AUTHOR AND BOARD MEMBER OF RENEW
DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE.
AND MAX BOOTH A "THE WASHINGTON
POST" COLUMNIST.
COLONEL VINDMAN, I FOLLOW YOUR
APPEARANCES WHEREVER THERE ARE
AND WANT YOUR TAKE ON WHAT
HAPPENED TODAY IN UKRAINE AND ON
WHAT KEIR AND CAL ARE REPORTING
THAT THINGS COULD BE
DETERIORATING.
>> THEY ARE.
IT IS A PRECARIOUS SITUATION.
DAY FIVE.
THEY HAVE NOT GONE WELL AT ALL
FOR RUSSIA AND THEY HAVE GONE
PRETTY WELL GIVEN THE FACT THAT
UKRAINE HAS TAKEN THE BRUNT OF
THIS OFFENSIVE.
THE OFFENSIVE IS STALLED AND
RUSSIA COMMITTED LARGE PORTION
OF THE FORCE WITHOUT ACHIEVING
AND PROBABLY THE CRITICAL
OBJECTIVES TO SECURE THE MAJOR
CITIES INCLUDING KYIV.
WHAT DOES RUSSIA DO NOW?
THEY HAD THIS BATTLE PLAN THAT
WAS DESIGNED ON THE FALSE
ASSUMPTION OF PEACEKEEPERS
MOVING IN AND WELCOMED IN.
THE SOLDIERS BEING CAPTURED HAVE
NO IDEA WHY THEY'RE BEING SHOT
AT.
A LOT OF THEM.
IT'S SHOCKING BECAUSE IT'S SO
FAR -- SUCH A FOREIGN CONCEPT OR
ANYBODY FROM THE U.S. MILITARY
PERSPECTIVE.
AND WILLTHERE'S A VERY GOOD CHAN
THAT PUTIN DOESN'T END HERE AND
DOES A MAJOR ESCALATION AND DOES
THE KIND OF THINGS HE HAS DONE
IN SYRIA AND STARTS TO BOMB THE
POPULATION KREPTDERS.
THE PROBLEM IS THE KINSHIP
BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN AND
UKRAINIAN PEOPLE THAT DON'T WANT
THE WAR.
TOLD THAT THIS IS A PEACEKEEPING
OPERATION TO REMOVE NAZIS AND
THAT'S FALSE.
AND THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE HAVE NOT
HAD TO BEAR THE COST YET WITH
REGARDS TO CASUALTYS.
THOSE SEEM TO BE POURING IN BY
THE THOUSANDS BY UKRAINIAN
ACCOUNTS.
IF THAT IS TRUE THAT IS A LOT OF
CASUALTIES.
DURING AFGHANISTAN 15,000
RUSSIAN SOLDIERS DIED.
45,000 -- 5,000 HAVE POTENTIALLY
DIED HERE AND THE SANCTIONS
HAVEN'T BEEN PRICED IN SO PUTIN
HAS A LOT OF INSTABILITY TO FACE
IN THE SHORT TERM THAT HE WASN'T COUNTING ON.
COUNTING ON.
HE COUNTED ON A SWIFT VICTORY.
HE HAS BAD OPTIONS LIKELY TO GET
WORSE AS THE CAMPAIGN GRINDS ON.
>> LET ME SHOW YOU REPORTING
FROM MY COLLEAGUE ALLISON BARBER
OF -- AS I KEEP SAYING THE
MUSEUM CALAMITY UNFOLDING.
>> WE MUST GO BECAUSE -- TO
DANGEROUS.
TO STAY.
>> WHAT DID HE TELL YOU TO --
WITH YOUR LITTLE SISTERS?
WHAT DID HE SAY TO DO WITH THE FAMILY?
>> TOLD ME THAT I MUST PROTECT
THEM.
AND THAT THEY ARE THE WHOLE
FAMILY AND BE STRONG.
>> THAT WAS A 15-YEAR-OLD
UKRAINIAN WITH HIS SISTERS TOLD
TO PROTECT THE WHOLE FAMILY AND
BE STRONG.
THIS IS VLADIMIR PUTIN'S DOING.
BUT VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS LEADERS
AT THE HIGHEST PARTY OF ONCE WE
BELONGED UNTIL THURSDAY AND I
THINK AMONGST SOME OF THEM
STILL.
WHAT IS THE STAIN ON THE
AMERICAN REPUBLICAN PARTY AS
THIS HUMAN TRAGEDY COMES INTO
FOCUS?
>> IT IS STAGGERING TO THINK
THAT IT WAS A FEW DAYS AGO THAT
FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP
DESCRIBED PUTIN'S WAR OF
AGGRESSION AGAINST UKRAINE AS AN
ACT OF GENIUS.
A REALLY SMART MOVE.
THAT IS STAGGERING.
MOST POPULAR POLITICAL LEADER IN
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND TUGGER
CARLSON WITHIN THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY IS JUST AS PRO PUTIN.
YOU WOULD THINK THAT THIS COULD
BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A
REORIENTATION, A GUT CHECK, A
TURNING AWAY FROM THE DIRECTION
THAT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS
BEEN ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS BUT I
THOUGHT THE SAME THICK AFTER
JANUARY 6, THE ATTACK ON THE
CAPITOL.
I THOUGHT FINALLY THIS MIGHT
MAKE REPUBLICANS COME TO THE
SENSES AND BREAK WITH TRUMP AND
YOU WOULD THINK THAT NOW SEEING
THE KD OF HELL THAT PUTIN AND
HIS CRIMINAL REGIME UNLEASHED ON
THE POOR PEOPLE OF UKRAINE MIGHT
CAUSE REPUBLICANS TO THINK WHY
ARE WE FOLLOWING FANS OF PUTIN?
WHY ARE WE GOING DOWN THIS PATH
WITH A PROUD HERITAGE AS A
REPUBLICAN MARTE TOPARTY TO RESI
WAS CALLED THE EVIL EMPIRE?
AFTER AIL THAT WE HAVE SEEN THE
FIVE, SIX YEARS I HAVE LITTLE
FAITH IN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
>> I SHARE THE PESSIMISM.
MITT ROMNEY CALLING THEM MORONS.
THIS IS WHO WE ARE.
LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT THE CURRENT
PRESIDENT'S PRESS SECRETARY JEN
PSAKI SAID ON THE AIR EARLIER
TODAY.
THIS IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT
A NO FLY ZONE.
IMPLEMENTATION BY THE U.S.
MILITARY AND SHOOTING DOWN
PLANES RUSSIAN PLANES.
THAT IS ESCALATORY AND PUTS IN A
PLACE IN A MILITARY CONFLICT
WITH RUSSIA.
THE PRESIDENT WANTS TO BE DIRECT
WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ABOUT
WHAT HE WILL DO AND NOT DO.
HE IS NOT SENDING U.S. FORCES
INTO UKRAINE TO FIGHT A WAR WITH
RUSSIA.
AND HE THINKS IT IS VITALLY
IMPORTANT TO BE DIRECT WITH THE
PUBLIC ABOUT THAT.
>> FROM THE BEGINNING IN THE
AGGRESSIVE EFFORT AS THIS
CONFLICT HAS AS COLONEL VINDMAN
SAID GOES INTO THE FIFTH DAY
THEY HAVE BEEN EVERYWHERE.
CAJOLING THE ALLIES.
AND THEY HAVE BEEN CLEAR ABOUT
WHAT THE U.S. WILL AND WILL NOT
DO.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THIS MOMENT
IN THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION?
WHAT'S YOUR TAKE OF HOW THEY'RE
DOING SO FAR?
>> OF EVERYONE WHO'S A
REPUBLICAN NOT SO ANXIOUS TO
BLAME BIDEN FOR THE SUN COMING
UP IN THE MORNING I THINK A
CLEAR-EYED VIEW OF WHAT IS GOING
ON RIGHT NOW SHOWS THAT BIDEN
AND THE ADMINISTRATION FIRST
THEY GOT THE INFORMATION OUT
THERE THAT RUINED THE PUTIN PLAN
TO HAVE AN EXCUSE FOR THIS
MURDEROUS AGGRESSION.
THEY DID THAT FIRST.
SECONDLY IT APPEARS THAT THEY
UNITED NATO THAT HAD BEEN -- BY
THE WAY, CAN I ADD AN ASIDE
HERE?
>> ANYTHING.
>> TRUMP SAYING THAT HE
STRENGTHENED NATO IS ALMOST AS
BAD AS PUTIN SAYING THAT THE
UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT IS FULL OF
NAZIS.
THESE ARE BOTH LIARS.
BIG, FAT LIARS AND IT IS SO
FRUSTRATING IN A MOMENT WHEN THE
COUNTRY SHOULD COME TOGETHER AND
FRANKLY REALIZE THAT WHAT BIDEN
HAS DONE HAS BEEN PRETTY DARN
EFFECTIVE.
THINK ABOUT THIS.
THE RUBLE CRASHED.
THEY CAN'T OPEN THEIR STOCK
MARKET.
THE INTEREST RATE WENT TO 20%
OVERNIGHT.
THE OLIGARCHS' MONEY IS FROZEN
AND WE HAVE EFFECTIVELY FIGURED
OUT HOW TO CLAMP DOWN ON THEM
MILKING THE MONEY PUT ASIDE TO
DEAL WITH THE SANCTIONS.
ECONOMIC AND OVERNIGHT BIDEN IN
CONJUNCTION WITH THE WESTERN
ALLIES HAVE NOT ONLY BECOME
UNITED BUT MADE RUSSIA PARIAH.
THE ATHLETES CAN'T COMPETE IN