>> WITH THE NO-FLY ZONE OFF THE
TABLE.
PLANES WHICH UKRAINE MILITARY
PILOTS ARE TRAINED TO FLY.
JOINING ME RIGHT NOW, RETIRED
ADMIRAL JAMES REEDUS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
>> THANKS JONATHAN.
GREAT TO BE WITH YOU.
EXPLAIN WHY THE UNITED STATES
AND NATO WON'T GRANT ZELENSKY'S
CALL FOR A NO-FLY ZONE OVER
UKRAINE.
>> SIMPLY PUT, IT WILL PUT
AMERICAN PILOTS AND NATO PILOTS
GOING NOSE TO NOSE IN A RUSSIAN
PILOT IN A COMBAT SITUATION,
THAT WOULD ESCALATE THE SCALE
AND DWARF ANYTHING HAPPENING.
WE SHOULD PROVIDE UKRAINIANS THE
MEANS TO ENFORCING NO-FLY ZONE
OF THEIR OWN, MORE MISSILES AND
HIGH ALTITUDE MISSILES AND ABOVE
ALL LET'S GET THESE NATO JETS
TURNED OVER.
THESE MID 29s FROM POLAND TO
UKRAINE.
>> ONE OF THE VIDEOS PRESIDENT
ZELENSKY PUT OUT, HE WAS CLEAR
IN SAYING IF YOU DON'T GIVE US A
NO-FLY ZONE, AND FIGHTER JETS
THEN YOU WANT US TO DIE SLOWLY.
HOW DOES THE NATO ALLIANCE IN
THE WORLD REACT TO THAT?
>> HOPEFULLY WITH STRONG ACTION
TO INCLUDE TRANSFERRING THESE
BIG 29s.
THESE ARE CAPABLE JETS BUILT BY
THE RUSSIANS BUT THEY WERE PART
OF THE POLISH ARM FORCES AND
UKRAINIAN PILOTS HAVE FLOWN THAT
JET.
THEY KNOW HOW TO DO IT.
THE REQUIRED STEP IS FOR THE
U.S. TO BACK FILL THE POLISH
JETS WHEN THEY ARE TURNED OVER
TO THE UKRAINIANS.
IT COULD BE A GAME CHANGER IN THE SKY IN UKRAINE.
THE SKY IN UKRAINE.
>> THERE IS A FINE LINE.
STOP THE RUSSIANS WITHOUT
FIGHTING THEM AND CHECK PUTIN'S
AGGRESSION BUT GIVE HIM A WAY
OUT BEFORE THE SITUATION GETS
MORE DANGEROUS.
HOW LONG CAN THE UNITED STATES
WALK THIS FINE LINE AND DOES
PUTIN WANT A WAY OUT?
>> AS TO WHETHER PUTIN WANTS A
WAY OUT, WE HAVE TO TURNOVER A
FEW MORE CARDS AND I WILL TELL
YOU THIS.
THE MORE RUSSIAN BODY BAGS GO
HOME TO MOSCOW, THE LIKELY HE IS
TO FIND A CLIMB DOWN HERE.
WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS PROVIDE
THE UKRAINIAN MEANS TO FIGHT,
ANTIARMOR AND INTELLIGENCE AND
CYBER OVER WATCH.
WE NEED TO SLAM PUTIN WITH HEAVY
SANCTIONS, I WOULD ARGUE TO
INCLUDE OIL AND GAS AND ABOVE
ALL WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO RALLY
THE NATO ALLIANCE, MOVE OUR
FORCES TO THE BORDER, CONTINUE
THAT FLOW OF MILITARY EQUIPMENT
INTO UKRAINE.
>> THOSE MILITARY FORCES HAVE
BEEN MOVING TO THE BORDER, THE
WESTERN FLANK IN UKRAINE.
IS THERE AN EXPLANATION FOR WHY
THE RUSSIANS HAVE NOT UNLEASH AN
AREAL ASSAULT ON UKRAINE OR EVEN
ON KYIV IN PARTICULAR?
>> FIRST OF ALL, THEY ARE UPPING
THOSE KINDS OF STRIKES.
LET'S CALL WHAT IT IS, IT IS WAR
CRIMES.
YOU ATTACK NUCLEAR POWER PLANT,
THEY'RE INCREASING.
WHY THEY HAVE NOT THUS FAR?
A, BECAUSE UKRAINIANS HAVE
WEAPONS WHICH WE PROVIDED,
THAT'S CREATING DETERRENCE.
RUSSIAN LOGISTICS AS WE HAVE
SEEN NOT FULLY PORT OF THESUPPOR
ALL-OUT WORK CAMPAIGN.
WE STILL HAVE A WINDOW TO GET
THESE WEAPONS IN THE HANDS OF
UKRAINIANS AND LET THEM CREATE
THIS NO FLY ZONE.
THEY CAN DO IT.
WHAT YOU JUST SAID ABOUT
LOGISTICS, DOES THAT EXPLAIN
THAT 40 MILES CONVOY THAT SEEMS
TO BE STUCK IN PLACE FOR ALMOST
A WEEK NOW.
>> I CALL THAT CONVOY OF THE
BIGGEST AND FATTEST TARGETS IN
UKRAINE.
PUT THAT 29s IN THE HANDS OF
UKRAINIANS AND WATCH IT BLOW UP.
YES, IT IS LOGISTICS SHORTFALL
AND IT IS BAD GENERAL SHIP AND
BAD LEADERSHIP AS THE RUSSIANS
CAME IN ON TOO MANY AXIS.
>> AND I THINK PROBABLY UNDER
ESTIMATED THE ALLIANCE, THE NATO
ALLIANCE SO YOU SPOKE TO "THE
NEW YORK TIMES" AND YOU SAID THE
GLOBAL SYSTEM WAS BUILT IN
1950s.
IF YOU THINK OF IT AS A CAR FROM
THOSE YEARS, IT IS BATTERED OUT
OF DATE IN SOME WAY AND COULD
USE A GOOD TUNE UP.
IRONICALLY ENOUGH, VLADIMIR
PUTIN HAS DONE MORE THAN A WEEK
TO ENERGIZE IT THAN ANYTHING I
CAN REMEMBER.
>> INDEED.
LET ME GIVE YOU A PRACTICAL
REMINISCE IN THAT REGARD.
I SPENT FOUR YEARS IN NATO, AT
EVERY MEETING HIGH LEVEL
OFFICIALS, I WOULD FIND MY WAY
TO CHANCELLOR MERKEL OF GERMANY
AND THE MINISTER OF DEFENSE, I
WOULD SAY TO THEM YOU GOT TO
RAISE YOUR DEFENSE SPENDING.
I GOT NOWHERE IN FOUR YEARS.
IN 48 HOURS, VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS
INSPIRED THE GERMANS TO
EFFECTIVELY NEARLY DOUBLE THEIR
DEFENSE BUDGET, A SMART MOVE ON
THE PART OF GERMANS.
VLADIMIR PUTIN MAY BE THE BEST
THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE
NATO ALLIANCE.
>> SPEAKING OF VLADIMIR PUTIN,
LET'S PLAY SOME SOUND FROM
YESTERDAY
YESTERDAY.
ODD STATEMENTS ONLY BECAUSE THIS
IS THE ONE WHERE HE WAS
SURROUNDED BY FLIGHT ATTENDANTS.
>> THERE IS SOME IRRESPONSIBLE
STATEMENTS THEY CREATE A NO-FLY
ZONE OVER THE TERRITORY OF
UKRAINE.
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DO.
ANY MOVE IN THAT DIRECTION WILL
BE CONSIDERED BY US AS
PARTICIPATION OF THAT COUNTRY IN
THE MILITARY ACTION.
THAT VERY SECOND WE'LL CONSIDER
THEM AS MEMBERS, PARTICIPANTS OF
THIS CONFLICT.
IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT MEMBERS
OF WHAT ALLIANCES THEY ARE.
SO, I UNDERSTAND I AM HOPING
THIS WILL NOT COME TO IT.
>> ADMIRAL, HOW SERIOUSLY DO YOU
TAKE THAT THREAT FROM VLADIMIR
PUTIN?
HE'S BEEN ISSUING THREATS
AGAINST THE ALLIANCE AND THE
WEST, THE WORLD SINCE HE INVADED
UKRAINE.
>> I TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
HE DOES HAVE NUCLEAR CAPABILITY.
MY ASSESSMENT IS HE'S HIGHLY
UNLIKELY TO USE NUCLEAR WEAPON
FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF OBVIOUS
REASONS.
WHEN YOU END UP IN A
CONVENTIONAL CONFLICT, THE NATO
ALLIANCE OUT SPENDS RUSSIA,
15-1.
WE HAVE A 5-1 ADVANTAGE IN
COMBAT AIRCRAFT.
IT IS 6-1 ADVANTAGE OF WARSHIPS.
HE'S NOT GOING TO PICK A FIGHT
WITH THE NATO ALLIANCE.
BY THE WAY, HOW UNSETTLING IS
THAT SET OF IMAGES WITH FLOWERS
AND TEAPOTS AND FLIGHT CREW
WHILE UKRAINIANS ARE BEING
PUSHED ACROSS THE BORDER,
1.5 MILLION REFUGEES.
THAT'S AN OUT OF TOUCH LEADER.
>> I GOT TO ASK YOU OF THE OP-ED
FROM BORIS JOHNSON WHO LAID OUT
6 POINT PLAN FROM HIS
PERSPECTIVE TO HELP UKRAINE, THE
FIRST ONE BEING MOBILIZING
INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN, DO
MORE TO HELP UKRAINE AND DEFEND
ITSELF AND MAXIMIZE THE ECONOMIC
PRESSURE ON PUTIN'S REGIME AND
PREVENT ANY NORMALIZATION WHAT
RUSSIA DOES IN UKRAINE.
THE OPEN TO DIPLOMACY AND DE
DEESCALATION.
REAL QUICKLY, PREVENT ANY
NORMALIZATION OF WHAT RUSSIA
DOES IN UKRAINE.
HOW VITAL IS THAT?
WE HAVE NOT SEEN BEHAVIORS LIKE
THIS BETWEEN NATIONS SINCE THE
1930s.
IF WE NORMALIZE IT, THE CASCADE
EFFECTS, THE AUTHORITARIAN STAYED CROSSING BORDERS WILL
STAYED CROSSING BORDERS WILL
TLUS US BACK TO THE TIMES O F
THE
THE ANCIENT ROMANS.
WE WON'T WANT TO GO THERE.
>> HE'S GOT HIS GUN SITE ON
MOLDOVA AND KAZAKHSTAN AND
BELARUS AND OTHER NATIONS,
SOVEREIGN NATIONS WHO WERE ONE
TIME APART OF THE SOVIET UNION.
THAT'S WHERE HE GOES NEXT.
I WORRY ABOUT THAT A LOT.
>> YOU DIDN'T MENTION THE
BALTICS.
>> THEY ARE NATO MEMBER.