Many Americans have felt for a while now that, for some reason, Western leaders don’t want the war in Ukraine to end — and might even want it to turn into World War III. Glenn reads an article from the New York Times that sheds light on that possibility. In the article (which keeps reporting on alleged “secrets” that military leaders wouldn’t usually want leaked to Russia), Ukrainian military officials admit that the CIA has been funding a spy base in Ukraine. And for the past 10 years, the CIA has been using Ukraine as an important “intelligence partner” to spy on Russia. Paired with the news that Hungary is suddenly okay with allowing Sweden to join NATO, Glenn is left with only one conclusion: “There is a game being played here that I really don’t like.”
TranscriptBelow is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: I want you to listen to this story from the New York Times. And just help me out a bit, will you?
STU: Sure. Of course.
GLENN: Nestled in a tense forest. The Ukrainian military base appears abandoned and destroyed.
Its command center, a burned out husk, a casualty of a Russian missile barrage early in the war.
But that is only what's above ground. Not far away, a secret passageway descends to a subterranean bunker, where teams of Ukrainian soldiers track Russian spy satellites and eavesdrops on communications and conversations between Russian commanders.
On one screen, a red line followed the route of an explosive drone, as they threaded through the Russian air defenses. From the point in central Ukraine, to target in the Russian city of Rostov.
Now, Stu.
STU: Uh-huh.
GLENN: I don't think this is a secret. When it's in the New York Times.
But my first question here is: Why would the New York Times be talking about something that's just a few yards away, from a military base.
It's probably not hard to narrow this down. From a military base. Where there's hardened bunkers. Tracking everything.
And sending the drones, that they're trying to stop. Why would the in this put that in there?
STU: It seems --
GLENN: A good story?
STU: It seems like a bad move, if Ukraine to be victorious in a war. You wouldn't necessarily want to tip your hands to a Russian. You're right, they don't 79 to give specifics, exactly. Again, this is something they probably pretty easily can narrow down.
So, yeah. Why would you do this?
GLENN: So now, the next paragraph comes in.
The Russian underground -- sorry, the underground bunker, built to replace the destroyed command center, in the months after Russia's invasion, is a secret -- it's not secret. If I am reading about it in the New York -- is a secret nerve center of the Ukrainian military. Paragraph, but there's also one more secret, that now that we're printing it, it's no longer a secret.
The base is almost fully financed and partially equipped by the CIA.
General Sernie DeVoreski (phonetic) said 110 percent. Really? 110 percent?
That's true?
It took root, a decade ago. Coming together, in fits and starts, under three very different US presidents.
Pushing forward by key individuals, who often took daring risks.
It had transformed Ukraine. Whose intelligence agencies were long seen as thoroughly compromised by Russia. Into one of Washington's most trust and had important intelligence partners against the Kremlin today.
The CIA helped train a new generation of Ukrainian spies, who operate inside of Russia. Across Europe. And in Cuba. And other places, where the Russians have a large presence.
Well, that's helpful.
STU: Hmm.
GLENN: Can we reveal the knock list too?
The relationship is so engrained, that the CIA officers remained at a remote location in western Ukraine. When the Biden administration evacuated US personnel in the weeks before Russia invaded.
During the invasion, the officers relayed critical intelligence. Including where Russia was planning strikes, and which weapon systems they would use.
The Russian head of the -- or sorry. The head of the Ukrainian domestic intelligence agencies, said, without the CIA, it would have been -- there would be no way for us to resist the Russians. Or to beat them.
Oh. Now, Stu. Why would the New York Times print this?
STU: Maybe they're desirous of World War III. Huh.
STU: One potential explanation. Like you're trying to spark a flame that will result in all of us being lit on fire. And a fire explosion, across the entire globe.
GLENN: What would make you to jump to something like that?
STU: Well, it seems like, if what you're -- if the basic argument is, actually, we've been spying on Russia, through Ukraine this entire time.
And these suspicions of Vladimir Putin, that the West is using Ukraine, for these types of purposes, are well -- have a pretty viable foundation of truth.
That seems to be a terrible, terrible thing to be throwing into the New York Times.
Now, look, I would assume, the Russian military is aware of a lot of these things already. Obviously, it's their job and their business.
But I don't think drawing more attention to it, say good idea.
GLENN: So let me ask you: It's implied.
And pretty much everybody knows.
That Russia and China are hacking into our systems. That Russia has hacked into our power grid, et cetera, et cetera.
But what does Putin say about it, and the Russian media?
STU: Nothing.
GLENN: Not true. That's not true. We don't do that.
Okay. What if it came out in Pravda. And it quoted the head of the operation, in Russia. And it said, absolutely. We are targeting their critical infrastructure for years now. We have them on the ropes.
And you know who told us all of this? Canada. Canada has been working with us to make sure the Niagara Falls power plant is the first to fall.
What would we do?
We are headed for World War III.
Let me give you a couple of stories, that show, that this is wanted by too many people.
This is from the Financial Times, this weekend.
Jens Stoltenberg said that there was no doubt that Ukraine would join NATO, as Western leaders gathered in Kyiv to pledge support and mark the second anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion.
The NATO chief said on Saturday, that Russia president Vladimir Putin started this war, because he wanted to close NATO's door.
But he has achieved the exact opposite.
That Ukraine is now closer to NATO than ever before.
Huh. He said, NATO is helping Kyiv to make its forces more and more interoperable. Ukraine will join NATO. It's not a question of if. But of when.
He insisted.
Okay. Let's see. So on the same weekend. We have NATO.
What Putin said, was the real problem.
They were going to expand NATO. To places like Ukraine.
Yes. We're going to do that. We're going to do that now.
And also, that's the same weekend, that the New York Times reports their secret underground bunkers are run by the CIA.
Okay.
STU: Great.
GLENN: Now. If, again, this was about Canada.
And -- and Russia said, they're expanding their presence.
And they will put military in Canada, on our border. And they admitted to, you know, doing secret operations with Canada.
To be able to destroy us. What would we do?
Mr. Orbán came out.
Victor Orban of Hungary. He declared an end to the month's long spat with Sweden over the expansion of NATO. Saying, that a visit by his Swedish counterparts had rebuilt trust and paved the way for Hungarian parliament to vote on Monday. That's yesterday. To ratify the Nordic nation's membership in NATO.
We're ready to fight for each other, to give our lives for one another. He said. Really?
The sudden warming of relations between the two countries, followed a decision by Sweden to provide Hungary with four Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets, in addition to the 14 its Air Force already uses. And a promise that Saab, the maker of the warplanes will open an artificial intelligence research center in Hungary.
Okay. So that's -- that's good. That's good.
Why are we headed toward war?
Why?
STU: By the way, Sweden -- or Hungary did approve that in Sweden. That -- what you mentioned, 188 to six.
GLENN: Yeah. I believe Hungary was the one saying, let's not piss off the bear. Why would we be talking about expanding NATO?
I believe I've heard Orbán say those very things. Why would we do that?
Four jets? Really? That's all it took, was four jets?
I don't think so. I don't think so.
There's a game being played here, that, I really don't like.
And our country is becoming a little crazy. Let me give you this story.
The Iranian-backed Hamas terrorist group, praised a far left extremist, who lit himself on fire, outside of the Israeli embassy, in Washington, DC.
On Sunday.
And used his death to promote Islamic terrorist propaganda.
Aaron Bushnell, a low level software engineer, with the US Air Force, screamed free Palestine, as flames engulfed his body, after he -- doused himself, with a flammable liquid.
And then lit himself on fire. He later died, from injuries.
Bushnell repeated terrorist propaganda in the moments leading up to the incident. Falsely claiming that what was happening inside Gaza was genocide. And calling Israel colonizers.
Now, that sounds like a far left radical, doesn't it?
Oh, I forgot. We're not looking for hard left radicals.
In the military. Only those Christian nationalists and those who want to have insurrection in the United States.
Now, here's why this is so bad.
Let me -- let me take you first, to what Cornell West tweeted.
Let us never forget the extraordinary courage, and commitment of brother, Aaron Bushnell who can died for truth and justice.
I pray for his precious loved ones.
Let us rededicate ourselves to genuine solidarity with the Palestinians. Undergoing genocidal attacks in real time.
I want you to mark this place, in time. Right now.
This truly is a mile-marker.
This makes Aaron into some kind of suicide bomber. When, you know, they'll be rewarded in heaven.
We are not a culture that rewards suicide, or suicide acts. Suicidal acts. Especially for politics. Instead of one of the 50,000 plus Americans who committed suicide in the last year, instead of mourning another lost life -- lost to mental illness.
We are confusing suicide with martyrdom. Those who kill themselves for ideology should not be praised. But that's exactly what Hamas said, that's exactly what Cornell West said.
Praising ideology, over human life.
That's not a Rubicon we care to cross.
But we're crossing it right now.