♪♪ >> CATHY: ONE YEAR AGO TODAY RUSSIA INVADED NEIGHBORING UKRAINE.

MANY AROUND THE WORLD THOUGHT PRESIDENT PUTIN'S ARMY WOULD CELEBRATE A SWIFT VICTORY IN HIS QUEST TO RECLAIM A NATION THAT WAS PART OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION.

INSTEAD, UKRAINE FOUGHT BACK AND CONTINUES TO DO SO.

EARLIER THIS WEEK PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN MADE A SECRET JOURNEY TO THE WAR ZONE IN KYIV TO SHOW U.S. SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE IN THE ONGOING WAR TO KEEP ITS INDEPENDENCE.

DAVID SCHULTZ IS HERE, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR AT HAMLINE UNIVERSITY WHO HAS SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME TEACHING IN EASTERN EUROPE, INCLUDING UKRAINE.

JOINING US FROM KYIV IS DAVID'S COLLEAGUE ALEX KOMARENKO, A HISTORY PROFESSOR AT TARAS SHEVCENKO NATIONAL UNIVERSITY IN KYIV.

SCHULTZ AND KOMARENKO HAVE COLLABORATED ON PAPERS AND GUEST LECTURED IN EACH OTHER'S CLASSES.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Cathy: GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE.

SAY, BEFORE WE THROW IT TO YOUR COLLEAGUE IN KYIV, THE PRESIDENT'S SURPRISE VISITS, WHAT WERE YOUR KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THAT?

>> A COUPLE THINGS.

IT HAD A COUPLE DIFFERENT AUDIENCES, AUDIENCE ONE, TO VLADIMIR PUTIN, WE'RE HERE, WE'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE, WE SUPPORT UKRAINE.

AUDIENCE NUMBER TWO, THE REPUBLICANS IN THE HOUSE OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, TO MAKE SURE THAT HE CAN SHORE UP SUPPORT.

SYMBOLICALLY VERY IMPORTANT MOVE.

I WOULD ALSO SAY WHAT MAKES IT INTERESTING, IS THE FACT, IT'S WHAT, IT'S NOW RECOGNITION THAT, WHAT, WE ARE AN ALLY F UKRAINE AND VICE VERSA.

>> Eric: PROFESSOR, HOW CAN YOU SUM UP THE SITUATION A YEAR INTO THE WAR?

WHAT IS LIFE LIKE IN UKRAINE?

>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, GREETINGS TO ALL OF YOUR AUDIENCE AND TO YOU PERSONALLY, COLLEAGUES AND FRIENDS.

>> Eric: THANK YOU.

>> WELL, DEFINITELY, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAS HAPPENED, WORLD ORDER JUST TOOK SHAPE ON THE PLANET AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR EXACTLY ONE YEAR AGO WAS DESTROYED.

AND NATURALLY THIS HAS CHANGED THE LIVES OF HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, ECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ARE NOT UNDER SHELLING R IN THE BACK WITHOUT LIGHT, AS WE ARE IN UKRAINE, THEN I GUESS EVEN IN THE U.S., YOUR PRICES ARE RISING, WHILE YOUR INCOMES ARE FALLING.

DEFINITELY HOW LIFE HAS CHANGED OVER THIS YEAR IN UKRAINE.

I THINK IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE, OBVIOUSLY NOT FOR THE BETTER.

ALSO THE DEGREE OF THIS, LET ME BE HONEST, IN OUR COUNTRY, I WAS IN KYIV ALL THIS TIME, UNTIL THE END OF MARCH, THERE WAS A THREAT OF OCCUPATION.

THEN THE RUSSIANS RETREATED.

UNTIL OCTOBER, IT WAS A RELATIVELY NOT BAD.

ALSO AIR RAIDS WERE FREQUENT.

AND THE CITY WAS PERIODICALLY SHELLED.

BUT THEN MASS ATTACKS ON THE ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE OF OUR COUNTRY STARTED.

THERE WERE EITHER 14 OR 15 OF THEM.

THIS LED TO MASSIVE POWER OUTAGES AND, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN, HEATING, WATER SUPPLY, ELECTRICITY, TO SAY NOTHING ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT WAS MORE THAN HALF OF KYIV SPENT NOT ON GAS BUT ON ELECTRIC STOVES.

AND THAT WAS OUR LIFE DURING THE WAR.

DEFINITELY KYIV IS NOT SO -- BUT ALL OF YOU REMEMBER MARIO -- WHEN EVERYONE'S HOMES WERE BOMBED OR COMPLETELY DESTROYED.

AND PEOPLE LIVING IN BASEMENTS FOR MONTHS WITHOUT ANY AMENITIES.

>> Eric: PROFESSOR -- [ OVERLAPPING CONVERSATION ] >> Eric: ALEX, I DON'T -- >> DRINKING WATER FROM BOTTLES.

>> Eric: ALEX, HI.

HIP RIPPLE EFFECT -- RIPPLE EFFECTS OF THE WAR, THINGS LIKE FOOD, ENERGY, INFLATION?

>> YEAH, CLEARLY WHAT WE'RE STARTING TO SEE IS BECAUSE OF THE EMBARGO OF THE WAR, RUSSIAN GAS, OIL CAN'T GET OUT.

AND PART OF THE INFLATION WE'RE FACING IN THE UNITED STATES IS A RESULT OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE.

>> Cathy: PROFESSOR, I'M CURIOUS, HOW DO YOU THINK THIS ENDS?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, FIRST OF ALL, DEFINITELY ALL OF US UKRAINES, WE REALLY REALLY WANT TO WIN.

BUT DEFINITELY THIS IS NOT A SIMPLE QUESTION.

WHAT IS UNDERSTOOD BY VICTORY?

WELL, THIS IS UKRAINE, WITHIN THE BORDERS OF 1991, INCLUDING CRIMEA PENINSULA.

NATURALLY, I ALSO REALLY WANT THIS, BUT THE REALITY IS A BIG QUESTION.

YOU KNOW, WARS ALSO END IN NEGOTIATIONS SOONER OR LATER.

AND NEGOTIATIONS INVOLVE WORK, INVOLVE COMPROMISE.

AND WHAT IS A COMPROMISE?

THEY WILL MAKE SOME CONCESSIONS TO YOU, BUT IN RESPONSE, YOU ARE TO MAKE SOME CONCESSIONS TO THEM.

>> Eric: LET ME -- >> UKRAINE IS NOT READY TO CONCEDE ANYTHING.

BUT, YOU KNOW, LET'S SEE.

LET'S SEE.

>> Eric: OKAY.

YOU ARE AN EXPERT IN RUSSIAN HISTORY.

I WONDER WHAT YOU THINK THE END GAME IS FOR r. PUTIN?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, RIGHT NOW THE REALITY IS THAT DESPITE ALL OF THE HATE OF UKRANIANS, PUTIN WAS AND STILL IS INCUMBENT PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA.

SO, NEVERTHELESS, IT'S -- YOU KNOW, THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE BUT FOR NOW TO DEAL WITH THEM.

CONCERNING THE END OF THIS WAR.

THE POINT OF UKRAINE IS THAT DEFINITELY THIS IS TO BE DONE ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

THAT'S WHY, THAT'S WHY WE INDEED SUPPORT, WE ARE INDEED VERY VERY GRATEFUL TO THE ASSISTANCE OF THE UNITED STATES AND NATO.

>> Cathy: I'M WONDERING, PROFESSOR SCHULTZ, CHINA WANTS TO MEDIATE A SETTLEMENT.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?

>> YEAH, CHINA'S TRYING TO BECOME SORT OF THE BROKER FOR A SETTLEMENT.

THIS IS PART OF CHINA'S, I THINK, EFFORTS TO EXTEND ITS INFLUENCE ACROSS THE WORLD.

AND GIVEN THE FACT THAT RUSSIA'S INCREASINGLY GOING TO BE PERHAPS DEPENDENT UPON CHINA FOR MARKETS AND PERHAPS FOR ARMAMENTS, I THINK CHINA PERCEIVES THIS AS A REALLY INTERESTING WAY OF EXTENDING ITS INFLUENCE OVER INTO EUROPE.

SO, THIS, I THINK, IS ONE OF THE MORE INTERESTING STORIES.

DOES CHINA GET TO BE THE PEACE BROKER HERE IN EUROPE?

AND EXTEND ITS INFLUENCE INTO EUROPE.

>> Cathy: I ASKED YOUR COLLEAGUE HOW THIS MIGHT END.

HOW DO YOU THINK IT ENDS?

>> I THINK WHAT HAPPENS, WE HAVE A STALEMATE FOR SEVERAL MORE MONTHS IN THE WAR.

AND THEN AT SOME POINT, PERHAPS LATER THIS YEAR, THE TWO SIDES GET EQUALLY EXHAUSTED AND THEY START TO FIND A PLACE TO NEGOTIATE.

BUT WE ARE STILL A LONG WAY AWAY FROM THAT AT THIS POINT.

I DON'T SEE ANYTHING HAPPENING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.

>> Eric: ALEX, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR STAYING UP LATE IN KYIV.

BEST OF LUCK TO YOU, PROFESSOR.

PROFESSOR SCHULTZ, THANK YOU