EAST.
NEIL: BE SAFE, SEE YOU IN
ODESA, UKRAINE.
GENERAL JACK KEANE, ALWAYS GOOD
TO HAVE YOU.
WE ARE HEARING AS WELL BUT
FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRO
WANTS TO TALK TO RUSSIA TO END
MORE UKRAINE, THE UKRAINIANS
ARE NOT ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THAT
PROSPECT.
>> Reporter: THAT IS ONE OF THE
PROBLEMS WE HAVE.
THE UNITED STATES AND
PARTICULARLY NATO COUNTRIES ARE
ALL OVER THE MAP IN TERMS OF
THE OBJECTIVE IN SUPPORTING
UKRAINE.
OBVIOUSLY WE WANT TO HELP THEM
BUT THERE ARE DIFFERENT
OBJECTIVES.
TO CHARACTERIZE THEM, FRANCE
AND GERMANY WANT TO GO TO A
CEASE-FIRE NOW.
THEY WANT NEGOTIATIONS.
THAT IS NOT IN UKRAINE’S
INTEREST.
THAT LEAVES HUNDREDS OF
THOUSANDS OF RUSSIAN TROOPS
INSIDE UKRAINE TO REBUILD,
REORGANIZE AND I DON’T BELIEVE
VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS GIVEN UP HIS
ASPIRATIONS TO TOPPLE THE KYIV
GOVERNMENT AT SOME POINT
KNOWING FULL WELL NOW IT WILL
TAKE MUCH LONGER, COULD BE
GREATER THE NEW YEAR BUT HIS
OBJECTIVE REMAINS THE SAME AND
WE HAVE OTHER COUNTRIES WHO ARE
ALL IN.
BY THAT I MEAN THE UK, EVERY
SINGLE DAY TALKS ABOUT WANTING
TO ACHIEVE VICTORY FOR UKRAINE,
DESTROY THE RUSSIAN MILITARY
INSIDE UKRAINE, THE BALTIC
STATES ALONG WITH THEM.
POLAND IS A HUGE SUPPORTER AND
OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES AS
WELL AND I THINK THE UNITED
STATES IS INTERESTING BECAUSE
WE BACKED OFF TALKING ABOUT
VICTORY FOR ZELENSKYY.
WE ARE SAYING WE WANT AN
INDEPENDENT SOVEREIGN UKRAINE IT IS ECONOMICALLY VIABLE, WHAT
IT IS ECONOMICALLY VIABLE, WHAT
WE INTENDS TO DO IS PROVIDE
UKRAINE, NEW LEVERAGE INTO NEGOTIATIONS.
NEGOTIATIONS. THAT IS A BIT DIFFERENT THAN,
THAT IS A BIT DIFFERENT THAN,
TO ACHIEVE A VICTORY.
AND HOW MUCH ASSISTANCE UKRAINE
IS GETTING.
FORTUNATELY THE SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE, TO GET THEIR SUPPORT.
OUR OWN SUPPORT WHICH IS
SIGNIFICANT, IT TAKES TOO LONG
TO MAKE A DECISION, ARE WE
PROVOKING VLADIMIR PUTIN OR
NOT?
WILL BE ESCALATORY?
AS OPPOSED TO HAVING A CLEAR
OBJECTIVE AND THE WEAPONS THEY
NEED TO ACCOMPLISH THAT CLEAR
OBJECTIVE?
THERE ARE CHALLENGES HERE AND
WE ARE AT A TIPPING POINT.
THEY NEED HELP NOW OR THE
RUSSIANS ARE GOING TO TAKE MORE
ADVANTAGE OF THE UKRAINIANS AND
THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO
PUSH BACK AND TAKE TERRITORY
BACK, THE RUSSIANS HAVE
SUFFERED SIGNIFICANTLY
CASUALTIES TRYING TO TAKE THIS
ONE CITY.
NEIL: THEY ARE GRINDING AWAY AT
IT BUT YOU MENTIONED FRACTURES
IN THE NATO COALITION.
THAT IS TO BE EXPECTED BUT IF I
AM FLANNERY PUTIN I’M LOOKING
AT THIS AND THINKING THEY ARE
BLINKING.
I AM NOT BLINKING.
>> YOU PUT YOUR FINGER ON IT.
MANY PEOPLE READ VLADIMIR PUTIN
WRONG FROM THE BEGINNING.
BECAUSE HE WAS HAVING TROUBLE
IN THE BEGINNING NOT ABLE TO
ACCOMPLISH HIS OBJECTIVE AS
QUICKLY AS HE THOUGHT HE COULD
THAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR SOME
KIND OF OFF OR EXIT RAMP, NOT
TRUE.
LETTER PUT NAPS OBJECTIVES
REMAIN THE SAME EVEN THOUGH IT
MAY TAKE LONGER TO ACHIEVE AND
THE ONLY WAY YOU STOP VLADIMIR
PUTIN AND THIS ENDS IS BY
FORCE.
HE WILL KEEP HAMMERING AND
HAMMERING AND HAMMERING, NATO
COUNTRIES WITH A HALFSTEP IN
GERMANY PROMISED THESE ADVANCED
WEAPONS, SIGNIFICANT
SELF-PROPELLED ARTILLERY
SYSTEMS, THEY PROMISED SEVERAL
WEEKS AGO AND HAVEN’T DELIVERED
ONE OF THEM.
THERE ARE CHALLENGES HERE.
YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT IN THE
FLANNERY PUTIN IS NOT BLINKING
AND HE’S GOING TO KEEP PUSHING
FORWARD DESPITE THE PROBLEMS HE
HAS WITH HIS MILITARY.
THE UKRAINIANS STILL HAVE THE
SKILL, THE WILL, FOR PEOPLE.
THEY JUST DON’T HAVE THE
WEAPONS SYSTEMS THEY NEED AS --
NEIL: SO MUCH THEY HAVE TO SORT
OUT.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR INCREDIBLE