Mr. Secretary, pleasure to have you on.
Great to be with you, Fareed.
Tell us what you can.
A sense of
what is going on in the counteroffensive
that Ukraine is
attempting with Russia.
So far,
the reports seem to be
it is very slow and very tough going.
Well, first read put this in perspective
in terms of what
Russia sought to achieve,
what Putin sought to achieve.
They've already failed.
They've already lost.
The the objective was to erase Ukraine
from the map,
to eliminate its independence
and sovereignty,
to subsume it into Russia.
That failed a long time ago.
Now, Ukraine is in a battle to get back
more of the land
that Russia seized from it.
It's already
taken back about 50% of
what was initially seized.
Now they're in a very hard fight
to take back to take back more.
These are still relatively
early days of the counteroffensive.
It is tough
the Russians have put in place
strong defenses.
But I'm convinced that
with the equipment and support
they've received now
from more than 50 countries
with the training
that their forces have gotten,
and many of the forces
who've gotten that training
have not yet been fully into this fight.
And maybe more than anything else
with the fact that
unlike the Russians,
Ukrainians are fighting for their land,
for their future,
for their country, for their freedom.
I think that is the decisive element,
and that's going to play out,
but it will not play out
over the next week or two.
We're still looking
I think it's several months.
So if you
look at what
the Ukrainians are up against,
these minefields
Ben trenches, then Russian artillery.
One of the reasons that is proving
so difficult
is that they have no air power.
If the US Army were to do this,
the United
States would have massive air power,
lots of bombing.
Clear the way.
Make it possible
for the troops to then move forward.
Why not give the Ukrainians the F-16s
that they are asking for?
Because that will make
this counteroffensive
much more effective,
Fred, at every step along the way.
In fact,
going back before the Russian aggression,
when we saw the storm rising.
And we made sure going back to Labor Day
before the war, Christmas before the war,
that they started
to get in their hands,
the equipment they would need
if the Russians went forward,
javelin, stingers, they had that on hand.
They were able to repel the attack
against Kiev.
They were able to save their country
from being taken entirely by Russia.
Every step along the way, ever since,
we've worked to try
to get them what they need
when they need it.
But it's not just the equipment itself.
It's the training.
It's the maintenance.
It's the ability
to use it in combined arms operations.
All of that takes time.
If a decision were made to actually
move forward on the F-16s tomorrow,
it would be months and months
before they were actually operation.
But then why not make the decision
so that they can get them?
So this is what we're working on now
because as I said,
it's not enough to give them a sixteens.
They've got to be trained.
The training program
is moving forward
with a number of countries.
All of that is happening.
But I'm not a military expert.
I think you've heard
Chairman Milley,
Lloyd Austin, the secretary defense,
speak to this.
We believe that
what they have
and what they've been trained on
is what they need to be effective,
including dealing with the Russian mines.
But it is hard going,
but they feel differently.
When I talk to Ukrainian as they say,
there's a pattern here.
Every time we ask for something,
we're first told,
you can't have it,
you're not ready for it,
you don't have the training for it.
And then from hymens
through cluster bombs,
eventually we get it, but we get it late.
And why not have given it to us earlier
if you're trying to make a difference
on the battlefield.
So if I were in the shoes
of our Ukrainian friends and partners,
I'd probably be saying exactly
the same thing.
And President Polanski's
been extraordinary.
Has as a leader
and in trying to galvanize
the international community
along with us to provide them
what they need.
But the other thing is this
there are 50
some odd countries in this coalition
in support of Ukraine
Lloyd Austin has been leading this process
on the military side.
And different countries
do different things at different times.
And it all complements each other.
So, for example,
we have certain munitions
that we provided to the Ukrainians,
including the high marks.
Other countries have provided
some munitions that have a longer range
because as the Russians moved back,
their command and control,
as they move back
some of their supply depots
out of range in some cases of what
we've given them,
the munitions
that other countries are providing
as part of an organized coalition
are allowing the Ukrainians to hit them.
They've had some significant success.
So our military leaders are using
their best expertize possible
to help determine
what it is that can be most effective
for the Ukrainians.
How quickly can it be deployed?
How effectively can they use it?
That will continue.
And the process on the F-16s is moving,
which means they will get F-16s.
Well, look, I believe that
that they will.
And the important focus is on
making sure that when they do,
they're properly trained, they're able to
maintain the planes
and use them in a smart way.
Do you think it could be
part of the Russian strategy
to try to wait for the election of 20, 24
hope that Donald Trump
comes into the White House
and they can cut a deal with him?
Well, again, everything we put in motion
and that many other countries
are taking a lead role in
that will happen irrespective
of what happens
in any given election
in any one of our countries.
There is now a long term program in place
that will
make sure that Ukraine is providing.
75%, obviously.
If you look at the burden sharing on this
between the United States,
Europe and other partners, Japan
and others, it's
actually quite remarkable.
Other countries have stepped up in ways
that we haven't seen before.
On the security side,
we're the order,
the number one provider,
but others have done a lot
But if you look as well on the economic
side, the
ability to make sure that
Ukraine has direct
budgetary support, more
is actually coming from
from Europe and others than from US
humanitarian assistance.
The refugees
who've been housed in throughout Europe
and are able to work,
send their kids to school.
All of that collectively has been
a remarkable demonstration
of countries coming together
and assuming their responsibilities