Steve Stockman - Former Congressman Joins Houston's Morning News

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, for the first time, President Trump is saying Ukraine
could win this war. I don't know if it's because
he really believes that Ukraine is in a better position
to win the war, or if he's just that mad
with Vladimir Putin. Steve Stockman joins this former congressman. What
do you think it is? Steve?

Speaker 2 (00:18):
I thank you. What happened is Trump tried the carrot
and now he's trying to stick. He's done everything possible,
He's praised Putin. The only thing I haven't seen him
do is dance at the prom together. And I think
he's turned a page and said we're going to now
try the stick. So that's my opinion. I think he's
tired of trying to woo Putin and nothing has worked.

Speaker 1 (00:43):
All Right, Well, let's talk about that stick approach. What
would be the appropriate stick approach when you're dealing with
Vladimir Putin? Are we talking about more American military hardware
donated to Ukraine to try to fight this war? What
do you think he has in mind to try to
provide that stick?

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Actually, I think he's talking more than his action. But
what he's going to do is continue to sell NATO
the weapons and then those weapons will be delivered to Ukraine.
Ukraine after four years, really wasn't supposed to be standing
right now. But as you know the history through Vietnam

(01:23):
and Afghanistan and even in our American Revolutionary War, when
a foreign government comes onto a land that's not theirs,
they often have extreme difficult difficulty. And I really think
you're going to see Ukraine continue to fight. I mean,
they would fight with sticks and bricks if the history

(01:43):
of Ukraine, I don't know if you're aware of it
or the audiences, but they were occupied both by the
Nazis and the Communists, and just about everybody in Ukraine
had somebody that was died in one of those two occupations.
So they're pretty tough people. I bet they are.

Speaker 1 (01:59):
Let me ask you this as well, Steve Stockman, and
and that is is Vladimir Putin trying to fight from
the Russian perspective, trying to fight this war with one
hand tie behind his back. You know, you hear stories
that they're not using the regular Russian troops, the top
military that they're there. They're in scripting, you know, young

(02:19):
men who don't have a lot of military experience to
go in as canon fodder, so to speak, to fight
this war.

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Well, they had some of their top troops in the beginning,
and they lost a lot of their top troops. So
I think the way Putin looks at it now, let's
try to find people that arnest. He's really worried. If
you recall, they almost Putin was almost overthrown when one
of his own guys turned around started marching towards Moscow.
So he's sold them back troops in case that ever

(02:46):
happens again. And I think that he's also not wanting
to put his guys forward because he doesn't want to rebellion.
He's lost a lot of men. This This war is
probably the bloodiest war since World War Two for the Russians.
It's he's throwing everything at it, and I think he's
trying to keep some reserves in case there's an uprising

(03:06):
within his own land.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
Because I know the Russians are used to authoritarian dictators,
but which is what Putin me is. You may call
him a president, but he's still a dictator. But you
have to wonder whether or not the Russian people actually
rise up, because after all, he's kind of like fighting
yourself fighting Ukraine.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
Yeah, it is, and in fact, prior to this, everybody
would travel back and forth. There are great friends of
marriages between Ukrainians and Russians. The Russians were lost the
longest time. We're saw as brothers, but now there's so
much anger in Ukraine. Even if they were to occupy Ukraine,
I think the Ukrainans would still kill a lot of Russians.

(03:47):
I think Putin needs to wake up, but I don't
think he cares. The only thing he cares about, by
the way, is the gas station. You only always joke
and say Russia is nothing but a large gas She
has a lot of refiners, and if the Ukoreans keep
taking out the refiners, at some point, it's going to
choke off Rusha's economy.

Speaker 1 (04:05):
Right Steve, thanks for you insight. Appreciate it. Former Congressman
Steve Stockman