Russia Reality: Putin is ‘CREATING AN ILLUSION’

, THOSE TRILATERAL TALKS REMAIN. VERY ELUSIVE IN LONDON. THANK YOU. >> Benjamin: WELCOME. LET'S BRING IN DAN HOFFMAN, A. FORMER CIA STATION CHIEF IN. MOSCOW AND A FOX NEWS. IT'S A PLEASURE TO SEE YOU. TODAY. WE JUST HEARD, WITKOFF AND. KUSHNER SAYING THAT THEY FEEL. GOOD AND YET EVERYTHING THAT. WE'VE SEEN FROM PUTIN, EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE HEARD. PESKOV SAY THAT RUSSIA IS. STANDING BY, THAT ALL THE. OBJECTIVES THEY WANT THESE FOUR. PARCELS OF LAND BACK. THEY DON'T WANT NATO EXPANSION. DOESN'T SUGGEST THAT RUSSIA IS. IN ANY STATE, IS THINKING OF. MOVING AS WELL.

SO WHAT'S THE REALITY? IS THERE ANY MOVEMENT FROM THE. RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE? >> YEAH, I THINK CERTAINLY THE. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S EFFORTS. TO END RUSSIA'S BARBARIC WAR ON. UKRAINE ARE LAUDABLE. HOWEVER, AS YOU CORRECTLY POINT. OUT, IF PAST IS PROLONGED, THEN. VLADIMIR PUTIN IS ABSOLUTELY. HAPPY TO HOST THE ENVOYS IN. MOSCOW. BUT HE'S DOING THAT TO CREATE. THE ILLUSION THAT RUSSIA IS. INTERESTED IN PEACE. HE'S DOING THAT, I THINK, FOR. THREE REASONS. FIRST, TO TRY TO DETER THE. UNITED STATES FROM PROVIDING.

UKRAINE WITH ANY ASSISTANCE, INCLUDING PATRIOT AIR DEFENSE AS. IF THAT MIGHT BE THE TIPPING. POINT WHERE RUSSIA MIGHT NOT. WANT TO AGREE TO ANY PEACE DEAL. BECAUSE WE'RE SUPPORTING. UKRAINE. SECONDLY, I THINK HE WANTS TO. TRY TO DIVIDE THE UNITED STATES. FROM EUROPE, AND, OF COURSE, FROM UKRAINE BY CREATING THE. IMPRESSION THAT THE UNITED. STATES AND RUSSIA ARE LIKE. MINDED ON THIS WAR AND THIRD, PUTIN IS PROBABLY PLAYING HIS. DOMESTIC AUDIENCE A LITTLE BIT. HE'S GOT UPCOMING VERY RIGGED. ELECTIONS FOR THE DUMA ON.

SEPTEMBER 18TH TO 20, AND HE. MIGHT WANT TO MAKE IT APPEAR TO. HIS CITIZENS WHO ARE. INCREASINGLY PAYING A STEEP. PRICE FOR RUSSIA'S WAR ON. UKRAINE, THAT HE'S TRYING TO. FIND A WAY TO GET TO PEACE. >> Benjamin: YOU SAY HE'S. PLAYING FOR HIS DOMESTIC. AUDIENCE, BUT DO YOU THINK THAT. PUTIN UNDERSTANDS EXACTLY WHAT'S. HAPPENING ON THE FRONT LINES? WE KNOW THAT THE CIA DIRECTOR, RADCLIFFE, WENT OVER LAST WEEK, PERHAPS TO CONVEY THAT MESSAGE. THAT RUSSIA WASN'T GOING DOING. SO WELL OR BEING FORCED TO BACK. INSIDE RUSSIA THE ATTACKS ARE ON. REFINERIES. DO YOU THINK PUTIN IS THREATENED. BY YASMIN?

DO YOU THINK HE BELIEVES THERE. IS A PATH TO VICTORY HERE? OR IS HE HAPPY TO CONTINUE THIS. WAR IN WHICH NEITHER SIDE SEEMS. TO BE WAITING? >> WELL, I DEFINITELY THINK HE'S. SURROUNDED BY YES MEN BECAUSE IF. HE WASN'T, THEN THEY WOULDN'T BE. IN HIS INNER CIRCLE ANY LONGER. BUT I DO BELIEVE PUTIN KNOWS HOW. MUCH THIS WAR HAS COST RUSSIA. HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE TAKEN. KYIV IN THREE DAYS. AND INSTEAD, HAS SPILLED MASSIVE. BLOOD AND TREASURE, INCLUDING. OVER A MILLION CASUALTIES.

HE KNOWS THE PRICE THAT RUSSIA. HAS PAID. BUT I DON'T THINK HE CARES. BECAUSE HE'S GOT AN INFINITE. THRESHOLD FOR THE PAIN, HE'S. WILLING TO INFLICT ON HIS OWN. CITIZENS AND ON INNOCENT. UKRAINIANS WHO HE CONTINUES TO. TARGET IN THEIR HOMES AND THEIR. NEIGHBORHOODS AND HOSPITALS AND. MATERNITY WARDS. WE HAVE TO SEE THE WORLD THROUGH. THE EYES OF VLADIMIR PUTIN. THAT'S THE RESPONSIBILITY OF OUR. INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY, PARTICULARLY DIRECTED AT. RADCLIFFE, WHO I'M SURE IS. BRIEFING THE PRESIDENT ON THE. REFLECTIONS, THE RESULT, HOW. RUSSIA LOOKED AT THESE RECENT.

MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS AND. NEGOTIATIONS THAT MIGHT GIVE US. ADDITIONAL INSIGHT THROUGH OUR. SENSITIVE SOURCES ABOUT PUTIN'S. PLANS AND INTENTIONS. >> Benjamin: FELT THAT UNDER. THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, THERE. WAS SOME FEAR THAT IF THE U.S. WERE REALLY PUSHED RUSSIA, THEY. MIGHT BEGIN TO ESCALATE, THAT IA. CORNER, THEY MIGHT DO SOMETHING. DRASTIC, WHETHER IT'S USED. TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS OR. SOMETHING AS BIG AS THAT, AND SO. IS THAT -- IS THERE A FEAR THAT. IF AMERICA REALLY PUSHES RUSSIA. BACK, THEY MIGHT DO SOMETHING.

WORSE? >> WELL, I THINK YOU HAVE TO WIN. THE WAR. AND UKRAINE IS WINNING RIGHT. NOW. IT'S AN EXISTENTIAL FIGHT FOR. THEM, BUT THEY PREVENTED RUSSIA. FROM CONQUERING THEIR COUNTRY. AND I NEVER BELIEVED THAT RUSSIA. WAS SERIOUS ABOUT USING A. TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPON. I THINK IT WAS OVER TO THE CIA. AND THE REST OF OUR INTELLIGENCE. COMMUNITY TO DETERMINE WHETHER. RUSSIA MIGHT HAVE DELIBERATELY. PLANTED THOSE SORTS OF STORIES. TO SCARE THE BIDEN. ADMINISTRATION INTO NOT GIVING. UKRAINE THE LONG-RANGE ARTILLERY.

WHEN THEY NEEDED IT. RUSSIA HAS DEPLOYED HYBRID GRAY. ZONE OPERATIONS IN EUROPE, BECAUSE THEY VIOLATED EUROPE'S. AIRSPACE. THERE WAS AN EXPLOSIVE DRONE. FOUND AT LEIPZIG AIRPORT. THOSE THINGS, EUROPE HAS TO BE. CONCERNED ABOUT. BUT AGAIN, THE STRATEGY FOR. PUTIN IS TO TRY TO DETER EUROPE. FROM SUPPORTING UKRAINE. EUROPE IS NOW THE ONE. SHOULDERING THE BURDEN. BUT I DON'T THINK THAT WE RUN AS. MUCH OF THAT RISK. BUT IT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING. THAT THE CIA WOULD WANT TO BE. ABLE TO BRIEF THE PRESIDENT ON.

DEFINITIVELY. >> Benjamin: YEAH, AND. CERTAINLY A LOT OF EYES AT. EUROPE AND NATO ABOUT THE GRAY. ZONE ACTIVITIES THAT RUSSIA IS. CARRYING OUT, AT WHAT POINT DOES. EUROPE AND HAS TO REACT IN A. MORE FORCEFUL WAY TO THAT? I THINK A LOT OF COUNTRIES THINK. THEY NEED TO BE DOING THAT RIGHT. NO.