUST
BEFORE WHEN YOU LEFT IS WHEN
ZELENSKYY CAME IN.
TAKE THE MEASURE OF THIS MAN.
I AM QUITE SURE THIS IS NOT WHAT
HE EXPECTED WHEN HE WENT FROM A
COMEDIAN PLAYING A PRETEND
PRESIDENT IN A COMEDY SHOW AND
THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS IS
AN ATTEMPTED BRIBERY BY THE
UNITED STATES PRESIDENT.
THERE ARE THESE GREAT PICTURES
OF HIM SITTING THERE LOOKING
LIKE MY GOD, I'M SITTING NEXT TO
THIS MORON AND WHAT AM I
SUPPOSED TO DO ABOUT IT.
>> I DID MEET ZELENSKYY A NUMBER
OF TIMES WHEN HE WAS RUNNING FOR
PRESIDENT.
BY THE TIME HE BECAME PRESIDENT,
I WAS NO LONGER IN UKRAINE AND
OBVIOUS
OBVIOUSLY, HE'S A REALLY FUNNY
GUY AND VERY TALENTED AND HE
ALSO IS THE ARCHITECT OF A HUGE
MEDIA EMPIRE.
HE'S VERY PROUD OF THE FACT THAT
HIS TALENT CREATED THAT, AND THE
EXECUTIVE SKILLS THAT PRODUCED
THAT EMPIRE.
I THINK THAT ZELENSKYY AS
PRESIDENT RAN INTO MANY OF THE
SAME CHALLENGES THAT SOME OF HIS
PREDECESSORS RAN INTO BUT I
THINK HE WAS TRYING AND MAKING
SOME PROGRESS, NOT AS MUCH
PROGRESS PERHAPS AS OTHERS MAY
HAVE WANTED, BUT WITH THIS --
WITH THE INVASION OF RUSSIA OR
RUSSIA'S INVASION OF UKRAINE, I
THINK THAT HE HAS GROWN INTO THE
MOMENT.
I THINK YOU ARE SEEING SOMEBODY
WHOSE MASTERFUL COMMUNICATION
SKILLS CAME TO THE FLOOR AND
HE'S INSPIRED HIS COUNTRYMEN AND
THE WORLD.
>> HE HAS.
>> IT IS REMARKABLE AND HE'S
REALLY MET THE MOMENT.