>> KEIR SIMMONS IN MOSCOW FOR
US.
BE SAFE, BE CAREFUL.
>>> AND JOINING ME FORMER U.S.
AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA.
YOUR REACTION TO RUSSIA'S STRIKE
ON THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT.
OBVIOUSLY DISASTER AVERTED.
BUT UKRAINE'S FOREIGN MINISTER
SAID THIS COULD HAVE BEEN 10
TIMES WORSE THAN CHERNOBYL.
>> I AGREE WITH THE CALLER YOU
HAD ON EARLIER TODAY.
THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS, RECKLESS.
SUPER SCARY.
AND THE FACT THAT PUTIN IS
WILLING TO DO THIS, I THINK,
SHOULD SOBER UP EVERYBODY.
WE'VE BEEN DEBATING WHAT HIS
INTENTIONS ARE AND WHAT HE'S
GOING TO DO FOR MANY WEEKS AND
EVERY TIME WE HOPE HE'S GOING TO
DO SOMETHING MORE CAUTIOUS --
REMEMBER THE DEBATE WE HAD
BEFORE HE INVADED.
LOTS OF PEOPLE WERE HOPING FOR
SMALL STRIKES.
REMEMBER THE LAND BRIDGE WE
TALKED ABOUT.
HE'S JUST GOING TO DO THAT.
THAT'S ALL HE WANTED, THE
INDEPENDENT REPUBLICS.
EVERY TIME WE HAVE THESE
DEBATES, HE SURPRISES US BY
DOING MORE RECKLESS, RADICAL
THINGS AND HE'S INCREASINGLY
FEELING PRESSURE AT HOME BECAUSE
OF THE SANCTIONS WE'RE PUTTING
ON HIM AND HE'S SIGHING THE WAR
IS NOTING THE WAY HE WANTED TO.
WE SHOULD EXPECT MORE OF THE
ERRATIC BEHAVIOR.
>> I FEEL LIKE THE DIPLOMATIC
CLICHES HAVE BECOME OUT DATED.
IS THERE ANY PATH TO DEESCALATE
THIS WITHOUT MAKING IT 10 TIMES
WORSE?
>> WELL, OF COURSE, THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION, FROM WHAT I
UNDERSTAND -- I INTERACT WITH
THEM FREQUENTLY.
ARE DOING ANYTHING THEY CAN TO
CREATE THOSE CONDITIONS.
THE GOAL HEAR IS PEACE.
THE GOAL IS THE END OF THE WAR.
THE GOAL IS TO HAVE THOSE
RUSSIAN SOLDIERS GO HOME.
SO, IF MR. PUTIN IS WILLING TO
NEEGAUCHEIATE THAT, I THINK THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION AND OTHER
LEADERS WOULD LIFT SANCTIONS AND
THAT KIND OF TRADE WOULD BE
AVAILABLE.
I JUST DON'T SEE ANYTHING THAT
PUTIN HAS SAID IN THE LAST
SEVERAL WEEKS AND MOST CERTAINLY
IN THE LAST EIGHT OR NINE DAYS,
THAT SUGGEST HE WANTS THOSE
KINDS OF OFF RAMPS.
HE JUST DOUBLES DOWN ON WHAT HE
SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THE
WAR.
I'M GOING TO DESTROY THE
UKRAINIAN MILITARY AND CARRY OUT
DENAZIFICATION.
THAT IS REGIME CHANGE.
THAT IS WHAT HE'S STATED HIS
GOAL IS AND SO FAR THERE'S NO
EVIDENCE THAT SUGGESTS HE'S
RETHOUGHT THOSE OBJECTIVES.
>> AND SPEAKING OF REGIME
CHANGE, IN THIS COUNTRY, WE'VE
HAD SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM
APPEARED TO SUGGEST PUTIN OUGHT
TO BE ASSASSINATED OR OVER
THROWN.
SUGGESTED IF THERE'S A
BRUTUS-LIKE FIGURE IN RUSSIA
THAT COULD END THIS.
I WUBDER WONDER WHAT YOU THINK O
WORD LIKE THAT AND WHAT WILL
THEY DO WITH AN AMERICAN POP
TLGZ
POLITICIAN USING THAT LANGUAGE?
>> OFF THE RECORD, WE CAN TALK
ABOUT DIFFERENT SCENARIOS.
ABOUT HOW THESE THINGS HAPPEN.
IN FACT, I'M ABOUT TO GO TEACH
MY CLASS ON DEMOCRATIC
BREAKTHROUGHS RIGHT AFTER WE'RE
DONE TALKING, RIGHT.
BUT IT IS NOT APPROP REED TO
TALK ABOUT THOSE THINGS IN
PUBLIC FOR A VERY SIMPLE REASON.
THAT QUOTE WILL BE QUOTED ON
RUSSIAN NATIONAL TELEVISION AT
NAUSEUM AND WILL REINFORCE WHAT
PUTIN TELLS HIS PEOPLE IS THAT
HE'S FIGHTING US IN UKRAINE.
I THINK PEOPLE REALLY NEED
UNDERSTAND THIS IS A PROXY WAR
FOR HIS FIGHT AGAINST US.
THAT'S THE WAY HE FRAMES THIS.
THE REGIME IS A PUPPET, AMERICAN
REGIME PUT IN PLACE BY US.
SO, THOSE KIND OF QUIPS HELP
WITH HIM EXPLAINING THE WAR AT
HOME AND DOING THAT AT THE SAME
TIME, AS YOU JUST REPORTED, THAT
THE INFORMATION SPACE IN RUSSIA
IS INCREASINGLY CLOSING.
HE JUST CUT -- PUTIN JUST SHUT
DOWN DEUTSCHE TV, THE NUMBER ONE
INDEPENDENT TELEVISION STATION
IN RUSSIA.
HE JUST SHUTDOWN ECHO OF MOSCOW,
THIS ICONIC RADIO STATION BEEN
AROUND A COUPLE OF DECADES.
NUMBER ONE SOURCE OF INDEPENDENT
NEWS IN RUSSIA.
HE'S DOING THAT FOR A PURPOSE.
THE WAR WERE GOING BETTER, HE
WOULDN'T BE DOING THAT.
BUT THOSE ARE PLACES THAT USED
TO HOST ME SPEAK IN RUSSIAN TO
RUSSIANS.
THAT'S NOW SHUTDOWN.
IT MEANS THE RUSSIAN-STATE
CONTROLLED MEDIA HAS MORE
CONTROL OVER THE NARRATIVE AND
THEY'LL BE BROADCASTING QUIPS
LIKE THAT TO SEE, SEE WE TOLD
YOU SO.
THE AMERICANS DID REGIME CHANGE