This is John Batchelor, conversation with Mary Kessel, Executive Vice President

Stephen's Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State, responding to an op-ed written

by Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio in the Financial Times, asking the Europeans, are you

allies or are you clients? Meaning, can the Europeans now provide for themselves the

security that the US has provided for seven decades.

The U.S. is busy with other matters and the Europeans have the prosperity to arm themselves

and defend themselves against Russia.

Mary Kistle responds in detail about what's in it for the U.S. to provide security

and also to continue to support our allies in Europe against the Russian

aggression. Here's Mary Kessel about J.D. Vance and the question of the

Biden administration will it be successful in getting the

funding it needs to supply the Ukraine through winter in the spring?

Well I think there's an underlying assumption that should be elucidated about Senator Vance's statements about Ukraine.

What it implies is that Vladimir Putin can somehow be appeased and will stop at the border of Ukraine if allowed to do so and therefore it's safe and okay to let him do that.

And I just think that's wrong because I think history shows

that Putin has never behaved in that way.

He has, as we've said just in these last segments,

invaded several sovereign nations when allowed to do so.

It also implies that somehow the European nations have the ability to push back should Putin desire to continue his

predations on further into the continent of Europe and that's not true either we

unfortunately even though we would like the Europeans to return to the military strength that they once had during the Cold War, that's gone.

And so they don't have the domestic industrial base to produce the ammunition or the weapons,

...