JUST NOW: Putin Threatens America After Launching Missiles at Ukraine
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against military facilities of those
00:06countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities.
00:09I recommend that the ruling elites of those countries that are hatching plans to use their
00:13military contingents against Russia seriously think about this.
00:17The gravity of Vladimir Putin's warning cannot be understated.
00:21His statement brings the conflict beyond Ukraine's borders, framing it as a broader confrontation
00:26with Western powers.
00:28The rhetoric points to an increasingly volatile and unpredictable situation that has the world
00:33on edge.
00:34So we war game this scenario and we are right now on the escalation ladder inching towards
00:44a nuclear war.
00:46It's not going to happen today or tomorrow, but the way that it happens, the Russians
00:51and the United States are de facto right now in a war.
00:56Why is that?
00:57It's because those attack them don't fly by themselves, even though Ukrainians, a Ukrainian
01:02soldier technically can push the button.
01:06But the targeting of the weapon systems, ensuring that there's a proper flight trajectory of
01:12the missile, that it destroys the right target, the actual battle damage achieved that we
01:18wanted to achieve, it all requires U.S. personnel and U.S. satellites.
01:24This is why the Russians have stated that the United States and European targets are
01:31now in crosshairs.
01:33Rebecca Koffler's stark analysis makes it clear that this is no longer a conventional
01:38proxy war.
01:39The involvement of U.S. technology and expertise places the United States directly in the path
01:44of Russian retaliation.
01:46Her words underline how close the world is to a tipping point of unimaginable proportions.
01:52And every war game that we conducted back in the intelligence community ended up in
01:56a nuclear war.
01:57There was an escalation ladder.
02:00And the Russians have mapped that out in the course of 20 years, and we are on it right
02:05now.
02:06Well, some supporters say, you know, Ukraine has the right to defend itself, that it's
02:09just targeting Russian military sites that are attacking Ukraine, and this is perfectly
02:14legal and appropriate under international law.
02:17Absolutely, from the standpoint of the laws of armed conflict, Ukraine is entitled to
02:25its defense, and this is what the United States has been doing.
02:28But there's a rational approach, and then there's an irrational, a senseless one.
02:34This context adds to the urgency of the situation.
02:37While Ukraine's right to self-defense is supported by international law, the manner in which
02:42this defense is executed has far-reaching consequences.
02:47Trump's concerns about rational versus senseless strategies resonate as the conflict escalates.
02:53The Russians have suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties, Finland and Sweden are now
02:57NATO members, and Europe has been awakened from a post-Cold War slumber, more committed
03:02to defense than ever.
03:03So there's the potential here for a deal.
03:05It's going to be very challenging for the Trump team.
03:08Despite the devastation, some positive developments have emerged.
03:12NATO expansion and renewed European defense commitments represent a shift in global power
03:17dynamics.
03:18These changes could provide leverage for negotiations, though the path to peace remains fraught with
03:23difficulties.
03:24This is about topping the government so he can take control.
03:27That has been his motivation.
03:29He will never give up that aspiration.
03:31Even if there is a deal, Bill, he will violate it because he's violated every ceasefire in
03:37Ukraine previously and in Syria.
03:40And his aspiration, then he'll play the long game to take Ukraine eventually.
03:45So that's who we're dealing with.
03:47General Jack Keane's analysis of Putin's long-term objectives is sobering.
03:52The Russian president's ambitions extend far beyond the battlefield, and any agreement
03:57would likely be temporary unless backed by strong enforcement mechanisms.
04:01The two things that the Biden administration always said was that they didn't want a direct
04:05conflict with Russia, and they didn't want a nuclear war with Russia.
04:08And Putin has used that brinkmanship style to induce the Biden administration never to
04:13give Ukraine what they needed and when they needed it.
04:15This is ultimately a failure of the Biden administration's senseless as-long-as-it-takes
04:20strategy which assumed we had an indefinite amount of time to reach a conclusion to this
04:25conflict.
04:26The critique of U.S. strategy adds further complexity to the narrative.
04:30Hesitation and reactive measures have arguably prolonged the conflict, leaving Ukraine vulnerable
04:37and emboldening Putin's aggressive posture.
04:39Well, hopefully President Trump will come in and settle this.
04:44He is the only president that Putin fears, the only U.S. president, for multiple reasons.
04:50One of them is the U.S. Russian intelligence designated Trump as unpredictable, which means
04:57that when Trump negotiates, the Russians will not be able to tell whether he's bluffing
05:02or not, because the Russians are in excellent position to negotiate, the Ukrainians are
05:07not.
05:08But we have 60 days still when Biden, you know, has his finger on the nuclear button
05:14and Biden, multiple experts designated him as cognitively impaired.
05:20So we are in a very perilous situation.
05:22This perspective underscores how leadership plays a critical role in navigating such crises.
05:28The unpredictability attributed to Trump is seen by some as a strategic advantage,
05:33while Biden's perceived cautiousness has drawn criticism.
05:37The Russian military-industrial complex is right now working on a 24-7 basis, three shifts
05:44a day, pumping out those missile systems.
05:47Why is that?
05:48Because Putin has transitioned the Russian military and economy on a wartime footing
05:55seven years prior to invading Ukraine.
05:59And I personally briefed NATO, Obama's White House, National Security Council, STRATCOM,
06:04EUCOM, and all of these key pieces of the U.S. national security community about what
06:10was coming, right, at the highly classified level.
06:13And yet, what the Pentagon has decided to do is use Ukraine effectively as a human shield
06:21to protect the Europeans who didn't want to pay for their own security.
06:25Kofler's account paints a grim picture of Russia's long-term preparation for war and
06:30the strategic challenges faced by the West.
06:33The suggestion that Ukraine is being used as a buffer raises questions about how the
06:37conflict has been managed from the outset.
06:40I recommend that the ruling elites of those countries that are hatching plans to use their
06:44military contingents against Russia seriously think about this.
06:48This dangerous brinkmanship is compounded by the criticism directed at Western leadership,
06:53as many argue that a lack of clear, proactive strategy has allowed the situation to spiral.
06:59Rebecca Kofler's analysis points to a stark reality.
07:03What the Pentagon has decided to do is use Ukraine effectively as a human shield to protect
07:10the Europeans who didn't want to pay for their own security.
07:13Such comments force us to confront the harsh realities of modern warfare and global politics.
07:19Amidst this chaos, the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the shifting geopolitical landscape
07:25have brought NATO closer together and awakened Europe to the dangers of complacency.
07:30Yet, with Putin's ambitions far from quelled and the possibility of further escalation
07:35always on the table, the stakes have never been higher.
07:39Can the international community find a way to navigate this treacherous path and achieve
07:44lasting peace?
07:45Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.