Hannity blasts Biden's State of the Union address: What was that? Larry the Cable Guy?
Sean Hannity reacts to Biden's gaffes during the State of the Union address.
This is a rush transcript of "Hannity" on March 2, 2022. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, FOX NEWS HOST: All right, Tucker, and thank you.
And welcome to "Hannity."
Again, we begin tonight with a FOX News alerts. Tonight, multiple explosions have rocked the city of Kyiv, that is the capital of Ukraine. Now, Russian forces are bombing pretty much everything within range, that includes residential neighborhoods, killing men, women and children.
Now, Putin's invasion is now entering a new dark chapter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lots of people died in the streets. Lots of people hurt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My three friends died. They died the day that we left.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (translated): This morning, a place came and bombed us. There has been a lot of destruction. But the people here are holding on well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This war isn't just about Ukrainians. It's about freedom. It's about the right to live.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When we will need, we will also take the gun and we will fight, because it's our land.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm on the subway now and it's terrible how many kids are there. I hope all this violence and cruelness end soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: A sovereign country, innocent men, women and children killed by one person. That's Vladimir Putin.
Here with the very latest is on the ground in Kyiv, Trey Yingst is with us.
Trey, what's going on?
TREY YINGST, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Sean, good evening. We've heard multiple blasts tonight in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev as air raid sirens sounded in the distance. The Russians are not just hitting military targets, but also civilian homes and different installations across this city and this country. It comes as that 40-mile long convoy of Russian troops is stalled outside of the city limits. Current estimates put it about 15 miles away.
But this is significant because those soldiers could be regrouping, reorganizing and then preparing to launch an attack by ground on this capital city of nearly 3 million people.
U.S. intelligence analysts warn in the coming days, this city could be surrounded, cut off and all of those civilians, many of them currently hiding underground at this hour amid air raids could be in the targets, in the scopes of these Russian forces.
It's important to note, it's not just here in the capital of Kyiv. Kharkiv the second largest city in Ukraine and also in the south the Russian forces have been indiscriminately shelling different civilian areas and not taking into account anything as they move forward throughout this country and continue their invasion into sovereign Ukraine -- Sean.
HANNITY: All right. Trey, thank you for that report.
Now, tonight, so many horrific videos are now pouring in showing war crimes from Putin's invasion. Now, apparent cluster bombs in neighborhoods, rocket attacks on apartment buildings, reports of thermo baric weapons are now being prepped and used across the country. Thousands of civilians are now dead including dozens of children and babies.
And the saddest part of all of this is, one, Joe Biden's abandonment of energy independence is crushing our economy, with a 40-year high in inflation. You pay more your gas pump, you pay more to heat and cool your home. Everything you buy at every store you go to is way up because gas prices are up and everything you buy in every store gets there by a truck. And they got to put diesel fuel in that truck.
And number two, as long as the U.S. and Joe Biden and our European allies, as long as they continue to import oil and gas from Russia, you the American people ostensibly are funding this war and making Russia and Putin richer than he's ever been. Last year under Biden, listen to this, we imported a whopping 245 million barrels of oil from Russia in 2021. That is 671,000 barrels every single day, a 24 percent increase over the previous year and meanwhile, crude oil imports from Russia, they're up a whopping 163 percent under Joe Biden, because he artificially reduced the world supply.
And in an effort to appease the climate alarmist cult, which is the base of the new green deal socialist party, while Joe pretended to go green by restricting oil and gas production but only here at home. And as a consequence, the U.S. was now forced to import more oil from OPEC, over 600 million barrels, even Iran for the first time since 1991, South America and, yes, Russia.
It is insane and frankly unconscionable that Joe Biden cares more about this radical New Green Deal socialist and his friends that he's beholden to than he does about you the American people and of course the national and world security he's now put in jeopardy.
Now, if he put national security and the American people first he would immediately return to the energy independence policies that he inherited. Yet he steadfastly refuses.
Now, keep in mind, this is the same dangerous gimmick that Europe has used for years. Get this, in 2021, our NATO allies imported more than 4.8 million barrels of oil from Russia. That's every single day.
We're talking about 2 billion barrels of Russian oil each year. On top of that, 41 percent of all natural gas imported by the European Union, that all comes from Putin and Russia. Again, Europe and the U.S., they are making Putin and Russia rich again and that helps fund and enable this war.
And according to statements from the Biden administration, oil and gas exports from Russia they're still flowing even this day. And that raises another important question, why not produce all the energy all the oil that we have with our vast resources right here in the U.S.? We have more than enough natural resources right in our country in the U.S. for at least a hundred years, likely much longer.
So what difference does it make to Mother Earth if the oil is produced in the Middle East, in Russia or the U.S.? You know, the one sanction that would work, the one that would be effective, the one that Joe Biden and NATO refuse to adopt and this by the way raises a whole other set of questions about Russia's banks, and that is that Joe now says we're now -- that Russia's facing steep sanctions.
Okay, so we're importing 160 -- what -- 167,000 barrels of oil from Russia a day, how is Joe Biden paying for this imported oil especially because we put sanctions on the banks? Maybe somebody in the Biden administration can answer that question because if Putin is not getting paid for 671,000 barrels of oil a day, I doubt he's going to keep sending it. So that means either Putin and Russia are giving us oil for free, I'd say that's highly unlikely, or Joe Biden and NATO and our allies, they lie to all of us about what these banking sanctions are really all about and they put in a million loopholes so that Putin can still get the money for the oil that they are addicted to.
And today, before the first lady had to drag him away from reporters, even Biden accused Putin of targeting civilians. But he refused to call a war crime. Why? Well, I'll let you decide.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REPORTER: Do you believe Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine?
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are following very closely. It's early to say that.
REPORTER: Do you believe Russia is intentionally targeting civilian areas? There are over 2,000 civilian deaths --
BIDEN: It's clear they are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Such strength and clarity.
And just like Joe's uninspiring State of the Union speech last night, instead of showing real leadership on the world stage, Joe basically read off a wishlish -- wish list of repackaged build-back broke proposals and he offered no plan to curb inflation or no plan to lower gas prices, no plan to secure the border, no plan to reduce violent crime, no plan to counter China and by the way, Taiwan, I would argue keep a close eye on it - probably not going to be that long.
And he didn't even bother to mention the 13 U.S. soldiers who died as a result of his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan or the Americans who have been trapped behind enemy lines. Today, by the way, is day 200, Joe abandoned them.
And by the way, Joe and the media, they not only abandoned them. They turned the page and they moved on. Pretty unforgivable.
Now, Joe also didn't seem to have much of a plan to assist the people of Ukraine but he did manage to call them Iranians, leaving the vice president a little bit embarrassed. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Putin may circle Kyiv with tanks, but he'll never gain the hearts and souls of the Iranian people. He'll never -- he'll never extinguish their love of freedom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Ukrainian, Joe, not Iranian -- Ukrainian.
One of many awkward moments from a very simple speech, frankly one that could have been written by a fifth grader, that still proved too difficult for our struggling commander-in-chief. You decide.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: We spent months building coalitions of other freedom-loving nations in Europe. We're cutting off Russia's largest banks in the international financial system, preventing Russia's central bank from defending the Russian ruble. Our forces are not going to Europe to fight Ukraine, and a pound of Ukrainian people, the proud, proud people, pound for pound, ready to fight with every inch of energy they have.
You can't build a wall high enough to keep out a vaccine -- the vaccine can stop the spread of these diseases.
Ban assault weapons with high capacity magazines, a hundred rounds, do you think the deer wearing Kevlar vest?
And may God protect our troops. Thank you. Go get them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Go get him, go get who?
Trying to emulate Larry the Cable guy, you know, get r done. I mean, what was that all about?
Anyway, meanwhile as Joe was mumbling and bumbling his way through a very simple speech, our 81-year-old speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, was having her own malfunction in a very bizarre way.
Now, take a look at her very joyous reaction to Biden's comments about burn pits in the Iraq war. You maybe can explain this to me because I can't.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BIDEN: Iraq and faced in Afghanistan -- face many dangers. One being stationed at bases breathing in toxic smoke from burn pits. Many of you have been there. I've been in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan over 40 times.. These burn pits that incinerate waste.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Can someone explain that to me? Anyway, I digress.
And then there's Vice President Kamala Harris, and Kamala Harris, she brilliantly described the conflict in Europe like this, quote: Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine, so basically that is wrong.
Okay, when you add these three together, we're really screwed and the state of our Union is not strong, and it's no surprise with these three pathetic losers in charge.
Now, sadly, Ukraine needs our help right now. They need all the javelins, all the stinger missiles that we can provide. They need bullets. They need guns. They need air defense systems, and they need humanitarian and medical aid.
And while we're at it, Vladimir Putin, he needs to go. He's a murdering thug with nuclear weapons, committing atrocities in Ukraine, invading a sovereign innocent country. We see all the images.
He is killing children. He is killing women and he's killing men. And he's trying to take over that country.
And now Putin has deployed 400 mercenaries in Ukraine to hunt down, to assassinate President Zelensky.
Now, Putin -- I've been saying it all week, it's interesting the media finally picked it up, Putin has got to be stopped by whatever means necessary, one way or another. It's a simple rule in life. If you invade an innocent country and you kill women and children and men, you forfeit your right to lead a country and you forfeit your right to live.
And I hope that people around Vladimir Putin -- well, I hope they take action sooner than later.
Now, currently, the U.S. operates under a decades old executive order first signed by President Gerald Ford. It prohibits the U.S. government employees from engaging in political assassination.
But my final question tonight is, when it comes to Putin, is it time to now revisit the rule? My rule I like better. New rule, you invade a sovereign country, you kill innocent men, women and children, you forfeit your right to run a country and you forfeit your right to live. It's that simple. Cut off the head of the snake, the snake dies.
Here with reaction, Florida Senator Marco Rubio.
Senator, you know a thing or two about dictators. You see and -- by the way, I have a lot of criticism over the years of Ukraine and their government and their corruption that has gone on there.
But you've seen a lot of this over the course of your life. You're a student of history. And what is the best way to deal with murdering dictating -- dictator, thugs, authoritarians like Putin?
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL): I think it's to inflict the maximum amount of punishment possible for two reasons first because you got to stop them, but second, because other people that are tempted about becoming like them would take that into account before making a decision to do it.
Putin has done this because he's calculated, I think wrong, but he calculated that he would get some sanctions, but they wouldn't be overwhelming. He thought Zelenskyy would abandon Kyiv as soon as the first Russian landed in Ukraine and the government would collapse and he'd be able to put some puppet government in.
And now, what he finds himself in, Sean, is a very delicate situation, actual most impossible situation. He's either going to have a very costly military victory, followed by a painful, costly occupation, or he's going to get bogged down in a quagmire. And meanwhile, his economy and Russia is headed towards third world status.
I mean, a week from today, people will be shocked at what shambles that economy is in, and I think -- you know, and the last problem he has right now is today, especially, we've seen an enormous increase in the in the awareness of Russians that they're involved in a full-scale war and the thousands of Russians are dying.
HANNITY: Let me ask you this, Senator. We've been watching this 40-mile convoy, with satellite imagery. And my question is they apparently been stalled for a period of time. We know where exactly where it is. If that convoy makes it to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, in my humble opinion, and I pray to God that I'm wrong, is this is going to be a massacre.
So, my question is, we can see exactly where it is, why isn't there some group -- nobody has to take credit for it -- I believe in covert operations and plausible deniability, they're sitting ducks right now. Why don't we take out that convoy right where it is right now? It doesn't have to be the U.S., but why doesn't somebody move and take out that convoy knowing that there are going to be likely thousands -- tens of thousands of Ukrainians dead if they don't do it?
RUBIO: Yeah, well, first of all, the unfortunate -- you know, it's one of the amazing things about this conflict is the role that commercial overhead satellites have played. Unfortunately, today, it was very cloudy and there was not very good imagery of it, but they're still there. They've now been there for 72 hours and so for the first time, we're starting -- you're starting to hear and see from the Ukrainian reports from on the ground folks and the like, some real degradation in their readiness.
You can't just have people sitting out in trucks in a traffic jam for three days and it not begin to degrade their readiness. The Ukrainians know where they are. Obviously, we're not privy to their plans about what they intend to do about it, but they've been pretty good at picking these things off. They have already.
One of the reasons why that convoy is stuck on the road is because the Ukrainians have targeted and taken out you know the first couple trucks in the in the convoy and so that just creates a two lane highway in some spots. A couple of these trucks go down and everybody behind them is stuck especially if it's a -- if it's a fuel truck.
I don't know if you've seen the imagery that the Ukrainians have put out about these Turkish drones they've been using, and they've been doing some real damage to these guys. So like I said, I mean, Putin's got some real problems on his hands over there.
HANNITY: Let me ask you this question, you talked about the ruble and their finances collapsing, but with that said, our country even today is importing 167,000 barrels of Russian oil every single day. You know, 40 percent of the natural gas in Europe, with NATO and our Western European allies comes from Russia, on top of all the oil that Putin sends. Price of oil I think hit $115 a barrel today. He's making billions of dollars a day, I don't think that they're going to have a problem financially if we continue to import any oil, any energy -- we being the United States and Europe -- from Putin.
Now, that's the one sanction that I think would work the best and that's the one sanction that nobody wants to put in place. Why is that?
RUBIO: Well, I think because the Biden administration would say because it's going to increase fuel prices in America. But it can be done in a way that it doesn't. We're -- there about five percent, a little bit under five percent of the oil we buy in this country. We could easily replace that with our own domestic capability.
In fact, Canada buys virtually no oil from Russia at all and they're just north of us. So, if we wanted to, we could -- we used to -- we're producing 1.2 million barrels a day less than we did under Donald Trump in 2018, 2019. We could get back to that if they walked away from this crazy green new scam or green new deal as they call it that's waged war on fossil fuels and allowed us to explore more.
There are fields ready to go in places like Alaska and Texas that this administration has cracked down on. We could easily replace the Russian supply with our domestic supply if this administration did it. But, of course, they'd have to go to war with the squad and all the radicals over there.
HANNITY: All right. Senator Rubio, thank you as always for being with us. We appreciate it.
RUBIO: Thanks, Sean.
HANNITY: Here with more from Ukraine is the CEO of Ukraine's state-owned oil and gas company. His name is Yuriy Vitrenko is with us, along with Ukrainian member of parliament, Sviatoslav Yurash is with us.
Mr. Yurash, thank you for being with us. Let me ask you first and foremost from your country's perspective, where do you see this headed?
SVIATOSLAV YURASH, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: Well, as far as the full- scale war that is happening, the victory by Ukraine, the reality is that Russians are pushing in all directions but my nation's not united as ever and essentially, this is the reality over the fact that the world sees now the true face of Russia, true face of Putin.
And as far as people getting the weapons to try and defend themselves, defend their country, it is as never before. And the reality is that as far as getting ready, for example, in Kyiv, from the siege of Kyiv, people are pushing back with everything they've got, destroying every incursion Russia makes, pushing them back around Kyiv and trying to keep supply lines open. Same situations occurring everywhere in the country.
My country is coming together in every single way and the world's coming together in support of us. For that, we very much thank you as well.
And the point is that this battle is continuing in every way, but if we keep up the pressure --
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: Mr. Yurash, I have a question, let me ask you. You see this 40- mile convoy, if it makes it to Kyiv, this is going to be a massacre. You understand that, correct?
YURASH: We are -- that's exactly why the last few days, we've been preparing, getting all these sandbags we can get, all the vests we can get all the helmets, we can get all the weapons we get the ammunition from everywhere and trying to prepare most -- well, in that case. So, the point is here is that we are basically ready because city of millions will not be taken down by a convoy of whatever size.
This convoy may be 40 kilometers, but our nation is 40 million. So, we will resist, we will defend, we will win.
HANNITY: Well, and I wish you, Godspeed, and I will say that the people of Ukraine have shown tremendous courage and incredible tenacity in fighting back for their country.
Mr. Vitrenko, let me ask you. The world is governed by the free flow of oil at market prices. Why do you believe Vladimir Putin has taken these extraordinary measures to take over your country? Do you think he wants the natural resources or do you think he wants to perhaps rebuild the former Soviet Union? What motivations do you think are guiding him at this hour?
YURIY VITRENKO, CEO OF UKRAINE'S STATE-OWNED NATFOGZ OIL AND GAS COMPANY: He wants to rebuild the former Soviet Union or even more. He wants to rebuild the former Russian Empire, that's his motivation. He's not interested in natural resources. He's able now to produce a lot of oil and gas and sell it everywhere.
HANNITY: Yeah. And do you see the price of energy, the price of oil? Has your production been disrupted?
VITRENKO: Our production has been disrupted and the Russian army is targeting some of our sites. So it is already like a huge damage to Ukraine and to civilians because natural gas is used for heating. It's also about some kind of critical supplies for Ukrainians.
HANNITY: Thank you both. Our prayers are with you. It -- to watch something like this unfold in this day and age is beyond comprehension but evil exists and we're watching it unfold in your country right now. Our prayers are with you.
Also tonight, Republicans on Capitol Hill, they're demanding that Joe Biden do more to cripple Putin, cut off his oil exports, which is how he's funding this invasion.
Republican Congresswoman Victoria Spartz who was born in Ukraine says this is more than a war. This is genocide. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. VICTORIA SPARTZ (R-IN): This is not a war. This is a genocide of the Ukrainian people by a crazy man.
I'll tell you a personal story. I have my grandma, she's 95. She is right now in the city of Cherniv, and her daughter told her, they came into village with a heavy machine gun, kill almost every person in that village and they're killing women and children. They do -- doing the bombs -- vacuum bombs, carpet bombs. They -- I mean, they are using illegal weapons.
And I can tell you one thing, if we don't stop him there, he is not going to stop.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: Joe Biden, are you listening? We certainly did see that passion -- did not see that passion from Biden last night at the State of the Union.
Here now is congresswoman from Indiana's fifth district, Victoria Spartz is with us.
You were born in Ukraine. Our prayers are with your fellow countrymen at the time then, and I'm sure you probably still have family and friends there. You're watching all of this unfold. I would argue that Joe Biden's economic and energy policies pushed Europe right into the hands of Vladimir Putin and they became dependent on gas and oil, and I would argue that by America importing energy, oil, 167,000 barrels a day from Russia alone and Europe so dependent on Russia for the lifeblood of their economy, that's a big factor in all of this.
Is there a short-term solution to cut off the money supply to Vladimir Putin?
SPARTZ: Well, thank you, Sean, for having me. No doubt, energy security is number one security issues, and unfortunately, we have too many people that live in the utopian ideas. Hopefully, they change their mind that the biggest threat is the climate change right now, because we have much bigger problems right now and have lack of common sense.
We have lack of common sense in Europe, but we also have lack of common sense in our country. And now, it created stability, blood -- instability, bloodshed and a lot of problems. So we need to be smarter.
And I think -- you know, this president need to understand if we want to tip the scale and make really President Putin listen to us, the most effective way to do it is stop financing his war, because, you know, when I met with Germans and I told them -- you know, I'm very disappointed in you and they said, Victoria, you're importing a lot of oil too, and to tell you the truth, I didn't have an answer for that because it was true and it's just disgrace that we're doing that.
HANNITY: Victoria, let me ask you this question. We're told that Putin sent in 400 mercenaries with the goal of killing your -- the president of Ukraine, Zelenskyy.
Now, the question is, there was -- there was one report that said that there might have been Russian intelligence officials that tipped off Zelensky of what their operation was all about and may have even saved his life.
Do you believe that there are Russians that are willing to step up and stand out against Vladimir Putin, not wanting to be a part of a modern-day mass slaughter?
SPARTZ: Well, and I think there is another problem and, you know, like actually it used to be we always had bandits, you know, in former Soviet Union. I actually grew up in Soviet Union, but they were not part of the government. And now, President Putin made Chechnya mafia sitting in offices next to him and threaten Russians.
And I think a lot of people even in his police force and do not like that because these people are lawless, and he's using them to suppress Russian people and everyone else. So I wouldn't be surprised if there is some dissatisfaction in the -- in the police force and among his people, you know, in the tools and mechanisms he's using. And that's what he was trying to do in Ukraine.
He installed president who was a former criminal, to get in and run this country with the criminal way. And Ukrainians said, no, enough is enough. They took him down. He sent, you know, he sent police force, they killed 100 people and guess what? Millions show up next day.
Now, he sent an army because he wants to teach them a lesson and destroy them because they cannot be suppressed. But I think he underestimates Ukrainians. These people are going to fight and these people are going to win but the loss can be significant.
HANNITY: You see, if Putin is the one responsible, every dead man, woman and child in your former country of Ukraine, the blood is on his hands. And if somebody is able around him, in his inner circle, to take him out by whatever means necessary doesn't matter to me. If they're able to, wouldn't that send a message to every two-bit wannabe dictator in the world that you're next if you have territorial ambitions as Vladimir Putin does?
SPARTZ: Well, I mean -- you know, the threat is always like there a lot of change of regime in Russia, happen like that through history. So I think any dictator always --
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: You don't think a dictator would think twice about invading an innocent country if that's the net result?
SPARTZ: Well, unfortunately, I wish dictators would think because this isn't rational and this is sad what is happening, you know? But, you know, we also probably should have done a better job dealing with him more proactively, not reactively, because he was very clear.
And I don't know if you remember, Sean, a few years ago, he was on FOX News and he was talking about that, that you don't take me seriously, guys, but I'm not trying to waste my money to defend, I'm going to go on offense and develop to come up to you. And I think that was a clear message, so we need to take people like that seriously. But now, we need to stop this bloodshed because a lot of people are going to kill and so, exercise some leadership.
HANNITY: Congresswoman, our prayers with the Ukrainian people. Thank you for being with us tonight and we appreciate it.
Now, remember, it was Donald Trump, he provided the Ukrainians with the game-changing javelin missiles. That was back in 2017, and by the way, he did it knowing that past governments have been corrupt. But he did it anyway. It was a risk but it was the right call.
It was Donald Trump who warned Germany about the dangers of them being dependent on Russian energy. It was Donald Trump who warned all of NATO on how idiotic and dumb all of this was. We're paying to protect Europe from Putin and Russia, and they're making Russia and Putin rich again. He was correct the entire time.
A new poll finding that a vast majority of Americans believe Putin would not have invaded if Donald Trump was president. I agree with that.
Joe Biden's weakness, that set the stage for these evil dictators to unleash destruction that is unfolding before our eyes every night now. Surrendering the -- to the Taliban in Afghanistan, when he had six months to leave without a single problem, he had a wide open field. The Taliban was way down south.
Now, Joey is appeasing Iran with nuclear talks. We hear in part because he wants to import more oil from Iran. Lifting sanctions on Nord Stream, what, the second he got into office while simultaneously killing the Keystone XL pipeline and killing off career energy jobs for so many Americans.
So ask yourself tonight an important question, what can Ukrainians do to save their sovereignty? Because I still remain dubious of these reports, I think they're premature declaring that the Ukrainian insurgency is a success. I see 40-mile convoy, that scares the hell out of me in terms of what that might be capable of, in terms of death, damage and destruction for the people of Ukraine.
Putin is showing no signs of stopping and frankly, Biden's weak diplomacy, that's not going to deter him.
Here with the action, former CIA station chief, FOX News contributor, Dan Hoffman, along with the author of the book "Putin's Playbook" and a former DIA intelligence officer for Russia, Rebekah Koffler.
Rebekah, you know Vladimir as well as anybody. You were born in Russia. You worked for our intelligence community for decades. You studied him. He wrote a book on him.
What is Vladimir Putin thinking today? Is there anything that he would fear?
REBEKAH KOFFLER, FORMER DIA INTELLIGNECE OFFICER FOR RUSSIA: There's very little and partly that Vladimir Putin will fear. What he would fear most if President Biden were not in charge right now, he would fear the full fury of the NATO force unleashed on Russia. But that is not on the table.
As you know, President Biden promised to Putin that even a small conversion is okay. Why did he do that? Because he knows that he does not have a plan and he knows that Putin has a plan.
Biden has ignored every single sign that is indicating to us what Putin was up to and he didn't develop a counter strategy that Putin. And now, he is grasping at straws looking for magic bullets. But it is not possible to find.
HANNITY: Dan Hoffman, you've spent decades in the intelligence community. A lot of that time focused in Russia. You know all the history of the Soviet Union. Vladimir Putin's invasion here, we see what's unfolding. We see this 40-mile convoy.
If makes it to Kyiv, I imagine the worse. Pray that I'm wrong. I imagine a massacre. What do you see happening?
DAN HOFFMAN, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I just think Vladimir Putin is passed the point of no return at this point. You know, he has escalated. He has invaded Ukraine. He's committed massive war crimes and atrocities against Ukrainian civilians. He's bombed residential areas, hospitals and buildings and apartment buildings.
He is actually -- his playbook is to level the city. That is what he did to Grozny during the Chechen war in '99-2000. He did it to Aleppo on behalf of Syria's brutal dictator, Bashar al-Assad.
I will tell you, I fear for the worst. My heart breaks for Ukrainians because you can see what is in store for them. The insurgency frankly has not begun yet. You know, Putin is seeking to decapitate that Ukrainian government and he hasn't succeeded yet. That does not mean the worst isn't yet in store.
HANNITY: Let me asked both of you that same question. Are there people around Putin high-ranking members of his military, are there advisors around him, people that perhaps have a conscience and a soul, and they see the killing of innocent men, women, and children and taking over a sovereign country that are not in agreement with Putin that would take any action against Putin,. Rebekah?
KOFFLER: My assessment, unfortunately, Sean, that no. These are mafia types. It's a game. You know, like what Victoria was saying previously, they would have been criminals if they want at the top of the Russian government. They are called (INAUDIBLE). They're former intelligence operatives just like Putin and the primary goal right now is to topple Ukraine and to remove President Zelenskyy from power.
So, my prayers to Ukrainian people, 100 percent agree with my colleague Dan Hoffman, that the ultimate goal is to level cities.
HANNITY: And your take, Dan Hoffman? Are there any people potentially around him?
HOFFMAN: Yeah.
HANNITY: You know their intelligence officers as well. You had interactions with them over the years. Anybody around him that might up to him and let's just say find a way to stop this by whatever means necessary?
HOFFMAN: I got a slightly different take from my friend Rebekah. Rebekah will know this Russia saying. Russians like to say that your own shirt is closest to your skin. Those senior advisers, senior elite around Vladimir, they might not have a soul. But they are worried about their own future.
They know that Putin has cratered the economy and they might -- some of them might think that they can discard that reporting, withdraw troops and maybe get back to some semblance of normalcy. The ones who matter or the minister of defense, Shoygu, director of FSB, Bortnikov, and that national security adviser, Patrushev, they all answer to their own constituencies, particularly Shoygu, who's got a bunch of Russian army officers and their soldiers fighting many of them definitely questioning that leader's orders at this point I would think. That is going to be -- it's a tough one.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNITY: You said he cratered the economy, but he's got billions of dollars in oil revenue, refilling every single day. So it is not that punitive because Europe and even this country are still dependent on his energy and he is making billions. I would not imagine that the money is the public right now because the West has been unwilling to do the one thing that would work -- Dan.
HOFFMAN: Well, the economy is in pretty bad shape. The ruble is worth less than a penny. People are making a run to the ATM. The stock market was closed for a couple days. Their rainy day fund is frozen, $630 billion, is frozen.
The European Union has mounted some pretty serious sanctions. So, could we do more? For sure. Hydrocarbons power the Russian military. So, yes, there's more to be done, and there's more of a debate to be had in our country about further steps we can take on energy, I agree with you there 100 percent.
HANNITY: All right. Dan Hoffman, Rebekah, thank you.
Also tonight, we are learning more about the apparent plot from Chechen commandos, I mentioned earlier, to assassinate Ukrainian President Zelensky. According to a top defense official in Kyiv, the Chechen fighters were eliminated by Ukrainian forces. The leader of the republic is a close ally of Putin and these Special Forces and commandos were also used to quite Ukrainians in Donbas in 2014.
So, what exactly is Putin thinking? Is there anyone who would like to see this madman in decline and push him out, whatever way they choose? And by the way, the people that won't go along with this bloodied conflict, are the Russian people like what Vladimir Putin is doing to Ukraine? Are there people with a heart and a soul around him that would remove him?
Now, this frankly has no in sight otherwise.
Here with reaction, author of `The Dying Citizen", Hoover Institute senior fellow, our friend, Victor Davis Hanson.
What's your assessment of all of it, Victor?
VICTOR DAVIS HANSON, HOOVER INSTITUTE SENIOR FELLOW: I don't think Putin cares. I think you're right, Sean. I think he feels that a year from now, if he is successful, people will not worry about the brutality. They will think, wow, he absorbed the entire Ukraine. He did what no other Russian would dare to do.
He feels -- I don't think he is right, but he feels that Germany will start buying oil and gas and NATO will be back to being NATO. So, he's going to go all out because he thinks the ends justify the means and very pessimistic about human nature.
You know, this is a very strange war, Sean, when we look at that Middle East wars or Iraq or Afghanistan or perhaps the Balkan war in '90s. Thousands of reporters flocked into war zones. We had all of that major news outlets.
We had more news that we could absorb, but we had almost a black out. It's just -- it's inexplicable. We have this stated world stage that is launching this convoy. We heard there's 12,000 javelins on the way. We have no idea where the are, whether they are out of javelins, whether they need more, whether they're in the hills ready to strike.
We have no idea about the surface missiles. It's very strange and it is -- we are watching a global paradigm shift because China is watching this and they are thinking to themselves, wait a minute. Is there any chance that the Taiwanese would fight like the Ukrainians? Is there any chance that Western world would have that confidence again to isolate, ostracize, alienate us from all the world financial, cultural levers of power and do to us what they are doing to Russia right now?
Is there any chance that Australia, Japan, South Korea, the United States would pour javelins into what they are not sure of the answer. And so, what Mr. Zelenskyy, and he's become the global hero against his antithesis Putin, who's on the bunker trying to assassinate him, while he's out with hardly any resources to finally challenge him, Putin, and the Chinese are saying, is there going to be someone in Taiwan like that?
If that is true, and they survive, it is going to be very important in deterring China. And there's the dialogue inside the West right now. People are saying in Europe, NATO, the E.U., Sweden, Finland, that you are saying, did we really because this with this self righteous idea about green power? Does that get people killed?
Does that hurt our own middle classes? We can't keep and drive? Can't weep transition in a more rational fashion?
Do we really want to wait our military up and not emphasize military greatness? Does that get people killed? Do things like Afghanistan, that humiliation, have consequences?
So there's a dialogue in the west and I think in a very weird way, there's some reason for optimism. Nobody expected Ukraine to last this long. China is obviously watching this and they are puzzled by it.
And I never thought in my entire life, Sean, I would hear the chancellor of Germany, give a speech like he did and I just wish that Biden had given half of that. It would have been much easier for Joe Biden to question our energy policy than the Germans.
HANNITY: The problem, Victor, 167,000 barrels of oil a day, still importing from Russia. That makes no sense, importing any energy from Iran, which I did not know until this crisis that Biden did in 2021. That shocked me as well.
But I think you've touched on it in the very beginning of your segment when you said that there have been no consequences in the past. When what happened in Georgia happened, there were no consequences.
In 2014, when Putin annexed Crimea, it was business as usual. It was a controversy. It went away and he has Crimea.
The same thing as he set up satellite states in Belarus and Moldova, et cetera, there never seems to be consequences and the addiction to Russian energy never goes away.
HANSON: It's even worse than that. I think he looks at Joe Biden and says that this is a man. I mean, he is threatening Europe right now and the West in general with nuclear warfare, and thinking, on a hot mic'd in Seoul, South Korea, Barack Obama just dismantled any idea of missile defense in Eastern Europe. That would have come in handy right now, and we didn't have to get anything for it other than to behave for a year before we went into Crimea and Ukraine.
And he says, Joe Biden came over to me said, I'm not going to -- if you're going to hack don't hack these 16 entities. Joe Biden called me a killer and a thug, but he begged me to pump oil. These are the people who went out of Afghanistan.
So, he is very happy because I don't -- they have no credibility. But it doesn't mean Joe Biden is the West is what I'm saying, and there are people in Germany who were in control, the greens were in control. But we are starting to see a recalibration in the West, I think, in our 11th hour, Sean, of cultural decline and political inactivity and inertia and I think we will see something happening in Germany in the midterm.
If people get out and vote and say, I reject cutting back on oil and gas because I care about the American people's ability to keep warm, and I also care about us endangering other people worldwide that have to depend and I'm not going to take it anymore or I'm going to make sure that our military deters people rather than try to become a school of social justice and equity and diversion and inclusion. And I think that would send a powerful message.
But right now, the key thing that we are all watching is can that Ukrainians hang on and we do not expect this. But their fate is affecting a lot of other global issues. And if they can hang on, it's going to be sending a powerful message to the west to regroup and rethink and get back to our values and people in China as well will say, I don't think I quite want to go into Taiwan now.
HANNITY: Those are fascinating times and extraordinarily dangerous.
Victor Davis Hanson, we always loved having you. Thank you, sir.
All right. The cost of Putin's war crimes are now taking direct aim at children all across Ukraine. For example, young cancer patients are now being forced into shelter in hospital basements and will soon be forced to evacuate.
Take a look at your screen. New video shows hospital patients and Ukraine including infants now being forced to shelter as Russia now ramps up their invasion. And another report saying that Russians have even bombed a Ukrainian maternity hospital.
Here with reaction, he is a Republican Senate candidate in the great state of Pennsylvania, Dr. Oz is with us.
Dr. Oz, thank you for being with us.
There is this humanitarian side of it, Dr. Oz. My great fear is you have a 40-mile convoy and only about 18 miles away from Kyiv. If that convoy makes it Kyiv, in my mind, that is going to be a human massacre. Medically speaking, many people will die because they won't have that means to take care of them. This is what you have done your entire career.
DR. MEHMET OZ (R), CANDIDATE FOR U.S. SENATE IN PENNSYLVANIA: Let's put some numbers on it, Sean, because I have addressed this issue my entire career. We just finished a big town hall and these folks stick around me because they are worked up by this issue. Two-thirds of casualties -- were casualties are civilians and we are witnessing right now with dwindling supplies of medications and food and water, it becomes a humanitarian crisis immediately.
In five days, we are seeing crazies like children who are using the basement of the hospital as shelters. These are young cancer patients. Imagine the trauma they are facing think they will be scared. They are fighting two enemies at once. They got that Russians. And it is a fight that can't wait and these kids are going to relapse. They are transfusing blood from the parents to the child because they don't have any other choices.
And they can't get evacuated to the West because traveled even within the Ukraine is dangerous. They can't get across the border into Poland, because there are hundreds of thousands of other refugees, healthy refugees, adults trying to get the across the border.
So, Putin is, again, this murderous thug and causing all kinds of consequences independent with the ones we're seeing. They're hidden in that basements.
HANNITY: Let me ask you on the issue of defense providing that javelins and stinger missiles I think would be very effective because I wanted to be very clear. I don't support an American boot on the ground, because every time we put American troops on the ground, the war gets politicized and then we end up pulling our troops out and losing.
That can't happen anymore. Plus, military technology has become so sophisticated, we could push buttons in Tampa, Florida, and we can hit with pinpoint accuracy targets all over the world. I preferred that level of warfare.
I guess my question becomes on top of providing the javelins and stinger missiles, I see this -- these satellite images of this convoy and I'm wondering, why hasn't anybody -- you don't have to take credit for it. But there is something called a covert operation, plausible deniability.
Why hasn't any European country stepped up? They are sitting ducks right now. Take out that convoy and prevent that massacre.
OZ: I think someone is waiting to go first. They should be hero and do it.
But I'll tell you, the folks behind me and some of them are from the Ukraine. They were upset because I'm here in Pennsylvania where there's natural gas under my feet that could address our domestic issues, could address some of that financial concerns and help their allies in Europe weaned themselves off their dependence on Russian natural gas.
I just don't understand why we are importing Russian oil, and folks are really worked up about it. The humanitarian, now that we can see it, humanitarians crisis gets much more animated in this topic, but we have to ramp up domestic energy production. I do not know why Joe Biden did not break it -- bring that up in the state of that union.
It is one of the reasons that I think Putin feels enabled and what he is doing. He can't believe his luck. Nobody seems to want to stop him.
You gave a good example of a covert operation, but leaders across the globe, especially lead by our leadership here in America, need to be counted. Make the difficult decisions. Stop that Russians from being able to make money in energy while they're doing this murderous siege of Kyiv.
HANNITY: The state of Pennsylvania has been smart. They have been fracking. There's a lot of natural gas. I would assume the production of natural gas could be increased rather dramatically very quickly, and we could help supply our NATO and Western European allies with their energy needs. But that would take leadership.
I would think the people of Pennsylvania would want that. Did you hear anything from the town hall tonight?
OZ: The town hall was -- these folks are livid. I mean, they see it firsthand. I go to diners and I'm lectured by the people serving me my food of what we should be doing.
This is a national security issue. We need to be able to prioritize the national gas harvesting from the -- beneath my feet here, put through pipelines that are stopped because some green activists decided that they're worried about the environment two years in its construction.
Sean, we can't ship natural gas from one I'm standing here in Hershey, Pennsylvania, or anywhere in this commonwealth, to the east coast to New England, New Jersey, or anywhere. So, they are importing their national gas from other countries. Sometimes they take will from Russia to make up the difference.
It's unbelievable to people here in Pennsylvania that it's happening. It will be a massive event in the midterm elections because they are losing money. They are paying a ten of money at a gas pump, but they are direct first hand witnesses of the misuse of our natural resources. And we have got to be brave enough to make the right decisions for our country and others as well.
HANNITY: Commonsense is not so common. Dr. Oz, thank you for being with us. We appreciate it.
Now, for more breaking developments on the ground in Ukraine tonight, we go to FOX's own Lucas Tomlinson is with us.
Lucas, what's the latest where you are tonight?
LUCAS TOMLINSON, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Sean, U.S. officials told me that several Russian warships are underway from Crimea heading northwest to that city of Odessa, Ukraine's third largest city. They think an amphibious assault in that city could take place as soon as tomorrow or Thursday.
Let's go to a map of Ukraine, Sean. British intelligence says that five Ukrainian cities are now surrounded. The Russians claim to have captured the largest city since the invasion began, the town of Kherson, just north of Crimea in the Black Sea. Russia has fired 450 missiles in Ukraine. It's not clear if they're hinting their intended targets.
This is Kharkiv's national university and regional police department on fire, Ukraine's second largest city, roughly the size of Dallas. The U.S. says one million people have fled the country. Ukrainian government says 2,000 civilians have been killed since the start of the war.
Russia has released casualty figures for the first time today, Sean. they safe for hundred 98 Russian soldiers have been killed, 1,500 wounded, and U.S. intelligence says the number of Russians dead could be four times higher -- Sean.
HANNITY: All right. Lucas Tomlinson, thank you for being with us.
Now, tonight, Joe Biden refuses to take the one action that would cripple the Kremlin and refuses to take one action that would cut off Putin's leverage over Europe, and that is sanctioning Russian oil and gas.
Vice President Harris, she was asked about it earlier today and responded with this rambling word salad of her own. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAVANNAH GUTHRIE, NBC NEWS ANCHOR: Is that on the table? Is that something that the administration would continue -- would consider in terms of further sanctions, cutting off the oil and gas part of the economy for Russia?
KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: As it relates domestically as well as what we need to do in terms of this issue generally, we have, as the president said, reevaluated what we are doing in terms of the strategic oil reserve here in the United States to make sure that it will not have an impact or we can mitigate the impact on the American consumer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: And believe it or not, that was not even the vice president's worst low light of that week.
Here's how she explain the Russian/Ukraine conflict in a recent radio interview. You might want to take note, this is profound.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
HOST: Break it down in laymen's terms so people who don't understand what is going on and how this could affect the people of the United States.
HARRIS: So, Ukraine is the country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia. Russia is a bigger country. Russia is a powerful country.
Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. So, basically that's wrong.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HANNITY: Okay. Ukraine is a country in Europe. Russia is a neighboring country. Okay.
Anyway, joining us with reaction -- I don't know whether to laugh or cry, FOX News contributor Ari Fleischer, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
I will start and s both of you that same question that is that you both have been involved in preparing the state of the union address is and what I wanted to hear from Joe Biden last night which I knew I would not hear was I'm here to announce tonight that I have had conversations with every big oil producing and I have now authorized all of them to begin the maximum amount of exploration and extraction of energy to once again make America energy independent and also to produce more energy for our allies in Europe.
Mark Meadows, that's a pipe dream, it didn't happen, and it seems like it won't happen. Why?
MARK MEADOWS, FORMER WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: Well, it didn't happen but he did talk about the fact that we need to make sure that it is made in America, but he really didn't mean energy made in America. But it needs to be a plan.
And, Sean, you talk about this. When we look at this, if we have a new epiphany with Germany starting to wake up and see this green energy deal is not what -- was all cracked up to be, let's take advantage of that. Let's actually have a new United States initiative to provide them with liquefied natural gas, increasing the import. Let's have a positive plan to do that. But one of the problems we are facing is the progressive wing of the Democrat party, it is a religion to them and they can't let go of it. In fact, you heard them complaining about moderate Joe Biden from last night already.
HANNITY: You know, Ari, same question.
ARI FLEISCHER, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: You know, Sean, the problem is Joe Biden is doing for America what German leaders did to Germany. It was German leaders in 2001, 2002, and the green party started to rise up in Germany and politically threatened the chancellor at the time with electoral success, that he switched off all of the nuclear power plants in Germany. And that's when they start to turn to Russia for their energy.
Joe Biden is doing the same thing to America. He is getting rid of America's energy independence because of the rise of the green new deal party in the United States of America. There's no difference what Biden is doing to America and what the German leaders did for Germany.
We don't need to do it. And that's your point, Sean, you're 100 percent right. America can handle this, we just need a new leader.
HANNITY: You know, we talk a lot about Nord Stream and the waiver that Biden approved for Putin. But they also have Nord Stream 1. The U.S., Mark, I have been saying it all that, important even today, 161,000 or 67,000 barrels of oil every day from Russia. It is making Putin which again. It is allowing him to continue his territorial ambitions and then of course, all of Europe, the natural gas comes from Vladimir on top of all of the oil they are importing in that middle of what is going on right now.
So they are ostensibly, their third-party aiding and abetting in his work effort -- Mark.
MEADOWS: Well, they are. You are exactly right. When Kamala Harris says you got a big country next to a small country and it shouldn't have invaded, if that's the level of sophistication we have got, Sean, we got a real problem.
But here's the other aspect and you hit on it. Last night, after the speech, what we saw was the price of oil go up. It has gone up continually today about ten bucks a barrel and that is the answer because the international market saw what Joe Biden put forth was not an answer.
Listen, President Zelenskyy showing unbelievable, you know, heroic efforts. This is his "Braveheart" moment. Let's join him and be really proactive in finding a real solution for the Ukrainian people and for the American people where we lower our own gas prices to boot.
HANNITY: What other options if the world, if the West, Ari Fleischer, is unwilling to implement the one sanction that matters, if they won't do that, I would argued that it renders every other sanction meaningless and negates those sanctions, and I also think there's a lie associated with this because I don't think Vladimir Putin is giving all of that oil to Western Europe and our NATO allies and not getting paid. But we've been told that he has been cut off from all these banks.
So, there's got to be some needle that is being thread here otherwise keep shut off the spigot, didn't he?
MEADOWS: Well, this is where self interest runs into principal, doesn't it? The principal standard is to do exactly that. The self interest of politicians is to get reelected, and they don't want to anger their constituents. But I think what they are misreading the amount of sacrifice constituents are willing to make because of Ukraine and their heroism.
President Zelenskyy has led the world and morality and in righteousness and teaching a lesson and of sacrifice. I think the people of Europe and the people of the United States would be willing to pay more. We could solve the problem by backfilling it.
HANNITY: But he's got to be getting paid some way. He's getting through cryptocurrency. Is there a loophole they created to but the energy and do it through a separate banking system? Because he has to get paid or the oil doesn't come in, correct?
FLEISCHER: We did not sanction all of their banks, and that's one of the things, the smarter minds that need to look which banks weren't sanctioned and what activities they were involved in. It's how Russia is getting its money. But, you know, sanctions are never going to be perfect. They're going to seal the product because of black markets and other ways that nations always get around sanctions.
HANNITY: But a sanction on oil would work. Wouldn't that be the most effective tool? Quickly, both of you, Mark? (CROSSTALK)
MEADOWS: You need to do that, yeah.
HANNITY: Ari, last word. Would that be the most effective? We only have ten seconds.
FLEISCHER: Absolutely. You got to hit Putin where it hurts the most and that's hurt him, energy. That's how they get their money.
HANNITY: All right. Ari Fleischer, Mark Meadows, thank you both.
Unfortunately, that is all the time we have left for this evening. Stay with FOX News Channel for continuing coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
In the meantime, set your DVR so you never miss an episode.
And let not your heart be troubled, Laura Ingraham is straight ahead. We'll see you tomorrow.
Content and Programming Copyright 2022 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2022 VIQ Media Transcription, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of VIQ Media Transcription, Inc. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox