THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE.
>> AND FOR VLADIMIR PUTIN.
IT IS A DIRECT APPEAL.
WE ARE ALSO FOLLOWING THE
BREAKING NEWS FROM WESTERN
UKRAINE OVERNIGHT AS RUSSIA
TARGETS THE CITY OF LVIV.
A HUMANITARIAN HUB, ONE OFFICIAL
SAID RUSSIA IS NOT AT WAR WITH
OUR ARMY BUT WITH THE
POPULATION.
WOMEN, CHILDREN AND IMMIGRANTS.
CIVILIANS WERE ALSO HIT IN
UKRAINE'S SECOND LARGEST CITY,
KHARKIV.
23 PEOPLE KILLED, DOZENS INJURED
WHEN A SCHOOL AND A CULTURAL
CENTER WERE TARGETED.
SECRETARY OF STATE TONY BLINKEN
ECHOED PRESIDENT BIDEN YESTERDAY
IN CALLING VLADIMIR PUTIN A WAR
CRIMINAL, BUT HOW LIKELY IS IT
THAT HE WILL BE HELD LEGALLY
ACCOUNTABLE?
WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE
CHALLENGES THERE.
>>> AND A CONVERSATION THAT
COULD TIP THE SCALES OF THE WAR
AS PRESIDENT BIDEN IS SET TO
SPEAK WITH CHINA'S XI JINPING
THREE HOURS FROM NOW.
THAT IS A PIVOTAL CONVERSATION
FOR SURE.
GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO
"MORNING JOE."
IT IS FRIDAY, MARCH 18th.
A LOT TO GET TO THIS MORNING.
>>> UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS SAY THEY
ARE WORKING TO TRANSPORT THE
BODIES OF MORE THAN 14,000
RUSSIAN TROOPS BACK TO THEIR
COUNTRY.
UKRAINE'S DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
ANNOUNCED THE EFFORTS IN A VIDEO
YESTERDAY, SAYING HIS COUNTRY
WAS RECEIVING ASSISTANCE FROM
THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS.
U.S. INTELLIGENCE HAS PREVIOUSLY
SAID UPWARDS OF 7,000 RUSSIAN
SOLDIERS HAVE BEEN KILLED IN
COMBAT SO FAR, FAR FEWER THAN
THE DEATH TOLL PROVIDED BY THE
UKRAINIAN GOVERNMENT.
NBC NEWS CANNOT VERIFY EITHER
NUMBER.
"THE WASHINGTON POST" REPORTS
THIS MORNING, QUOTE, THE RUSSIAN
INVASION OF UKRAINE NOW IN ITS
FOURTH WEEK, IS BASICALLY FROZEN
ON THE GROUND AMID FIERCE
RESISTANCE AND MOUNTING
LOGISTICAL DIFFICULTIES,
ACCORDING TO THE PEN ITTAGON.
HOWEVER, THEIR INDISCRIMINATE
BOMBING OF UKRAINE CONTINUES.
RUSSIAN FORCES ONCE AGAIN STRUCK
THE WESTERN CITY OF LVIV THIS
MORNING, LAUNCHING SIX MISSILES
NEAR THE SECOND LARGEST AIRPORT.
THE MAYOR SAYS THEY HIT A
FACILITY USED TO REPAIR MILITARY
AIRCRAFT AND DESTROY THE
BUILDING.
UKRAINE'S AIR FORCE SAYS TWO OF
THE MISSILES WERE INTERCEPTED.
>>> SEARCH EFFORTS ARE UNDER WAY
FOR SURVIVORS IN THE RUBBLE OF
THE MARIUPOL DRAMA THEATER THAT
WAS BOMBED BY RUSSIAN FORCES.
RESCUE WORKERS YESTERDAY STARTED
TO CLEAR OUT THE DEBRIS AND
TRIED TO FREE THOSE WHO ARE
TRAPPED INSIDE.
UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS SAY THE BOMB
SHELTER UNDER THE THEATER IS
ACTUALLY INTACT AND THERE ARE
SURVIVORS.
HUNDREDS OF CIVILIANS INCLUDING
WOMEN AND CHILDREN WERE TAKING
SHELTER IN THE THEATER AFTER
THEIR HOMES WERE DESTROYED.
RUSSIA HAS DENIED CARRYING OUT
THE ATTACK.
RUSSIAN FORCES POUND RESIDENTIAL
AND EDUCATION BUILDINGS, KILLING
CIVILIANS IN OTHER CITIES AS
WELL.
AT LEAST 23 PEOPLE WERE KILLED
AND 26 INJURED WHEN RUSSIAN
SHELLS HIT A SECONDARY SCHOOL
AND A CULTURAL CENTER IN THE
COUNTRY'S SECOND LARGEST CITY,
KHARKIV.
LOCAL OFFICIALS SAY TEN OF THOSE
INJURED ARE IN CRITICAL
CONDITION.
A MASSIVE FIRE BLAZED ACROSS THE
LARGEST MARKET IN THE CITY.
ONE EMERGENCY WORKER WAS KILLED
IN THE ATTACK WHILE ANOTHER WAS
INJURED.
"THE WASHINGTON POST" SAYS ONE
OF ITS REPORTERS SAY EVIDENCE OF
CLUSTER BOMBS BEING USED IN THE
CITY.
"THE POST" REPORTS THAT MORGUES
ARE OVERFLOWING IN THE CITY.
UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS INVOLVED IN
PEACE TALKS WITH RUSSIA DO NOT
BELIEVE RUSSIAN NEGOTIATORS ARE
INTERESTED IN PEACE.
AN ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT
ZELENSKYY TOLD "AXIOS," QUOTE,
THE QUESTION IS WHETHER PUTIN IS
REALLY SERIOUS.
THE NEGOTIATORS SEEM LIKE
THEY'RE MORE SERIOUS THAN THEY
WERE BEFORE, HOWEVER, WHETHER
THIS IS STILL A EMPLOY IS TO BE
SEEN.
HE ADDED, THE RUSSIANS -- IF THE
RUSSIANS WERE SERIOUS, A DEAL
COULD BE REACHED IN THE NEXT FEW
WEEKS.
IF UKRAINIAN FORCES AND THE WEST
CONTINUE TO PUT PRESSURE ON
PUTIN -- SEE, THE WORRY IS THAT
RUSSIANS ARE JUST USING THIS
TIME TO REFILL THEIR AMMUNITION,
TO GET READY TO LAUNCH AGAIN.
>> WELL, THEIR PROBLEM IS
THOUGH -- AND I HAVE HEARD THAT
AN AWFUL LOT, THAT THERE IS,
THESE ARE JUST STALL TACTICS.
BUT WHAT ARE THEY STALL TACTICS
FOR IN IT IS NOT LIKE THEY HAVE
A PLAN B.
THEY'RE STUCK LOGISTICALLY.
THEIR TROOP MORALE IS HORRIFIC.
THEY'VE LOST BETWEEN 7,000 AND
14,000 TROOPS.
VLADIMIR PUTIN KNOWS THEY CAN'T
TAKE KYIV, THEY CAN'T TAKE THESE
MAJOR CITIES.
I DO UNDERSTAND THAT THE
RUSSIANS ARE ALWAYS CYNICAL IN
NEGOTIATIONS.
IN THIS CASE THOUGH, LOOK WHAT
IS HAPPENING ON THE GROUND.
YOU HAVE A MILITARY OPERATION
THAT'S BEEN AN ABSOLUTE
DISASTER.
IT HAS COLLAPSED.
AS WE'VE HEARD I THINK GENERAL
BARRY McCAFFREY SAYS YOUR FIRST
DAY AT WAR IS ALWAYS YOUR BEST.
IT IS NOT GOING TO GET ANY
BETTER AND THIS ISN'T.
I KNOW THE GLORY DAYS FOR
RUSSIAN MILITARY HISTORIANS ARE
THINKING BACK TO NAPOLEON'S
INVASION, HOW THINGS STARTED
BADLY AND THEN THEY RAPPELLED
NAPOLEON.
>> YEAH.
>> OR THE INVASION IN JUNE OF
1941 OF HITLER INTO RUSSIA AS
WELL, AND THEY GOT ALL THE WAY
TO THE SUBURBS OF MOSCOW AND
THEN THE GERMANS PUSHED THEM
BACK.
OF COURSE, THE HEROIC FIGHTING
IN LENINGRAD, BUT WHAT DID YOU
HAVE THERE?
YOU HAD TWO INVADERS.
RUSSIA IS THE INVADER NOW.
RUSSIA IS ACTUALLY IN THE
POSITION, AND THE MORE TROOPS
THEY BRING IN, THE MORE TROOPS
THAT WILL BE KILLED.
THIS IS SOMETHING RIGHT NOW IN A
CLOSED SOCIETY, IN A
TOTALITARIAN REGIME, AN
AUTHORITARIAN REGIME THAT
VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS, HE MAY
BELIEVE AT THIS POINT HE CAN
BLAME RUSSIANS WHO WERE NOT
LOYAL, HE CAN BLAME HIS INTEL
STAFF, HE CAN BRING THE RUSSIAN
TROOPS BACK, HOLD SOME PARADES,
CLAIM THEY PICKED UP TERRITORY,
CLAIM THEY STOPPED UKRAINE FROM
GOING TO THE WEST.
>> YEAH.
>> AND TRY TO DECLARE A VICTORY.
IN THIS CASE, I'M JUST SAYING IN
THIS CASE STALLING, IT DOES
VLADIMIR PUTIN NO GOOD.
IT JUST GETS HIM DEEPER IN THIS
QUICK SAND.
>> YEAH, ALTHOUGH THEY CAN
REFUEL AND THEN GO IN AGAIN.
>> REFUEL AND HAVE MORE SOLDIERS
DIE.
IT REALLY --
>> THEY WILL.
>> THERE IS NO GOOD END GAME
HERE FOR RUSSIA.
>> WELL, AND THEY ARE -- THE TWO
THINGS THAT CLEARLY WILL
CONTINUE TO PULL AT UKRAINE IS
THE -- JUST BRUTALITY OF THE
WOMEN AND THE CHILDREN THAT ARE
BEING KILLED AND BEING EVEN
TARGETED.
,
AND THE FACT THEY'RE MOVING
WEST, HITTING THE BEAUTIFUL
HISTORIC CITY OF LVIV IS TRAGIC.
IT IS GOING TO MAKE UKRAINIANS
FEEL LIKE THE ENTIRE COUNTRY,
THEY'RE GETTING THERE, THEY'RE
GETTING TO THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.
>> EVEN THAT WORKS AGAINST
VLADIMIR PUTIN.
LET'S LOOK WHAT IS HAPPENING
HERE AGAIN.
MILITARILY, HE'S FACED A
DISASTER.
THIS IS A HUMILIATION IN FRONT
OF UKRAINE, IN FRONT OF THE
WEST, IN FRONT OF THE WORLD, A
HUMILIATION THAT HE DOESN'T WANT
CHINA TO SEE.
HE DOESN'T WANT HIS ENEMIES TO
SEE OR HIS FRIENDS.
AND THEN YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT
THE WAR CRIMES THAT ARE BEING
COMMITTED EVERY DAY.
>> YEAH.
>> THIS PUSHES PUTIN FURTHER AND