>>> 2014, FIVE YEARS AGO, RUSSIA IS HOSTING THE WINTER OLYMPICS.
THE EYES OF THE WORLD ARE UPON
RUSSIA AND SPECIFICALLY UPON
PUTIN.
PUTIN. PUTIN IS IN HIS GLORY.
BEFORE THE GAMES WERE OVER,
RUSSIA AND PUTIN IN PARTICULAR
GOT VERY EMBARRASSED.
A HUGE PRO-DEMOCRACY UPRISING
TOOK OVER THE STREETS OF THE
CAPITAL CITY OF UKRAINE.
RUSSIA HAD TAKEN CARE IN UKRAINE
TO PROP UP A PRO-PUTIN STRONGMAN
AS THE LEADER OF THAT COUNTRY.
HE EMPLOYED PAUL MANAFORT,
DONALD TRUMP’S SOON TO BE
CAMPAIGN CHAIRMAN AS HIS TOP
POLITICAL ADVISER.
POLITICAL ADVISER. IN 2014, IN THE FACE OF MASS
PROTESTS BY UKRAINIANS DEMANDING
THEIR COUNTRY BE A WESTERN
FACING COUNTRY, IT INTEGRATE
WITH EUROPE, IT NO LONGER BE
CONTROLLED AS A CORRUPT OUTPOST
OF RUSSIA AND THE KREMLIN, THAT
PRO-PUTIN UKRAINIAN LEADER
INITIALLY RESPONDED BY KILLING
LOTS OF CIVILIAN PROTESTERS.
THAT LOOKED JUST TERRIBLE
ALONGSIDE THE OLYMPIC COVERAGE.
DIDN’T IT?
DIDN’T IT? ULTIMATELY, HE ENDED UP FLEEING.
HE FLED FIRST TO EASTERN UKRAINE
AND THEN HE ULTIMATELY FLED TO
MOSCOW.
MOSCOW. THE PROTESTERS HAD WON.
UKRAINE WOULD TURN WEST AND
START TO DISENTANGLE ITSELF FROM
THE KREMLIN.
THE KREMLIN. OF COURSE, PUTIN WAS NOT HAVING
IT.
IT. ULTIMATELY, IN 2014, PUTIN WOULD
CHOOSE TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM,
THIS EMBARRASSING PROBLEM IN
UKRAINE WITH MILITARY ACTION.
INCLUDING JUST INVADING AND
SEIZING A BIG PORTION OF
UKRAINE.
UKRAINE. CRIMEA.
CRIMEA. FOR EUROPE, IT WAS THE FIRST USE
OF MILITARY FORCE BY ONE COUNTRY
TO MOVE BORDERS AND TAKE A PIECE
OF ANOTHER COUNTRY SINCE WORLD
WAR II.
WAR II. IN ADDITION TO SEIZING CRIMEA
AND MAKING IT PART OF RUSSIA,
RUSSIAN FORCES DUG IN FOR A LONG
WAR AND OCCUPATION IN OTHER
PARTS OF UKRAINE.
WHILE RUSSIA THOUGHT THIS WAS
ITS RIGHT AND UKRAINE WAS ITS TO
TAKE IF IT WANTED TO, THAT’S NOT
HOW THE WORLD IS SUPPOSED TO
WORK ANYMORE.
WORK ANYMORE. THIS IS A BIG DEAL.
A BIG DEPARTURE FROM THE WAY
COUNTRIES ARE SUPPOSED TO
INTERACT, PARTICULARLY COUNTRIES
IN EUROPE OR ON EUROPE’S
BORDERS.
BORDERS. THE INTERNATIONAL REACTION WAS
SWIFT AND UNSETTLE AND VERY
SERIOUS.
SERIOUS. A BUNCH OF THINGS HAPPENED TO
RUSSIA IN RESPONSE TO THAT
BEHAVIOR BY THEM.
BECAUSE THEY ARE STILL KEEPING
CRIMEA AND BECAUSE THEY ARE
STILL OCCUPYING AND WAGING WAR
INSIDE OTHER PARTS OF UKRAINE,
THESE REPERCUSSIONS HAVEN’T
ENED.
ENED. IT’S
IT’S IT’S BEEN A LONG FIVE YEARS MUCH
WE ARE GETTING A CLEAR PICTURE
IN THE U.S. ABOUT OUR OWN
GOVERNMENT THAT YOU CAN SEE VERY
CLEARLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
MENU OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT
WERE DONE TO RUSSIA, THE THINGS
THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN TO
RUSSIA AS PUNISHMENT FOR THAT
BEHAVIOR.
BEHAVIOR. RUSSIA WAS SUBJECT TO
INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS.
INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS. THE OLIGARCHS HAD.
THAT WAS ONE PART.
ALSO, THE G-8 BECAME THE G-7.
RUSSIA AND PUTIN WERE KICKED OUT
OF THE GROUP OF THE WORLD’S MOST
INFLUENTIAL COUNTRIES.
INFLUENTIAL COUNTRIES. THAT WAS ONE PART OF IT.
ALSO THE UNITED STATES STARTED
DIRECTLY PROVIDING LOTS OF AID,
ASSISTANCE TO UKRAINE, TO ALLOW
UKRAINE TO STAND UP AGAINST
RUSSIA.
RUSSIA. IN ADDITION TO THAT, A FOURTH
PILLAR OF THE RESPONSE TO WHAT
RUSSIA DID TO UKRAINE, IN LOTS
OF COUNTRIES IN EUROPE, THE U.S.
SET UP SOMETHING CALLED THE
EUROPEAN DETERRENCE INITIATIVE.
WHEN PRESIDENT OBAMA ANNOUNCED
IT, IT WAS CALLED THE EUROPEAN
REASSURANCE INITIATIVE.
REASSURANCE INITIATIVE. THEN CHANGED TO THE EUROPEAN
DETERRENCE INITIATIVE.
DETERRENCE INITIATIVE. THE BASIC IDEA WAS THE SAME.
TO REASSURE ALLIES OF OUR
COMMITMENT TO THEIR SECURITY AND
TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AS A
NECESSARY AND APPROPRIATE SHOW
OF SUPPORT TO OUR ALLIES WHO ARE
NOW DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT
RUSSIA’S OCCUPATION OF CRCRIMEA.
THE UNITED STATES STANDS BY ITS
ALLIES AS THEY HAVE STOOD BY US.
THAT’S HOW THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCED THAT
NEW EUROPEAN REASSURANCE OR
EUROPEAN DETERRENCE INITIATIVE.
THOSE ARE FOUR BIG THINGS THE
U.S. DID WITH THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY TO PUNISH RUSSIA FOR
THEIR BAD BEHAVIOR, TO PUSH BACK
AGAINST RUSSIA TO STOP THEM FROM
DOING MORE, TO PRESSURE THEM TO
REVERSE THEIR ACTIONS.
SANCTIONS, KICKING THEM OUT OF
THE G-8, AID TO UKRAINE AND THIS
EUROPEAN INITIATIVE.
EUROPEAN INITIATIVE. WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL FOUR OF
THOSE THINGS?
THOSE THINGS? SANCTIONS, WE KNOW THAT THAT WAS
THE MAIN POINT AND THE BOTTOM
LINE OF ALL THE KNOWN
CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN AND VARIOUS PEOPLE
ASSOCIATED WITH THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT DURING THE 2016
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. AT THE TIME THE RUSSIAN
GOVERNMENT WAS INTERVENING IN
THE U.S. ELECTION TO TRY TO HELP
TRUMP WIN, ALL THESE EMISSARIES
FROM THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT WERE
IMPLORING PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH
THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN THAT THE
SANCTIONS ALL NEEDED TO GO.
IT SORT OF LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU
LOOK BACK AT THE 2016 CAMPAIGN
THAT THAT MIGHT HAVE JUST BEEN A
RUSSIAN OPERATION TARGETING THE
SANCTIONS, BECAUSE THAT WAS WHAT
THEY WENT TO THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN
ON OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN
IN THOSE CONNECTIONS.
SANCTIONS.
SANCTIONS. WE HAVE SEEN THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION TRY TO UNILATERAL
UNILATERALLY LIFT SANCTIONS.
WE HAVE SEEN TRUMP SLOW WALK
OTHER SANCTIONS, EVEN THOUGH
CONGRESS HAS RESISTED HIM ON
THAT.
THAT. THAT’S THE FIRST PILLAR,
SANCTIONS.
SANCTIONS. THEN THERE’S THE SECOND PILLAR,
RUSSIA KICKED OUT OF THE G-8.
LAST WEEK AT WHAT IS NOW THE G-7
SUMMIT, WE SAW PRESIDENT TRUMP
REPEATEDLY ARGUING THAT RUSSIA
OUGHT TO BE LET BACK IN.
IT SHOULD GO BACK TO BEING THE
G-8.
G-8. HE MIGHT INVITE PUTIN HIMSELF.
THAT’S THE FIRST TWO PILLARS,
SANCTIONS, G-8 BECOMING THE G-7.
THE THIRD ONE, AID TO UKRAINE.
LAST WEEK POLITICO HAD THE SCOOP
ON THAT THIRD PILLAR OF THE
RESPONSE TO WHAT RUSSIA DID,
WHICH IS AMERICA’S AID TO
UKRAINE.
UKRAINE. POLITICO’S SCOOP, TRUMP HOLDS UP
UKRAINE MILITARY AID MEANT TO
CONFRONT RUSSIA.
CONFRONT RUSSIA. U.S. MILITARY AID TO UKRAINE IS
SEEN AS A LITMUS TEST FOR HOW
STRONGLY THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
IS PUSHING BACK AGAINST MOSCOW.
SCALING BACK THAT EXISTENCE
COULD EXPOSE TRUMP TO
ALLEGATIONS HIS POLICIES ARE
FAVORING MOSCOW.
FAVORING MOSCOW. THE FUNS FOR UKRAINE CAN’T BE
SPENT WHILE THEY ARE UNDER
REVIEW.
REVIEW. THE MONEY WILL EXPIRE SEPTEMBER
30 IF IT IS NOT SPENT BY THEN.
IF THAT UKRAINE ASSISTANCE ISN’T
SPENT BY THE END OF THIS MONTH,
IT GOES AWAY.
AS LONG AS IT’S UNDER REVIEW, IT
CAN’T BE SPENT.
UKRAINE IS NO LONGER GOING TO
GET AID FROM THE UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT.
GOVERNMENT. THAT’S THE THIRD THING THAT
HAPPENED.
HAPPENED. NOW THERE’S THIS FOURTH POINT.
THE EUROPEAN REASSURANCE
INITIATIVE, THE EUROPEAN DETER
DETERRENCE INITIATIVE.
DETERRENCE INITIATIVE. THE LAST OF THE FOUR PILLARS.
TRUMP IS KICKING THAT OUT.
THERE’S BEEN CONTROVERSY AND
CRITICISM OVER THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCING THAT
IT TURNS OUT MEXICO WON’T PAY
FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP’S WALL.
THEY WILL RAID U.S. MILITARY
FUNDS TO PAY FOR IT.
THAT’S LED TO HEADLINES LIKE
THESE AS CITIES AND STATES ALL
OVER THE U.S. LEARN ABOUT WHAT’S
BEING TAKEN AWAY FROM U.S.
MILITARY FACILITIES AND U.S.
TROOPS TO INSTEAD BUILD TRUMP’S
WALL.
WALL. WHAT ABOUT MEXICO?
ASIDE FROM WHAT THEY ARE TAKING
AWAY IN THE UNITED STATES, THEY
ARE ALSO TAKING AWAY MONEY FROM
A VERY SPECIFIC LIST OF OVERSEAS
PROJECTS.
PROJECTS. YOU MIGHT HAVE SEEN THE TINY
LITTLE PRINT ON THE SPREADSHEET
THEY PUT OUT LISTING THE STUFF
THEY ARE CUTTING TO FUND THE
WALL WITH THAT MONEY INSTEAD.
THIS IS A WHITE HOUSE DECISION
ABOUT WHAT MONEY THEY’RE GOING
TO TAKE FROM THE MILITARY, WHAT
THEY ARE GOING TO DE-FUND IN THE
U.S. MILITARY SO TRUMP CAN HAVE
HIS WALL.
HIS WALL. IT’S ITEMS AND COUNTRIES ALL
WITH TECHNICAL LANGUAGE AND
MILITARY ACRONYMS.
MILITARY ACRONYMS. IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY, IF YOU GET
OUT YOUR MAGNIFYING GLASS,
THERE’S A TREND HERE.
SEE THIS?
SEE THIS? SEE THAT FIRST INITIAL ERI, ERI,
EDI, EDI?
EDI, EDI? A LOT OF THE ITEMS ABOUT STUFF
THEY ARE CUTTING OVERSEAS START
WITH THIS AKCRONYMACRONYM.
EDI, EUROPEAN DETERRENCE
INITIATIVE.
INITIATIVE. ERI, WHAT IT USED TO BE CALLED,
EUROPEAN REASSURANCE INITIATIVE.
25 OF THE OVERSAERS SOVERSEAS PR
DESIGNED BY THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION AND HAVE BEEN
IMPLEMENTED SINCE TO FORM A
BULWARK AGAINST RUSSIA TO HELP
OUR NATO ALLIES BE REASSURED WE
HAVE THEIR BACK AND THAT WE WILL
HELP THEM DEVELOP THEIR CAPACITY
TO STAND UP AGAINST RUSSIA,
GIVEN WHAT RUSSIA HAS BEEN DOING
WITH ITS BAD BEHAVIOR IN THEIR
NEIGHBORHOOD, INCLUDING INVADING
OTHER COUNTRIES AND TAKING PARTS
OF THEM FOR ITSELF.
THIS STUFF IS NOT LIKE BUILDING
BASEBALL FIELDS OR PAINTING
SCARY FACES ON THE FRONT OF
FIGHTER PLANES, HOWEVER
IMPORTANT THOSE THINGS ARE.
THIS IS THE STUFF THAT THE
MILITARY BRAGS ABOUT AS ITS
SERIOUS DETERRENT MISSION
ABROAD.
ABROAD. THIS IS THE AIR FORCE TIMES
TALKING ABOUT WHAT’S BEING
FUNDED BY THE EUROPEAN
DETERRENCE INITIATIVE.
DETERRENCE INITIATIVE. IT WILL GO TO AIR BASE
IMPROVEMENTS IN EASTERN EUROPE,
INCLUDING A MUNITIONS STORAGE
FACILITY IN SLOWVAKIASLOVAKIA.
THOSE ITEMS ARE ON THIS LIST OF
THINGS THAT ARE NOW BEING CUT BY
PRESIDENT TRUMP.
PRESIDENT TRUMP. HERE IS THE AIR FORCE CHIEF OF
STAFF BRAGGING IN LIGHT OF THE
EUROPEAN DETERRENCE INITIATIVE
FUNDING.
FUNDING. RUSSIA’S AGGRESSION IS NOT
SIMPLE A MATTER TO UKRAINE, IT’S
A THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES
AND THE STABILITY OF THE
INTERNATIONAL ORDER.
INTERNATIONAL ORDER. WITH THIS EUROPEAN DETERRENCE
INITIATIVE WE HAVE YOUR BACK.
THAT WAS EARLIER THIS YEAR.
NOW TRUMP ANNOUNCED HE IS
CUTTING THOSE THINGS.
HERE IS THE U.S. NAVAL
INSTITUTE.
INSTITUTE. IN SPAIN, FOR EXAMPLE, $21.6
MILLION FOR PORT OPERATIONS
FACILITIES AS PART OF THE
PENTAGON’S EUROPEAN DETERRENCE
INITIATIVE, THAT IS BEING
DETERRED -- DEFERRED.
THAT BASE IS HOME TO FOUR U.S.
MISSILE DESTROYERS.
MISSILE DESTROYERS. $66 MILLION IN FUNDS FOR P-8A
POSEIDON AIRFIELD UPGRADES,
THAT’S BEING CUT TO PAY FOR THE
WALL.
WALL. THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF.
SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES
TRAINING FACILITIES AND
OPERATIONS FACILITIES IN IS
STONE YA
STONE YA ESTONIA, AMMUNITION UPGRADES.
IT’S BEEN INTERESTING TO WATCH
THIS PARTICULARLY IN LOCAL
NEWSPAPERS.
NEWSPAPERS. THERE’S PEOPLE ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY WHO ARE STARTING TO GET
MAD ABOUT WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS
TAKING MONEY FROM TO PAY FOR HIS
WALL.
WALL. DAY CARE SERVICES, THEY ARE
DE-FUNDING THE DAY CARE CENTERAL
AL
AL AT ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE.
THE OVERSEAS CUTS, THEY HAVE A
SPECIFIC MESSAGE.
SPECIFIC MESSAGE. TO RUSSIA.
TO RUSSIA. THAT EVERYTHING, ALL FOUR OF
THESE PILLARS THAT THE UNITED
STATES SET UP AS ITS RESPONSE TO
RUSSIA FOR WHAT RUSSIA DID OVER
THE LAST FIVE YEARS, TO RESPOND
TO THEM INVADING AND SEIZING
ANOTHER PART OF A COUNTRY, ALL
OF THAT, THE SANCTIONS, KICKED
OUT OF THE G-8, MILITARY AID TO
THE COUNTRY THEY INVADED AND NOW
OUR ASSISTANCE TO OUR NATO
ALLIES, ALL OF THAT, ONE, TWO,
THREE, FOUR, ALL OF IT
DISMANTLED BY THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION.
ADMINISTRATION. DON’T WORRY.
DON’T WORRY. RUSSIA IS BACK IN THE BOX,
WORRIED ABOUT FURTHER BAD
BEHAVIOR AND WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN
TO THEM, JUST AS SOON AS THEY
GET DONE WITH THE NEW ROUND OF
EXPLODEINGEING EXPERIMENTAL
EXPLODEINGEING EXPERIMENTAL RADIOACTIVE ITEMS.
RADIOACTIVE ITEMS. THEY WILL GET BACK TO BEING THE
RESPONSIBLE INTERNATIONAL
RESPONSIBLE INTERNATIONAL CITIZEN THAT DESERVES EVERYTHING
THEY ARE GETTING FROM PRESIDENT