>> NBC'S GABE GUTIERREZ.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
PLEASE STAY SAFE. >>> LET'S BRING IN LIEUTENANT
>>> LET'S BRING IN LIEUTENANT
GENERAL STEVEN TWIT TY, GENERAL,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR COMING
TO "THE SUNDAY SHOW."
FIRST I WANT TO GET YOUR
REACTION TO THE SOUND WE PLAYED
AT THE TOP OF THIS HOUR OF
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY CALLING FOR
A CEASE-FIRE BEFORE HE CAN MEET
WITH PRESIDENT PUTIN FOR PEACE
TALKS.
IS THAT EVEN FEASIBLE?
AND WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN TO
ACTUALLY MAKE IT A REALITY?
>> WELL, WHAT I WILL TELL YOU
IS, JONATHAN, THE NEXT COUPLE OF
WEEKS WILL BE CRUCIAL FOR BOTH
COUNTRIES.
WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE
RUSSIANS, PRESIDENT PUTIN HAS
ASKED THAT HE CLAIM VICTORY BY
MAY.
AND WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT
THAT, THAT'S A LOFTY AND
AMBITIOUS GOAL IF HE PLANS TO
CLAIM VICTORY IN THE EAST AND IN
THE SOUTH.
IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT WHERE HE'S
TALKING ABOUT, THAT MEANS HE'S
GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE THE TWO
AUTONOMOUS REGIONS THAT HE'S
CLAIMED.
HE'S GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE THE
DONBAS.
HE'S GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE
MARIUPOL, THEN ACROSS IN THE
SOUTH ALL THE WAY FROM MIKALOV
ALL THE WAY TO ODESSA.
LOFTY GOALS WITH A COUNTRY THAT
HAS A GROUND FORCE THAT IS NOT
UP TO PAR AND NOT CAPABLE, NOT
WELL TRAINED, AND SO FORTH.
ON THE UKRAINIAN SIDE -- GO AHEAD, JONATHAN.
AHEAD, JONATHAN.
>> NO, GO AHEAD, GENERAL TWITTY.
>> I DON'T THINK THEY FOUGHT
THEIR HARD FIGHT YET.
THE HARD FIGHT WILL BE THE
AUTONOMOUS REGION, THE BONDONBAS
IT IS CRITICAL UKRAINIANS STAY
ON THE OFFENSE.
IT IS ALSO CRITICAL -- IF THEY
DID THIS, I WAS AMAZED THEY
PULLED OFF THE ATTACK IN RUSSIA.
THAT IS DEEP IN ORDER TO FIGHT
THEM ON TWO FRONTS, IN RUSSIA'S
TERRITORY AND ALSO WITHIN
UKRAINE.
IF THEY CAN KEEP THOSE TIGHT
THINGS UP AND IF THE WEST TO
INCLUDE THE U.S. CAN CONTINUE TO
SUPPLY THEM WITH WEAPONS AND
WHAT THEY NEED, I THINK THAT THE
UKRAINIANS WILL BE SUCCESSFUL.
>> ALL RIGHT.
SO, I'M GLAD YOU BROKE THAT DOWN
JUST LIKE THAT.
THERE WAS A GOOD TUTORIAL THERE.
I WANT TO START WITH RUSSIA.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE NEWS OUT
ON FRIDAY, THAT RUSSIA WAS
CONSCRIPTING MORE THAN 130,000
TROOPS, ONE, AND TWO, PUBLICLY
SAYING THAT THEY TOLD THOSE
TROOPS THAT THEY WILL NOT BE
GOING TO HOTSPOTS, I.E.,
UKRAINE?
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE
CONSCRIPTION AND WHAT DO YOU
MAKE OF THE PROMISE TO THE NEW
TROOPS THAT THEY WON'T BE GOING
TO UKRAINE?
>> I HAVE A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS.
YES, WHEN YOU HEAR 130,000,
THAT'S A LOT.
I DON'T THINK HE'LL MEET THAT
LOFTY GOAL AS WELL.
BUT WHAT I WILL TELL YOU, THESE
TROOPS ARE SHOWING UP, AGAIN,
UNTRAINED, LEADERLESS.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE
GOING INTO, SO THEY WON'T HAVE
THE WILL TO FIGHT.
AND IT WILL BE VERY SIMILAR TO
WHAT WE HAVE SEEN THE PAST FIVE
WEEKS.
SOLDIERS NEED TO KNOW WHY
THEY'RE FIGHTING.
THEY NEED TO UNDERSTAND, THAT
WAY THEY CAN HAVE THE WILL TO
FIGHT.
IN THIS CASE, I DON'T THINK THE
RUSSIANS HAVE THAT.
>> AND WHEN IT COMES TO UKRAINE,
I KNOW A LITTLE BIT OF YOUR
THINKING IN TERMS OF THAT PUSH
YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT BY THE
RUSSIANS TO TRY TO WRAP THIS UP
OR MAKE MAJOR GAINS BY MAY.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I BELIEVE
YOU THINK THEY WILL DO IN ORDER
TO REACH THAT MAY GOAL IS USE
CHEMICAL WEAPONS.
DO I HAVE THAT RIGHT?
>> I'LL TELL YOU A COUPLE
THINGS.
GO BACK TO WHAT I SAID ABOUT THE
LACK OF A PROFESSIONAL GROUND
FORCE IN THE RUSSIAN ARMY.
THE RUSSIANS ARE NOT KNOWN
FOREGROUND WARFARE.
THEY'RE NOT KNOWN FOR URBAN
WARFARE.
WHAT YOU'VE SEEN OVER THE LAST
COUPLE OF WEEKS, THE RUSSIANS
GET IN A BIND ON THE GROUND,
THEY PULL BACK.
THEN THEY START PUMMELLING
CIVILIANS, INFRASTRUCTURE WITH
MISSILES AND ARTILLERY AND SO
FORTH.
I THINK YOU'RE GOING TO FIND THE
SAME THING THAT'S GOING TO
HAPPEN IN THIS EAST/SOUTH FIGHT.
THEY WILL GIVE UP ON TRYING TO
USE THE GROUND FORCE, SO THEY
WILL PUMMEL THESE CITIES AND
MAKE THEM LOOK LIKE WE HAVE IN
MARIUPOL RIGHT NOW.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, REMEMBER,
PUTIN WANTS A VICTORY AND SO
CHEMICAL WEAPONS COULD COME INTO
PLAY.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, HE'S PUT OUT
ON THE TABLE A VICTORY BY HIS
VICTORY DAY.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, HE'S GOING TO
TRY AND GET THAT VICTORY AND
CHEMICAL WEAPONS MAY BE ONE WAY
HE GOES ABOUT GETTING THAT
VICTORY.
>> AND THEN, GENERAL TWITTY, IF
HE DOES USE CHEMICAL WEAPONS,
YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE
MILITARY, RETIRED, BUT YOU'RE A
MEMBER OF THE MILITARY.
IF HE WERE TO DO THAT, IF PUTIN
WERE TO USE CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN
UKRAINE, WHAT SHOULD THE WEST'S
RESPONSE BE SPECIFICALLY?
>> YEAH, I THINK PRESIDENT BIDEN
HAS MADE IT CLEAR THAT THERE
WILL BE SOME TYPE OF RESPONSE.
I KNOW THE PENTAGON, PLUS
GENERAL WALTERS THERE AT UNITED
STATES EUROPEAN COMMAND, THEY
PUT TOGETHER WHAT IS CALLED
FLEXIBLE RESPONSE OPTIONS TO
PROVIDE TO THE PRESIDENT IN THE
EVENT THAT CHEMICAL WEAPONS ARE
USED.
SO YOU CAN ANTICIPATE ACROSS THE
DIPLOMATIC INFORMATION, MILITARY
OR ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS OF POWER