60 Minutes: Hot on the Trail is on the air.
- The "School time out" was broken in the Donbass region. Big surprise... Ukrainian militants have opened fire on residential areas. They used weapons prohibited by the Minsk Agreements. Ukrainian troops fired on Lozovoe, Mikhailovka, Sokolniki, Kalinovo, Kalinovka, and Donetsky village using heavy weapons such as mortars and BMPs. Children hid in the cellars and didn't go to school, just as Poroshenko promised.
- Against the background of these horrific events, Poroshenko is blatantly and sincerely telling the whole world about the "fantastic might" of the Ukrainian army. He must be kidding. He says that even mighty NATO has something to learn from Poroshenko and the Ukrainian military. On his Facebook (запрещена в РФ) page, Poroshenko forecasts things and probably predicts something terrible. He accused Russia of initiating airstrikes on Ukraine and threatened that this "aggressive Russia" would pay a high price for this. He immediately hid behind the backs of the US military, as usual. Perhaps, he thinks it's safer there.
"Here's a clear sky above the disputed land. It's just 300 miles to Russia from here or just a several supersonic minutes' flight. Ukrainian and American pilots are training together. They are demonstrating their air power and doing air combat maneuvers. This is a message to Moscow that the US is helping Ukraine to "level up" its defense.
- If we spot a Russian plane here, how will we react?
- To tell the truth, I'll be rather excited than scared. Every time you see an object of a similar class and it's a fighter, you want to test its mettle.
- Ukraine is a country at war. It makes the drills more important. Everyone here knows it.
It's a chance for the Ukrainian pilots to obtain first-hand information about NATO standards. Under President Poroshenko, the country has become very close to NATO".
Pyotr Poroshenko, President Of Ukraine: "We are learning a lot from NATO. And NATO is learning a lot from Ukrainian troops, who are fighting a hybrid war. This is mutually beneficial cooperation. We don't ask Russia what we should do in our territory".
- That was the "fierce" Ukrainian President. Vadim Yurevich, please, explain to us why the Americans are "leveling up" their military.
Vadim Karasyov, political analyst: Leveling up?
- Yes, that's what was said in a report on a US channel. I'm not lying.
- To put it briefly, the Americans are helping to strengthen Ukraine's defenses.
- "To put it more briefly," what about those Minsk Agreements?
- To put it more briefly, we are talking about a hypothetical situation. The text contains the wording "if". If Russia starts an air campaign. Thank God that, given the Minsk Agreements, it's worth noting, the situation in Donbass hasn't involved an air campaign so far. Yes, there were firefights and casualties. Artillery has been involved there, the infantry is currently engaged there, but there haven't been any airstrikes there.
- I see.
- There have been.
- No, there haven't.
- Everybody remembers how the so-called air conditioners exploded in Lugansk.
- It happened once in all of 4 years. It happened in the beginning. Thank God.
- I saw the attacks with my own eyes. Sergei, thank God that everybody came to their senses and realized what devastating effects on Ukraine, Donbass, and Russia an air campaign and airstrikes would have. That's why it didn't happen.
- What do you think we will bomb?
- What?
- What will we bomb?
- Dear Lord! Is there nothing to bomb? If you want, you'll find what to bomb.
- There's nothing for us to bomb. And for you?
- We're not saying…
- We're a peaceful nation.
- We're not saying that we're going to send planes to your airspace.
- Vadim Yurevich, you've invited the Americans.
- We're talking about the defense of Ukrainian airspace here. Since Ukraine doesn't have good air defense and you have it…
- Maybe there were some intelligence reports. Why did you decide that Russia would start bombing Ukraine just now?
- Since you have air defense, the S-300 and S-400 missile systems, and Zhirinovsky said you even have the S-700 missile system…
- Peskov didn't confirm that we have the S-1500 missile system.
- Though your military experts say that they need to finish the development of the S-500 missile system, Zhirinovsky has already mentioned the S-700.