Top German official WARNS Putin is attacking NATO

♪♪. >> Aisha: WELCOME BACK. TONIGHT WE HEAR FROM A TOP NATO. OFFICIAL ABOUT THE ALLIANCES. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE UNITED. STATES. ITS PLAN TO COUNTER RUSSIA AND. THE IRAN CONFLICT. HERE'S BRET BAIER'S CONVERSATION. WITH GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER. BORIS --. >> WE'RE IN YEAR FIVE OF THE. RUSSIAN WAR IN UKRAINE. THE UNITED STATES STANDS READY,

WILLING, AND ABLE TO HELP BRING. PEACE IN THAT CONFLICT. WE STAND IN COMPLETE SOLIDARITY. WITH GERMANY, AND ALL OF OUR. ALLIES. WE REMAIN COMMITTED TO NATO'S. COLLECTIVE DEFENSE BUT WE ALSO. ARE PUSHING OUR ALLIES HERE IN. BRUSSELS TO INCREASE THEIR. CAPABILITIES TO DETER THESE. TYPES OF THREATS. >> Bret: JOINING US NOW IS. GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER BORIS --. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING. HERE. >> IT'S MY PLEASURE. THTHANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> Bret: YOU MET WITH SECRETARY. OF WAR PETE HEGSETH. AND YOU'RE HEADING TO TEXAS TO. RECEIVE THE FIRST OF THE F-35S. THAT IS YOUR COUNTRY HAS. PURCHASED. >> YES, INDEED. FOR THAT IT'S A VERY FRUITFUL. TRIP FOR ME TO THE UNITED. STATES. I'M VERY HAPPY TO BE HERE AND MY. DISCUSSIONS WITH PETE WERE VERY. FRUITFUL AND VERY FRIENDLY. WE TALKED ABOUT OUR DEFENSE. INDUSTRIAL CORPORATION, SIGNED A. STATEMENT OF INTENTION FOR THAT, BECAUSE IT'S CRUCIAL FOR OUR. NATO ALLIES IN EUROPE AND ABROAD. TO INCREASE OUR PRODUCTION.

CAPACITIES ON BOTH SIDES, TO BE. MORE ABLE TO PROCURE WHAT'S. NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE DETERRENCE. AND DEFENSE IN EUROPE AND. BEYOND. >> Bret: FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE IT'S. HAPPENING IN YOUR BACKYARD HOW. DO YOU SEE THE SITUATION IN. UKRAINE? >> IT'S CRITICAL ONT ONE SIDE. WHEN IT COMES TO ATTACKS OF. PUTIN'S ARM FORCES ON CIVILIAN. INFRASTRUCTURE, ENERGY. INFRASTRUCTURE MORE AND MORE AND. AT THE SAME TIME THE THEATER,

FRONT LINE, IS LIKE FROZEN. ONE KILOMETER IN THAT DIRECTION. OR ONE BACK. AT THE SAME TIME, RUSSIA HAS. CASUALTIES OF ABOUT 1,100 PER. DAY, WHICH IS REALLY BRUTAL. BUT PUTIN DOESN'T CARE AT ALL. ABOUT THAT. >> Bret: YOU HAVE SEEN RUSSIA. ACT IN PROVOCATIVE WAYS IN. RECENT DAYS AND WEEKS. YOU HAD NATO SHOOT DOWN A DRONE. IN LITHUANIAN AIRSPACE. YOUR COUNTRY SAID RUSSIA WAS. BEHIND THIS DRONE ATTACK.

RUSSIA HIT A PASSENGER TRAIN ON. UKRAINE'S BORDER WITH POLAND. JUST MISSING A DIPLOMATIC TRAIN. OUR FORMER CIA DIRECTOR DAVID. PETRAEUS NARROWLY ESCAPED. HOW DO YOU SEE THAT. >> IT'S AN ATTACK ON NATO. BECAUSE WHAT HE WANTS TO ACHIEVE. IS DESTROYING OUR UNITY IN NATO, PUSHING OUT OF EUROPE THE. AMERICAN TROOPS, AND ACHIEVING.

THAT, THE NATO AND EUROPEAN. COUNTRIES DIVIDE THEMSELVES, ARE. GETTING FROZEN BY FEAR. THE MORE HE GETS UNDER PRESSURE. BY SANCTIONS AND WHAT HAPPENS ON. THE BATTLEFIELD, THE MORE HE. BECOMES AGGRESSIVE AND TRIES TO. DISTRACT OUR ATTENTION FROM. UKRAINE, IF OUR SUPPORT FOR. UKRAINE WHICH IS CRUCIAL. >> Bret: IS IT WORKING? >> THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE IN. GERMANY AND IN EUROPE WHO GET. MORE AFRAID OF GETTING PULLED, SUCKED INTO THE WAR BUT STILL,

IT'S STILL A HUGE MAJORITY. SUPPORTING OUR SUPPORT FOR. UKRAINE WHICH IS NECESSARY, ESPECIALLY WHEN I COMES TO AIR. DEFENSE AND OTHER ISSUES. >> Bret: YOU MENTIONED THE LOSS. OF LIFE. THE PEOPLE -- THE CASUALTIES ON. THE BATTLEFIELD FOR RUSSIA. IT'S OBVIOUSLY BEING SQUEEZED. ECONOMICALLY. IS RUSSIA LOSING? >> AT LEAST, LOSING THIS WAR IS. CLOSER THAN EVER BEFORE, I. GUESS. YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING. IN RUSSIA. RUSSIA IS A VERY SPECIFIC.

COUNTRY. VERY SPECIFIC GOVERNMENT, AND. VERY SPECIFIC PRESIDENT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO. HAPPEN IN THE MONTHS TO COME BUT. EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE. WITH. >> Bret: ONE OF THE THINGS. THAT'S CHANGED, THE PRESIDENT. ANNOUNCING THE WITHDRAWAL OF. SOME TROOPS FROM GERMANY. 5,000 TROOPS IN THE NEXT SIX TO. 12 MONTHS THAT DOESN'T SIT WELL. IN YOUR COUNTRY, RIGHT? >> WE'RE NOT THAT SURPRISED. I ALWAYS KNEW THAT THE ATTENTION. OF THE UNITED STATES WILL SHIFT. A LITTLE BIT MORE, OR MUCH MORE.

TO THE PACIFIC WHICH WE. UNDERSTAND AND WHICH WE. APPRECIATE BECAUSE IT'S FOR OUR. SECURITY AND FREEDOM OF. NAVIGATION, TOO. WITHDRAWING ONE THING MEANS. PRODUCTION CAPACITY EITHER IN. EUROPE OR THE UNITED STATES, TO. FULFILL OR REPLACE WHAT'S BEEN. WITHDRAWN. >> Bret: HOW DO YOU SEE THE. SITUATION WITH IRAN? AND WHERE DO YOU THINK IT'S. GOING? >> WELL, THIS IS REALLY.

SOMETHING LIKE A CRYSTAL BALL. I DON'T KNOW. THE IRANIANS SEEM TO BE VERY. STRONG AND VERY -- VERY GOOD IN. DEFENSE, AND STILL, WE DO HAVE. AN ESCALATION AROUND THAT IN THE. RED SEA, AND IN THE STRAIT OF. HORMUZ. THE SITUATION IS UNFORTUNATELY. BECOMING MORE UNSAFE. AT THE SAME TIME, WE SEE ALL THE. CONSEQUENCES FROM OUR ECONOMIES. SO WE NEED SOLUTIONS BUT NOBODY. REALLY KNOWS, AT LEAST I DON'T, HOW THE SOLUTION CAN LOOK LIKE.

>> Bret: WILL IT BE AN OIL AND. GAS PROBLEM IN EUROPE IN THE. COMING MONTHS? >> WE DO SEE THAT AT THE GAS. STATIONS. THE PRICES ARE INCREASING. INCREDIBLY. WE'RE APPROACHING -- IT'S REALLY. A CHALLENGE FOR THE WORKING. PEOPLE IN GERMANY AS WELL AS THE. UNITED STATES. >> Bret: THERE WAS A TIME WHEN. EUROPEAN LEADERS WORRIED. PRESIDENT THAT TRUMP WOULD PULL. OUT OF NATO. DO YOU WORRY ABOUT THAT ANYMORE?

>> NO, BECAUSE THAT'S CHANGE ADD. LOT. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN EUROPEANS. DID TOO LITTLE FOR THEIR OWN. CONVENTIONAL DETERRENCE AND. DEFENSE. >> Bret: MONEY-WISE? >> AND ALL OF THAT. BUT WE WOKE UP AND REALIZE WE. NEED TO DO MORE. >> Bret: DO YOU CREDIT PRESIDENT. TRUMP FOR SOME OF THAT? >> OF COURSE, HEGSETH WAS. CRUCIAL BUT NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF. DONALD TRUMP, BECAUSE OF YOUR. PRESIDENT BECAUSE WE. ACKNOWLEDGED OUR OWN. RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR OWN. CONVENTIONAL OFFENSE AND DEFENSE.

AND WE RELY, OF COURSE, VERY. MUCH ON THE NUCLEAR DEDETERRENC. THAT THE UNITED STATES IS. PROVIDING. >> Bret: LAST THING, THE AI. THREAT, PRESIDENT XI IS COMING. HERE NEXT WEEK. A LOT OF THOUGHT ABOUT, TALKS. ABOUT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. HOW CONCERNED IS GERMANY ABOUT. THAT? >> THE SAME WAY, LIKE THE. AMERICANS. THIS IS A TECHNOLOGY WHICH CAN. REALLY BE VERY MUCH BENEFIT FOR. ALL OF US. AT THE SAME TIME, IT CAN BE A.

HORRIBLE STRETCH FOR EVERYBODY. OF US, EVERYONE OF US. THEREFORE, WE NEED TO FIND. SOLUTIONS WITH EVERYBODY, WITH. PRESIDENT XI AND THE UNITED. STATES AND OTHER COUNTRIES, AND. EUROPE, TO REGULATE THAT, IN A. VERY REASONABLE AND RESPONSIBLE. MANNER, AND, AT THE SAME TIME, NOT LIMITING TOO MUCH BECAUSE WE. NEED THAT TECHNOLOGY VERY MUCH. IN THE FUTURE. >> Bret: IT'S A DANGEROUS WORLD. >> IT'S A DANGEROUS WORLD, AND. THEREFORE, I REPEAT, TRUST AND. RELIABILITY ARE.