Transcript for President Biden commits to stronger US military presence in Eastern Europe
HUTCHINSON HAD FIRSTHAND
KNOWLEDGE OF ANTICIPATED TO
EFFECTIVELY.
>> ALL RIGHT ALEX PRESHA THANK
YOU.
AND PRESIDENT BIDEN IS IN
MADRID FOR THE NATO LEADER
SUMMER WHEN HE ANNOUNCED THE
EXTENSION OF SOME U.S. TROOP
DEPLOYMENTS IN EUROPE AND SOME
NEW MILITARY AID TO KEY NATO
ALLIES.
BIDEN ALSO SAID THE U.S. WILL
ESTABLISH A PERMANENT MILITARY
HEADQUARTERS IN POLAND.
I WANT TO BRING IN FOREIGN
CORRESPONDENT TOM SUPERAGENT
UKRAINE AND A WHITE HOUSE
CORRESPONDENT MARY ALICE PARKS.
WHO'S TRAVELING WITH THE
PRESIDENT FOR MORE ON THIS.
TOM I WANT TO START WITH YOU.
AND PRESIDENT BIDEN ANNOUNCING
THE STRONGER MILITARY PRESENCE
IN EUROPE.
WHAT IMPACT THAT HAVE ON THE
WAR IN UKRAINE?
>> DIANE I THINK THIS IS ABOUT
THE IMPACT IT COULD HAVE ON THE
WAR IN UKRAINE AND MORE ABOUT
DETERRING RUSSIA FROM TAKING
ACTION AGAINST OTHER SOVEREIGN
EUROPEAN NATIONS.
SO IT'S AN INCREDIBLE INCREASE
IN THE U.S. TROOP PRESENCE AND
MILITARY PRESENCE ACROSS
EUROPE.
PARTICULARLY ON THE EASTERN
FLANK.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MORE F-15
SQUADRONS IN THE UK.
MORE TROOPS IN ITALY.
BUT CRUCIALLY THE U.S. IS
SAYING THIS WILL BE THE FIRST
TIME IT'LL HAVE A PERMANENT
MILITARY BASE ON THE EASTERN
FLANK IN POLAND.
AND MORE TROOPS IN THE BALTIC
STATES TO.
AND PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY'S PITCH
TO THAT NATO SUMMIT TODAY WAS
THAT COUNTRIES LIKE LITHUANIA
ONE OF THE BALTIC STATES ARE IN
PRESIDENT PUTIN'S CROSSHAIRS AT
THE MOMENT.
HE SAID THAT THIS WAR IN
UKRAINE IS ABOUT MUCH MUCH MORE
THAN THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THIS
NATION.
AND FOR THE FIRST TIME ONE OF
THE FIRST TIME SHE'S ACTUALLY
PUT A FIGURE ON THE AMOUNT OF
FINANCIAL AND MILITARY SUPPORT
HE WANTS FOR THIS COUNTRY TO
DEFEAT RUSSIA.
HE SAYS THE COUNTRY NEEDS FIVE
BILLION DOLLARS EVERY MONTH.
A HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY.
>> MARY ALICE TURKEY HAS AGREED
TO PAVE THE WAY FOR FINLAND AND
SWEDEN TO JOIN NATO.
SO AS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF
HAVING THOSE TWO COUNTRIES JOIN
THE ALLIANCE AND WHAT DOES THAT
MEAN FOR THEIR SECURITY OVERALL?
>> DIANE, THIS IS A BIG DEAL.
IT SEEMS LIKE NATO IS SET TO
GROW.
IT WILL BE 32 COUNTRIES INSTEAD
OF 30 COUNTRIES IN THE NEAR
FUTURE.
TURKEY HAD BEEN THE ONE LONE
HOLDOUT THESE LAST FEW MONTHS.
AS SOON AS FINLAND AND SWEDEN
SAID THAT THEY WERE INTERESTED
IN JOINING THE ALLIANCE, UNITED
STATES PUT THEIR FULL SORT OF
SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT
BEHIND THIS.
WE SAW THOSE TWO LEADERS AT THE
WHITE HOUSE WITH THE PRESIDENT.
THE PRESIDENT SAYING HE THOUGHT
THIS IS A GREAT IDEA TO
CELEBRATE.
TURKEY HAD BEEN A HOLDOUT,
SKEPTICAL, WARNING ONE-ON-ONE
TALKS WITH THOSE TWO COUNTRIES.
IT SEEMS THAT THEY COME TO AN
AGREEMENT AND THAT THEY'RE
GOING TO MOVE FORWARD.
THERE IS AT LEAST AN
UNDERSTANDING OF THIS IS GOING
TO HAPPEN.
AND WHATEVER --
IF THEY ARE, IF THIS DOES
HAPPEN, WHEN THIS DOES HAPPEN
NOW, THEY WILL HAVE THE
PROTECTION OF NATO.
THAT ARTICLE FIVE.
THOSE --
ATTACK AGAINST ONE IS AN ATTACK
AGAINST ALL AND THAT THEY WOULD,
AT NATO, THE ENTIRE ALLIANCE
WOULD HAVE TO COME TO THEIR
DEFENSE.
SHOULD, FOR EXAMPLE, RUSSIA
ACROSS THOSE BORDERS.
IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE SOMETHING
LIKE THAT HAPPENING BUT IT DOES
SHOW JUST HOW NATO HAS BECOME
SO MUCH MORE POPULAR AND THESE
COUNTRIES WANT THAT KIND OF
COLLECTIVE DEFENSE.
>> AND TOM, IN HIS ADDRESS TO
THE UN SECURITY, UKRAINIAN
PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY SHARED THIS
VIDEO.
SHOWING THE MOMENT THAT MISSILE
HIT A SHOPPING MALL IN CENTRAL
UKRAINE.
>> I MEAN, THE BLAST IS HUGE.
WHAT'S THE LATEST ON THAT
ATTACK?
>> IT'S ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING.
SO THE LATEST DEATH TOLL, DIANE,
IS STILL 18 PEOPLE BUT PEOPLE
ARE STILL MISSING.
THERE ARE STILL RECOVERING
BODIES AND THAT RESCUE
OPERATION BECAUSE THAT SITE WAS
COMPLETELY OBLITERATED.
AND WHAT'S INTERESTING IS THAT
FROM THE MOMENT THAT ATTACK
HAPPENED, IN THE MID AFTERNOON,
IN THAT CITY AT THE CENTER OF
UKRAINE.
RUSSIA STARTED TO QUESTION THE
UKRAINIAN ACCOUNT.
BUT IN TYPICAL FASHION, THE
KREMLIN HAS CHANGED ITS
THEORIES, IT FIRST TRIED TO
BLAME THE ATTACK ON UKRAINE.
THEN IT SAID THAT ACTUALLY IT
WAS HITTING AN AMMUNITION DUMP
NEARBY AND SOMEHOW THAT CAUSED
AN EXPLOSION ONTO THE SHOPPING
MALL.
AND NOW WE'RE SEEING THAT CCTV
FOOTAGE, IF YOU LOOK AT THE
CCTV FOOTAGE AND COMPARE THAT
TO SATELLITE IMAGERY.
IT'S GENUINE, IT SHOWS THE
MISSILE COMING.
WE'VE SPOKEN TO ABC NEWS, TO
PEOPLE AT THE SCENE, TO PEOPLE
WHO WERE HIT.
THIS LOOKS AND
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.