JUST NOW: Putin Threatens America After Launching Missiles at Ukraine

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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.

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