So NATO's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, is speaking out today saying
that he cannot rule out that bombing may fall in Ukraine in the coming days.
The battle there has been the epicenter of some of the fiercest and bloodiest
clashes and the latest chapter of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine's military, though, is not ready to surrender the city yet,
claiming that the Russians are taking heavy losses there,
including losing 100 soldiers in the past 24 hours.
Melissa Bell is a very latest on this from Kiev.
Melissa, what are you learning
Kate, tonight the mood continues to hold,
but really only just we've been seeing those images of Evgeny Prigozhin
speaking from the World War to Monument closer to the center of Bermuda
where his men had planted a flag earlier this week.
And what the leader of the Wagner mercenary group that we now know
from Western sources,
just how important those volunteer mercenaries have been in the progress
being made in Bermuda, being supported by Russian regular artillery,
but really being crucial to their ability virtually to capture the town.
Here's what, if any, Prigozhin had to say earlier today.
Isn't the only request.
Take out the elderly children and send here normal combat ready units.
We need to deal with you here now.
That was a chilling
message sent even as for the time being, Ukraine says it will battle on.
We wait to hear more about if and when it decides on that tactical retreat.
We've also been hearing from those Western officials, Kate.
I think this is important that beyond those forces in and around
Bermuda does not appear that Russia, according to them,
has that many reserves elsewhere.
A new has gone Donetsk casting doubt on their ability beyond Bermuda
to cause or to launch any substantial offensive action in the coming days.
And weeks.
In a separate
but parallel story, we've been learning more, Kate, about the Nord Stream attack.
You remember the Nord Stream pipeline back in September
saw an explosion, a sabotage effort.
It is the subject of an ongoing investigation by German authorities.
According to York Times report, they say that they believe
that according to sources, it may have been perpetrated by a group
aligned with the aims of Kiev, but not actually backed by Kiev,
not run by Kiev, an independent group acting on its behalf and in its name.
Now, that's been pushed back on since by the head of NATO's
by the German authorities that are leading the investigation Kate.
But it is an extra an interesting twist in a saga
that has gone on for so many months as we try to figure out what happened.
And unusually, Kiev and Moscow have also seemed to agree on the fact
that this isn't something
that they both deny One of the rare points of agreement
that we have between them at the moment, Kate.
A very rare point.
Good to see you, Melissa. Thank you.
Joining me now for more on all of this is the former NATO's secretary
general, the former prime minister of Denmark, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
Secretary general, it's great to see you again.
Thanks for coming in.
And back note, we heard not only what Stoltenberg says about that move today,
but we also have President Zelensky defending the strategy for a strategy
in bad mood in a new interview with my colleague Wolf Blitzer.
Let me play just a moment of this interview for you.
One more time.
Sure. This is tactical for us.
We understand that after it backwards, they could go further.
They could go to Kramatorsk to slow down.
It will be an open road for the Russians after Mahmoud's.
Two other towns in Ukraine in the Donetsk
direction in the east of Ukraine.
Secretary General, do you think devoting
time and resources and equipment
to that fight in Baku is worth it for Ukraine?
I'm not going to interfere with Ukrainian decisions
on their military strategy and tactics that for the Ukrainians to decide
what I think we should do as Western countries is to deliver
all the offensive weapons the Ukrainians need to withstand
the Russian offensive, but also to retake lost land
a year into this war.
Do you think they have what they need to pull off a win?
No, they don't have what they need.
We need to deliver much more longer range, much heavier weapons.
We need to deliver long range missiles,
heavy battle tanks, eventually also fighter jets.
I think we should deliver everything the Ukrainians need to win this war.
It's in our interest.
It is in the U.S. national interest.
To put a quick end to this war,
because that would give
the US more room to maneuver to address the real long
term global challenge, namely China and the Indo-Pacific.
And the best way to put a quick end to this war
is to deliver all the weapons the Ukrainians need.
If that is the case, and it seems logical what you're saying, give them the weapons
they need and they're asking for in order to help them win and hold their country.
But why then, if you can take me in, take me behind the scenes
in the rooms that you that you are in.
President Biden is still a no on F-16, and we're talking about fighter jets.
Why do you think Biden still resists?
What do you think he's missing here?
Well, I
actually I don't understand why we have all those
I would call them self-imposed restrictions on weapon deliveries.
The fact is that the Russians has just moved their missile
launchers beyond the reach of the Ukrainians.
So it doesn't make sense that we have restrictions
on our weapon deliveries One argument
I often hear is the risk of provoking
Putin to give him incentives to escalate the war.
But the fact is that Putin is the one
who escalates and one or two steps behind.
We deliver a heavy and heavier weapon.
But the fact is, you cannot win a war
by an incremental step by step approach.
You have to surprise.
You have to overwhelm your adversary.
So the security compact for Ukraine that you authored, you've been
we've discussed the contours of it somewhat on the show previously.
I'm curious where does that stand right now?
Do you have.
Do you have Buy-In from nations to pull this off and secure
Ukraine's long term security as you so desire?
Well, I'm
working hard to to create some momentum.
And I think we have had some success in that.
We have seen leaders, including Prime Minister Sunak of
Great Britain, too.
He has indicated that the U.K.
will work in the run up to the NATO summit in Vilnius
in July to produce
security assurances for Ukraine.
I have also heard other leaders agree that we need
to have a more long term perspective
that would include security guarantees
for Ukraine so that Russia can never, ever repeat
the invasion of Ukraine.
Secretary General I really appreciate your time, as always.
Good to see you. Thank you.