>>> FIVE WEEKS OF WAR.
FIVE WEEKS OF BRUTAL, FEROCIOUS,
COMPOUNDING CRUELTY IN UKRAINE
AND YET BRUISED AND BATTERED
THAT COUNTRY IS STILL STANDING
AND STRONG.
ONE MAJOR DEVELOPMENT THIS
AFTERNOON, YOU MIGHT REMEMBER
OUR COVERAGE OF IRPIN, THE KYIV
SUBURB WHERE IN THE EARLY DAYS
OF THE WAR RICHARD ENGLE
DOCUMENTED THE DESTRUCTION THERE
AS RUSSIAN FORCES MOVED CLOSER.
THIS AFTERNOON THE MAYOR SAYS
THEY HAVE RETAKEN THE TOWN FROM
THE RUSSIANS.
NBC NEWS NOR AMERICAN MILTD
OFFICIALS CAN CONFIRM THAT BUT
STILL IT SOUNDS LIKE A HOPEFUL
SIGN AND A SIGN THAT'S
INDICATIVE OF HOW THINGS ARE
GOING IN UKRAINE AND RUSSIA'S
FAILURE TO SWALLOW THE COUNTRY
WHOLE AND RESULTING IN WHAT
LOOKS LIKE FROM THE VANTAGE
POINT A CHANGE INTACT FOR THE
RUSSIANS.
FROM THE STRATEGY OF DOMINANCE
AND VICTORY TO PERHAPS A MORE
FOCUSED OBJECTIVE IF YOU WILL.
DOMINATION OF EASTERN UKRAINE
AND SPLITTING THE COUNTRY IN
TWO.
PEOPLE HAVE MADE THE COMPARISON
TO NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA.
MARIUPOL IS AN EASTERN CITY
THAT'S BEEN REDUCED TO RUBBLE BY
RUSSIAN BOMBARDMENT.
IT IS DESCRIBED AS A GENOCIDE BY
THE MAYOR THERE.
THOUSANDS HAVE DIED AND MANY
MORE ARE STILL TRAPPED.
THERE'S AN EFFORT TO PROVIDE
HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS AND
ACROSS UKRAINE.
THE U.N. ANNOUNCED AN ARRANGED
CEASE-FIRE AND PEACE
NEGOTIATIONS SET TO COMMENCE
THIS WEEK IN TURKEY.
UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY
SUGGESTING THE GOVERNMENT WILL
CONSIDER COMPROMISES INCLUDING
NEUTRALITY AND SECURITY
GUARANTEES.
TUS PENTAGON SAYS THAT IT
DEPLOYING MORE AIRCRAFT AND NAVY
PERSONNEL TO GERMANY.
THE BUDGET ANNOUNCED TODAY
INCLUDES SUBSTANTIAL FUNDING
HAVING TO DO WITH THE WAR IN
UKRAINE AND THE PRIMARY FOCUS
SHIFTED TO AN OFF THE CUFF
COMMENT MADE THIS WEEKEND WHILE
TRAVELINGING IN EUROPE.
HE INSISTED THE PERSONAL VIEWS
THAT PUTIN CANNOT REMAIN IN
POWER DO NOT SIGNIFY A POLICY
REGIME CHANGE IN RUSSIA.
>> NUMBER ONE, I'M NOT WALKING
ANYTHING BACK.
THE FACT OF THE MATTER I WAS
EXPERIENCING THE MORAL OUTRAGE I
FELT IN THE ACTIONS OF THIS MAN.
>> WHAT MADE YOU ADD THAT AT THE
END, MR. PRESIDENT?
>> I WAS TALKING TO THE RUSSIAN
PEOPLE.
THE LAST PART OF THE SPEECH WAS
TALKING TO THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE
AND WHAT WE THOUGHT AND
COMMUNICATING THIS TO NOT ONLY
THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE BUT THE WHOLE
WORLD.
THIS IS -- THIS IS JUST STATING
A SIMPLE FACT.
THAT THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR IS
TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.
TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE AND THE WAY
TO DEAL WITH IT IS STRENGTHEN
AND KEEP NATO COMPLETELY UNITED
AND HELP UKRAINE WHERE WE CAN.
>> JOINING OUR LIVE COVERAGE NBC
NEWS CORRESPONDENT ALI AROUZI
AND WHITE HOUSE KRONTSD MIKE
MEMORY AND OUR FRIEND RETIRED
FOUR STAR GENERAL BARRY
McCAFFREY IS HERE.
GENERAL McCAFFREY, WHY CAN'T WE
HOLD THE TWO THOUGHTS IN OUR
HEAD AT THE SAME TIME THAT U.S.
POLICY DID NOT SHIFT TO REGIME
CHANGE IN RUSSIA AND IN THE U.S.
PRESIDENT'S OPINION THIS MAN
SHOULD NOT STAY IN POWER?
>> WELL, THAT PRESS CONFERENCE
WAS PAINFUL TO WATCH.
I RESPECT AND ADMIRE PRESIDENT
BIDEN BUT THERE HAVE BEEN A
SERIES OF MISSTATEMENTS IN
PUBLIC THAT HAVE HAD THE EFFECT
OF DIVIDING OUR NATO ALLIES AND
STEPPING ON HIS OWN MESSAGE BUT
YOU EVERY QUITE CORRECT.
AT THE END OF THE DAY PUTIN
CLEARLY IS A CRIMINAL, BRUTAL
VIOLATOR OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
WHO CAN NEVER BE WELCOMED BACK
INTO THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY.
AND WHO IS DOING TERRIBLE
DAMAGE, NOT JUST TO UKRAINE, BUT
TO HIS OWN PEOPLE AND MAY HAVE
SEEN THE RUSSIAN ARMY SUFFER
25,000 OR MORE CASUALTIES WITH
MORE TO COME.
BUT THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES HAS TO HAVE A DIFFERENT
POSTURE AND POSITION CLEARLY
THAN OUTSIDE CRITICS.
>> GENERAL McCAFFREY, ARE WE
COMPLICIT IN REFRAMING THE
RUSSIAN OBJECTIVES SAYING
PERHAPS THE GOAL FROM DOMINATION
TO DIVIDING THE COUNTRY IN TWO?
ISN'T THAT THEIR STRATEGIC REDO
OF WHAT THE WAR IN UKRAINE AND
THE INVASION IS ALL ABOUT?
>> WE'RE TRYING TO READ THE TEA
LEAVES.
YOU MAKE A STRONG POINT.
I DON'T THINK PUTIN'S MINDSET
PROBABLY HAS CHANGED ONE WIT.
HE'S PUBLICLY ADVOCATED
REINTEGRATING UKRAINE IN MOTHER
RUSSIA.
THEY'RE ATTACKING THROUGHOUT THE
COUNTRY WITH CRUISE MISSILES
TARGETING CIVILIANS TO FORCE
CAPITULATION OR CHANGE THE WAR
AIMS BY THE UKRAINIANS SO I
THINK PROBABLY RIGHT NOW WHAT'S
HAPPENED IS A TACTICAL DISASTER
IS FORCINGING THE RUINS TO SAY
WHAT CAN WE GET IN THE SHORT
RUN?
THEY DESPERATELY NEED TO KEEP
THE LAND BRIDGE FROM CRIMEA UP
TO THE DONBAS AND I THINK THEY
BELIEVE THEY HAVE TO GET ODESA.
IT IS NOT CLEAR TO ME THEY CAN
DO EITHER.
SO THEY HAVE BEEN FORCED BACK ON
THE HEELS AND WILL TRY TO
SCAVENGE MANPOWER THROUGHOUT
RUSSIA FROM THE MIDEAST AND
ELSEWHERE TO KEEP THIS BATTLE
GOING.
BUT PUTIN'S IN TROUBLE.
THE RUSSIAN ARMY IS IN TROUBLE.
>> MIKE MEMOLI, I TAKE ALL THE
POINT AND DEFER TO HIS
EXPERIENCE OWN THESE ISSUES BUT
SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
THE PRESIDENT SEEMED TO DESCRIBE
VLADIMIR PUTIN'S TENDENCY TO DO
WHAT VLADIMIR PUTIN DO AS I HAVE
HEARD FROM AMBASSADOR McFAUL AND
DESCRIBING TERRORISTS ATTACK.
THEY TERRORIZE PEOPLE BECAUSE
THAT IS THE TACTIC.
DOES THE WHITE HOUSE SEE PUTIN
AS A TERRORIST IN UKRAINE,
TERRORIZING THE COUNTRY'S
CIVILIAN POPULATION?
>> Reporter: I THINK THE
PRESIDENT HAS BEEN QUITE CLEAR
NOW WITH WHAT HE THINKS OF THIS
PRESIDENT.
HE SAID THAT HE'S A WAR
CRIMINAL, THAT HE IS A BUTCHER,
A DICTATOR AND GOT IN TROUBLE
OVER THE WEEKEND SAYING THAT
THIS MAN CANNOT REMAIN IN POWER.
THAT IS WHAT WAS ARTICULATED
TODAY AS THE PERM VIEW OF THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
AND THE FACT AS PRESIDENT BIDEN
SAID SO OFTEN AS A CANDIDATE THE
WORDS OF A PRESIDENT MATTER AND
TO WASHINGTON AND THE GLOBAL
FOREIGN POLICY COMMUNITY THE
PRESIDENT DOESN'T GET TO
ARTICULATE THE PERSONAL
STATEMENTS WITHOUT BEING SEEN AS
OFFICIAL POLICY AND INTERESTING
TO SEE THE PRESIDENT'S
RELATIONSHIP WITH VLADIMIR PUTIN
EVOLVED WHERE HE THOUGHT THERE'S
VALUE TO SIT DOWN WITH SORT OF
PUT THE ISSUES ON THE TABLE,
TICK THROUGH WHERE AND WHAT THE
U.S. VIEW IS ON THEM AND WHERE
TO FIND POTENTIAL COMMON GROUND
AND POTENTIALLY USE THAT
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP TO DEAL
WITH THE PROBLEMS GOING FORWARD.
NOW YOU HEARD SOMETHING STRIKING
FROM THE PRESIDENT TODAY AS PART
OF THAT NEWS CONFERENCE SAYING I
DON'T CARE WHAT VLADIMIR PUTIN
THINKS.
CLEARLY HIS VIEW HAS CHANGED NOW
OVER COURSE OF THE TIME IN
OFFICE TO VIEW THE FACT THAT
VLADIMIR PUTIN IS PERHAPS NOT A
RATIONAL ACTOR ANYMORE, SIMPLY
GOING TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON HIS
PLAN RESULTS CONSEQUENCES BE
DAMNED AND PROPOSES SIGNIFICANT
CHALLENGES FOR THE
ADMINISTRATION MOVING FORWARD
AND INTERESTING GIVEN WHAT
POLICY HAS BEEN TO AVOID