Retired lt. traditional responds to Putin’s speech: Tropes we’ve been listening to all twelve months long

Ivanna, thanks so much for joining us this morning. >> Thank you. >>> And joining us now to talk about all of this, CNN military analyst, retired lieutenant general mark hertling. Good morning, general. I'd like to start by just.

Getting your reaction to what we heard today from president Putin. Your reaction to his speech and also I think really the big news from that speech this morning which was that Russia was going to be pulling out — or not participating in the new start.

Nuclear treaty. How do you view that bit of news in particular? Do you view it as more symbolic or does it have some real teeth? >> Well, yeah, good morning, Kristen and Jim. I do see it as somewhat symbolic but I also see it as Putin.

Hurting himself. I think he wants to gain more intelligence from us than we want to gain from him with this new start treaty. The comment by Fred pleitgen earlier about they were concerned about how much intelligence Ukraine had gained.

From the Engels air force base in Russia, which is near Moscow, it was just fascinating to me because it's basically saying, hey, they want to target our facilities. Of course they do. You know, but going back to your original question, like Fred.

Pleitgen I woke up and watched Mr. Putin's speech. Besides the new start treaty, the comments about pedophilia in the west, traitors in Russia will be punished, the west started the war, the west is responsible for Ukrainian escalation.

These are tropes we have been had a erring from Mr. Putin all along. His state of the Russia federation, at least he didn't have someone standing up and yelling liar but he did have a lot of sleepy parliamentary members and generals in that.

Audience because they have heard it all before. >> Let me ask you, general hertling, those are not the words of a president who is looking to end this war. He's digging in and he may have China's help going forward. There was some hope that maybe.

This was the year that Ukraine breaks through those Russian lines, takes back territory, maybe Russia sues for peace. As you hear those words and hear China considering stepping in, does that hope disappear? >> It doesn't, Jim. One of the things I didn't.

Mention about his speech, he had a big section where he vowed to systemically press the offensive, which tells me he is not changing his strategic objectives and as you and I have talked on several occasions those three strategic objectives that he had at the beginning of.

The war have failed in every single phase of the war. >> Yeah. >> He has not been able to press those, he has shown the inability to get his soldiers moving on the battlefield and I don't think we're going to see any more of that other than more.

Killing of Russian mobilized troops which is going to be unfortunate. >> Is China — >> Go I ahead — >> If Russia is incapable of gaining territory but digging in and going to have help from China is it lengthening the.

Slog? No clear winner but a lot of sadly death and destruction on the battlefield like we've seen so much in recent weeks? >> I think what we're going to see in the next couple of weeks is a rush to victory by both sides, if you will.

Russia is going to continue to put more on the front lines but they're mobilized untrained forces and it will create a slog and unfortunately a lot of death for Russia soldiers and Ukrainians as well, but I think Ukraine is attempting to push the envelope, get trained in.

Europe, in Germany, Poland, the uk, the various places where they're training and being able to capably execute an offensive. I see that happening later in the winter, probably early spring. So we're going to see some back and forth for a while, but I do.

Believe that Ukraine is going to take the fight to the enemy and regain much of their territory in the spring and early summer. >> Goodness. It will be a lot to watch in the coming weeks because both sides seem to be digging in for something aggressive.

Lieutenant colonel mark

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