Battle for Ukraine on the ground and in DC

Two perspectives on what is happening and what we must do

A Pivotal Moment

There is no other way to describe the war in Ukraine than that it is sitting on a precipice. While the battles grind on and winter sets in the effort to continue supporting them hangs in the balance in Washington D.C. The last of authorized aid and weapons transfers are coming in the coming weeks and without further funding from Congress it will stop, leaving the ability for Ukraine to resist the Russian onslaught in doubt.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Washington to brief lawmakers, meet with President Biden, Department of Defense officials, defense manufacturers to shore up that support. At the same time Russian hacking took down much of the internet in Ukraine leaving civilians vulnerable without warnings of attacks or connections to the outside world.

Two Perspectives

I’ve wanted to have conversations with both a voice on the ground and from the Administration on the topic for some time and this week seemed the perfect moment. I was able to get just that. First, Tim Mak has been reporting from Ukraine since before the invasion began and is now now telling the larger story through the eyes of individuals. Then, Sean Savett, the Deputy Spokesperson for the National Security Council and has been a main point person for discussing the need to continue aid to our allies.

I wanted to specifically here what life is like on the ground for Ukrainians and what their perspective is on U.S. support for them and the danger they face if we fail to find a consensus and continue supporting their fight. At the same time we face scores of myths and outright lies about what is happening with U.S. aid and how it is put to use. Both guests this week were able to offer unique perspectives on the issues that you don’t want to miss.

The Show

Tim Mak

Tim Mak is a journalist based in Ukraine reporting on his site ‘The Counteroffensive. Tim is a former investigative correspondent for NPR, and I am also a former U.S. Army combat medic. You can find him online as @TimKMak and at The Counteroffensive. He joins the show from Kyiv.

Sean Savett

Sean Savett is the Deputy National Security Council spokesperson and has served with the Biden Administration since the transition into the White House. He joins the show from the White House.