I'LL TOSS IT TO ALI VELSHI IN
FOR JOY.
>> GOOD TO SEE YOU.
HAVE YOURSELF AN EXCELLENT
EVENING.
GOOD EVENING.
I'M ALI VELSHI IN FOR JOY REID
AND WE BEGIN "THE REIDOUT"
TONIGHT WITH THE FIGHT FOR
UKRAINE THAT WILL CONTINUE INTO
THE SIXTH DAY TONIGHT AFTER A
FIRST ROUND OF SO-CALLED PEACE
TALKS CONCLUDED THIS MORNING.
THOSE TALKS WERE HELD AT
UKRAINE'S BORDER WITH BELARUS
AND THEY YIELDED NO
BREAKTHROUGHS.
WHILE PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY SENT
HIGH LEVEL OFFICIALS TO
NEGOTIATE, THE RUSSIAN
DELEGATION WAS LED BY VLADIMIR
PUTIN'S ADVISOR ON CULTURE, A
CHOICE JUNIOR ENOUGH THAT MAY
END
INDICATE HE HAS LITTLE INTEREST
IN ENDING THE SIEGE.
IN A SPEECH LATE TODAY PRESIDENT
ZELENSKYY SAID THE TALKS WERE
CONDUCTED AGAINST THE BACKGROUND
OF BOMBARDMENT.
HE ACCUSED RUSSIA OF WAR CRIMES
CALLING FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF
THEIR ECONOMY AND REMOVAL FROM
THE UNITED NATIONS SECURITY
COUNSEL, WHICH HAS A ROTATING
CHAIR, RUSSIA IS THE CHAIR OF IT
AT THE MOMENT IRONICALLY.
MEANWHILE, RUSSIA'S CURRENCY
MORE UNSTABLE THAN EVER.
THE EUROPEAN UNION IS PREPARING
A MASSIVE DELIVERY OF WEAPONS TO
UKRAINE.
THEY CLOSED EUROPE'S AIR SPACE
TO ALL RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT AS HAVE
OTHER COUNTRIES BUT PUTIN IS NOT
ONLY ISOLATED ON THE WORLD
STAGE, HE'S HUMILIATED ON THE
ACTUAL BATTLE FIELD.
THINK ABOUT THIS.
75% OF THE FORCES THAT HE STAGED
AROUND UKRAINE ON THE BOARDERS
OF UKRAINE ARE NOW INSIDE THE
COUNTRY AND THE SHELLING
CONTINUES BUT DESPITE RUSSIA'S
VAST MILITARY SUPERIORITY TO
UKRAINE, RUSSIA IS UNABLE TO
TAKE AND HOLD ANY MAJOR CITIES
OF FIVE DAYS OF FIGHTING.
THEY STILL HAVEN'T GAINED
CONTROL OF UKRAINE'S AIR SPACE.
THEIR ADVANCE IS PLAGUED BY
LOGISTIC L FAILURES, BROKEN
SUPPLY LINES, DELAYS BUT MAY BE
ATTRIBUTED TO SOMETHING ELSE,
FAR STIFFER RESISTANCE THAN
ANYONE EXPECTED.
IN ADDITION TO THE BRAVERY OF
THE UKRAINIAN ARTICLED FORCEMED
WE'VE SEEN THE COURAGE OF
ORDINARY UKRAINIAN PEOPLE
INCLUDING VIDEO OF PEOPLE
PHYSICALLY BLOCKING TANKS WITH
THEIR BODIES.
THERE ARE SIGNS THAT SOME OF
RUSSIA SOLDIERS DIDN'T EVEN KNOW
THEY WERE ACTUALLY HEADED TO
WAR.
ACCORDING TO AN EXPERT WITH THE
GERMAN MARSHALL FUND, QUOTE,
SOLDIERS CAPTURED DURING THE
INVASION HAVE TOLD INTERVIEWERS
THEY BELIEVED THEY WERE TAKING
PART IN EXERCISES, END QUOTE,
WHICH AS YOU RECALL IS WHAT THE
KREMLIN WAS TELLING EVERYONE.
SHE SAID MANY OF THEM, IF NOT
MOST OF THEM SAY THEY'VE NOT
BEEN INFORMED BY THEIR
LEADERSHIP WHY AND WHERE THEY'RE
GOING END QUOTE.
TO THAT POINT, TAKE A LOOK AT
THIS RECENT VIDEO SHOWING A
UKRAINIAN RESIDENT MOCKING A
RUSSIAN SOLDIER WHOSE TANK REPORTEDLY RAN OUT OF GAS.
REPORTEDLY RAN OUT OF GAS. OUT O
>> I ASKED THE WHOLE COLUMN OF
PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND NOBODY KNOWS
WHERE THEY'RE GOING.
THE RUSSIAN SOLDIER DIDN'T HAVE
ANY IDEA WHERE HE WAS GOING.
ANOTHER INDICATION PUTIN'S
FORCES MAY HAVE NOT BEEN AS
PREPARED AS PUTIN WANTED THEM TO
THINK.
RAIZ
RAISING THE SPECTOR OF NUCLEAR
WAR, HE ESCALATED IT YESTERDAY,
PUTIN IS FURTHER ALIENATING
HIMSELF FROM THE WORLD AT LARGE.
THIS MORNING, UKRAINE'S
AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS
RESPONDED TO THAT THREAT WITH
BLUNT WORDS FOR THE RUSSIAN
AUTOCRAT.
LISTEN TO HIM.
>> IF HE WANTS TO KILL HIMSELF,
HE DOESN'T NEED TO USE NUCLEAR ARSENAL.
HE HAS TO DO WHAT THE GUY IN
BELL
BELLIN DID IN THE BUNKER IN MAY
1945.
>> THE GUY IN THE BUNKER IN
BERLIN, HITLER.
REPORTING INDICATES PUTIN MAY
ESCALATE ATTACKS TO BREAK
UKRAINE'S MOMENTUM.
WE'RE SEEING SHELLING IN
RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS IN
KHARKIV IN EASTERN UKRAINE.
A SENIOR DEFENSE OFFICIAL SAID
FRUSTRATION ON THE BATTLE FIELD
COULD LEAD TO A MORE AGGRESSIVE
APPROACH BY THE RUSSIANS.
SATELLITE IMAGERY IS SHOWING A
17 MILE LONG CONVOY OF RUSSIAN
VEHICLES, TANKS AND ARTILLERY 15
MILES FROM UKRAINE'S CAPITAL OF
KYIV AS OF THIS MORNING. JOINING ME NOW IS NBC NEWS
JOINING ME NOW IS NBC NEWS
CORRESPONDENT ERIN MCELDERRYK Mc
AND KEIR SIMMONS.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
ERIN, LET'S START WITH YOU IN
LVIV.
MANY HAVE MOVED WEST AND SOME
STOPPED WHERE YOU ARE IN CITIES
IN WESTERN UKRAINE.
OTHERS JUST KEPT ON GOING TO THE
POLISH BORDER.
THE POLLS SAYING IN EXCESS OF
HALF A MILLION PEOPLE I BELIEVE
HAVE CROSSED OVER.
>> Reporter: THAT'S RIGHT, AND
UKRAINIANS THAT I'VE BEEN
SPEAKING TO HERE IN LVIV ARE
ABSOLUTELY TRAUMATIZED.
I WAS SPEAKING TO ONE WOMAN AT A
SHELTER HERE, SHE WAS FROM
BELARUS ORIGINALLY, WAS LIVING
IN ODESSA AND FLED THE CITY WITH
HER HUSBAND AND SHE WAS
INCREDIBLY CONCERNED, NOT ONLY
FOR HER OWN SAFETY BUT ALSO FOR
THE SAFETY OF HER MOTHER LIVING
IN BELARUS DESCRIBING THE AGGIE
THAT
-- AGONY HER MOTHER WAS FACING
WATCHING RUSSIAN FORCES FIRE
MISSILES FROM BELARUS IN THE
DIRECTION OF HER DAUGHTER, IT'S
THE TRAUMATIC SCENES I'M HEARING
FROM UKRAINE YINS.
SPEAKING TO PEOPLE, THEY WERE
EXTRAORDINARY CONCERNED WITH THE
SITUATION IN KHARKIV, THE CITY
IN THE NORTHEASTERN SECTION OF
THE CITY WHICH WAS SUBJECT TO
WHAT UKRAINIANS ALLEGE WERE
SEEMINGLY INDISCRIMINATE
ARTILLERY FIRE, ROCKETS REIGNAIN
DOWN ON THE CENTER OF THE CITY,
STRIKING HOMES ACCORDING TO THE
KHARKIV MAYOR.
80 HOMES WERE FLATTENED BY
RUSSIAN FORCES.
NINE CIVILIANS KILLED INCLUDING
THREE CHILDREN AND IT'S THE
CIVILIAN TOLL THAT'S SO
CONCERNING WITH THE
INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
OPENING UP A CASE, AN
INVESTIGATION INTO POSSIBLE WAR
CRIMES BY THE RUSSIANS DURING
THIS INVASION.
IT WAS SOMETHING PRESIDENT
ZELENSKYY NOTED DURING HIS
ADDRESS HE POSTED ON HIS TELL LA
TELEGRAM ACCOUNT THIS EVENING
CALLING ON THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY TO STRIP RUSSIA OF THE
U.N. SECURITY COUNSEL SEAT, ALSO
CALLING INTO QUESTION THE
NEGOTIATIONS THAT ARE NOW GOING
ON BETWEEN THE RUSSIAN
DELEGATION AND THE UKRAINIAN
DELEGATION IN BELARUS SAYING HOW
CAN THERE BE NEGOTIATIONS WHEN
ONE SIDE IS SHELLING THE OTHER,
ALI?
>> ERIN, STAND BY.
KEIR SIMMONS IN MOSCOW.
KEIR, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE
BEEN COMMENTING ON IS THE DEGREE
U.S. INTELLIGENCE WHAT WAS GOING
TO HAPPEN TURNED OUT TO BE VERY
ACCURATE AND THE BASIS WHICH THE
U.S. AND EUROPEAN UNION AND NATO
WERE ACTING EVEN VOLODYMYR
ZELENSKYY DIDN'T BELIEVE SOME OF
THAT INTELLIGENCE BUT ONE OF THE
PIECES THAT WAS REPORTED IS THAT
THE RUSSIANS WERE GOING TO GO
FOR KYIV, THE CAPITAL CITY AND
WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE IT IN A
MATTER OF DAYS, THAT IF WHATEVER
RUSSIA WANTED OUT OF UKRAINE
BECAUSE OF THE MILITARY
SUPERIORITY WAS GOING TO BE ABLE
TO ACHIEVE.
THAT HAS NOT HAPPENED RIGHT NOW.
HOW IS THAT REVERBERATEING IN
RUSSIA?
>> Reporter: WELL, IT'S NOT
REVERBERATING WELL.
PEOPLE ARE NOTICING BECAUSE
DESPITE WHAT IS SAID ON RUSSIAN
TELEVISION, RUSSIAN STATE
TELEVISION, WHICH CERTAIN
ASPECTS OF THE POPULATION
PARTICULARLY FOR EXAMPLE OLDER
GENERATIONS HAVE A DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVE.
MANY PEOPLE OF COURSE, ARE ABLE
TO TALK TO PEOPLE IN UKRAINE
BUT, YOU KNOW, ALI, I HAD AN
OPPORTUNITY TO LISTEN TO A
BRIEFING TODAY FROM WESTERN
OFFICIALS AND IT REALLY
HIGHLIGHTED IN THE VIEW OF
WESTERN OFFICIALS, RUSSIAN
INTELLIGENCE WAS BAD.
NOW THE PENTAGON AUTHORITY SAID
RUSSIA IS FACING MORE RESISTANCE
THAN IT THOUGHT.
HERE IS WHAT WESTERN OFFICIALS
SAID TODAY.
THEY SAID THAT VLADIMIR PUTIN'S
PRONOUNCEMENTS IN AN ESSAY HE
WROTE LAST YEAR AND IN MULTIPLE
SPEECHES, THAT UKRAINE AND
RUSSIA WERE BROTHERS AND THAT
UKRAINIANS WOULD WELCOME
RUSSIANS WITH OPEN ARMS AND HE
REALLY BELIEVE THAT SO MUCH SO
HE BAKED IT INTO THE RUSSIAN
STRATEGY.
SO YOU REMEMBER, PRESIDENT PUTIN
IS ABSOLUTELY IN CHARGE.
HE'S THE COMMANDER.
HE MADE THE PLANS.
HE BAKED THAT IN.
THE FACT THAT HASN'T HAPPENED
HAS SURPRISED EVERYONE IN THE
KREMLIN INCLUDING PRESIDENT
PUTIN HIMSELF.
HERE IS ANOTHER ASPECT THAT WE
LEARNED IN THE PAST FEW DAYS,
ALI WHICH IS REALLY FASCINATING
AND GOES TO THE SAME POINT.
THIS PRONOUNCEMENT BY PRESIDENT
PUTIN THAT THE NUCLEAR FORCES
WILL BE PUT ON HIGHER ALERT, HE
SAID THAT HE DID THAT BECAUSE OF
AGGRESSIVE COMMENTS BY NATO.
NOW, IT APPEARS THAT A SPEECH
MADE BY THE U.K. DEFENSE
MINISTER WAS SHOWN ON RUSSIAN
TELEVISION AND THAT'S WHAT IF
YOU LIKE WOUND PRESIDENT PUTIN
UP SO PRESIDENT PUTIN APPEARS TO
HAVE BEEN WATCHING RUSSIAN
TELEVISION, SEEN SOMETHING HE
DIDN'T LIKE, AND MADE AN