'Your World' on latest in Russia-Ukraine war

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Russia losing the war: Velicovich

Former Army special operations Brett Velicovich explains why Zelenskyy is 'in a position of strength' on 'Your World.'

This is a rush transcript of "Your World with Neil Cavuto" on March 29, 2022. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: You are witnessing the closing bell on the New York Stock Exchange, a bit of history there. See that guy second from left?

His name is Peter Tuchman, being honored today, as the NYSE global ad campaign, a campaign really to recognize how far capitalism and particularly the Big Board has come in this country, on a rallying day that has a lot of investors thinking there are worries abroad have, but there's been a flight to quality to the U.S. of A.

That Peter Tuchman character I talked about is an iconic figure. For the past nearly four decades, he has become the face of Wall Street. In fact, you might not even know his name, but I bet you know his face, because, in bear markets and bull markets alike, he has been the face of that exchange, getting through the sell-offs and celebrating the big wins.

I caught up with him earlier today on this historic day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAVUTO: Do you people stop you, Peter, and say, hey, I know you?

PETER TUCHMAN, NYSE TRADER: You know, they actually do. And that's really one of the fun parts of it.

Look, you know how important it is. We are the last human interaction marketplace in the world. And that's what's so wonderful about the NYSE, that we are still here, we are more relevant than ever, and we put people together with opportunity.

And you're going to look around the room here. There's still a lot of people interacting with the marketplace. And that's what's the most attractive part of it for me. It's been that way since I came here 37 years ago.

CAVUTO: Wow.

TUCHMAN: On day one, I felt the energy and the adrenaline. And I knew this was the place for me. And still thank God that we are still that place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAVUTO: You know, the great thing about Peter Tuchman, I think he's a very good amplifier for what's going on in the world today.

No matter what crises I covered with him, whether it was the '87 market crash, or wars, or oil embargoes, or everything and anything in between, he still had an inherent faith in capitalism, an inherit faith in this country, got through a wicked case of a COVID infection, actually worse than anything I was dealing with, survived it, because he's just inherently optimistic.

Even as the war started, Peter Tuchman famously said, people will get through this and we, as investors and Americans, we will get through this, because, when all is said and done, capital, just like folks the world over, have a habit of looking to the United States of America. And through all this bedlam and confusion, and a war that seemingly knows no end, he has been proven right.

The markets have come back mightily from their early war lows. One of the things that Tuchman has reminded me about is, that is the resilience of our markets. And it was reflected today, focusing on the half-full glass, that there are talks going on between the Ukrainians and the Russians. And he says, where there is progress, there is hope.

And there is that inimitable smile and that iconic image of a man who has seen more than his share of crises, and reminded me today we get through them all.

Meanwhile, the big focus of today, that war and whether, whether there are inklings it could be changing, never mind we have, well, Russian soldiers firing on Ukrainians and Ukrainians firing back on Russian soldiers. We are told fewer firings back and forth, and maybe a sign, with talks today in Turkey, that the Russians are ready to at least offer a possible end to this, the Ukrainians maybe a possible olive branch to respond to this.

It is way, way too early to tell.

But let's go to Lviv, Ukraine, right now, where you will find our Jeff Paul on how all of this has been digested.

Hey, Jeff.

JEFF PAUL, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Neil.

And it's really interesting to hear this development come out of these peace talks, because, over the last few days, we have heard about this sort of shift by Russian forces that they're not going to focus as much on Kyiv. They're going to focus on the eastern and the coastal regions to sort of connect that land corridor between Crimea and all the way through the Donbass.

So, this sort of offering of not having so many troops around Kyiv, pulling them back from Kyiv and Chernihiv, doesn't come out of nowhere. But whether or not this actually sticks and they stick to this plan, we're really going to have to wait and see if this actually plays out and the Russians stick to the word.

Now these developments happening in Turkey today between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators, this was the first time they had met in around three weeks. That talks took place inside the Turkish presidential office in Istanbul and lasted roughly three hours.

But a U.S. official tells FOX News that no one should be fooled by Russia's announcement. They believe any movement of Russian forces from around Kyiv is likely redeployment and that Russia can still inflict massive brutality on the capital city and the entire country.

And that was evident by what just happened today in Mykolaiv. That's where a strike left a massive hole in a government building, killing seven people. Similar stories of shellings, strikes and bombardments are still playing out, especially in the east.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): He is erasing the population maybe to try and make people leave the place, destroying Ukraine definitely.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: Now, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy says he's open to the idea of neutrality. We will see where that goes.

Ukrainian officials say that they could pick up these peace talks within maybe around two weeks -- Neil.

CAVUTO: Jeff Paul, thank you. Be safe, my friend.

I want to go to Mark Meredith right now at the Pentagon.

Mark, I guess the proof is in the proverbial pudding. Are the Russians doing what they say? What have you heard?

MARK MEREDITH, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Neil, we have now heard from multiple U.S. officials who really don't believe what the Russians are saying. They say they have not seen any major pullbacks from outside of Kyiv that the Russians were talking about earlier in the day, that they still believe that there is a lot that they need to look at here, that this is maybe more of a redeployment, instead of a withdrawal of troops.

And we are hearing that now from multiple officials around Washington, so an indication here that not a lot of belief in what the Russians are saying may come to fruition. But, of course, time will tell.

Either way, the Ukrainians getting a lot of credit for what they have been able to do, as Russian forces and have taken heavy losses, as well as still faced a number of supply chain challenges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, PENTAGON PRESS SECRETARY: Nobody should be fooling ourselves by the Kremlin's now recent claim that it will suddenly just reduce military attacks near Kyiv or any reports that it's going to withdraw all its forces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MEREDITH: We will continue to watch even this, as a U.S. general estimates Russia is using roughly 70 percent of its entire military force, as well as posture, with Ukraine. That's a massive number, but also a sign that Russia remains heavily invested in this conflict.

And there have been reports both from U.S. officials, as well as from Europe, that Russia is also going to be using a privately backed military group to aid its fight in Ukraine.

Ukraine's president continues to ask the U.S. and NATO for offensive weapons like tanks and airplanes. He's made this request before. It's still ongoing. But, today, the head of U.S. European Command told Congress Ukraine is getting the tools it needs to fight back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): In your judgment, are they getting what they need?

GEN. TOD WOLTERS, COMMANDER, U.S. EUROPEAN COMMAND: They are, Senator. We have made dramatic improvements in our information sharing and intelligence sharing. And as they continue to prosecute their campaign, our advice and our assistance with respect to materiel will be very, very important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MEREDITH: While there are no plans to send any U.S. fighters into Ukraine, the U.S. is sending some of its most advanced fighters to Europe, the Pentagon sending six U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler aircraft to a NATO base in Western Germany.

Officials say the planes and the 240 people who maintain them will be boosting NATO's readiness. These are highly sophisticated aircraft that are able to assist with electronic warfare capabilities and certainly a sign that the U.S. is continuing to look at how best it can basically shore up security all across Eastern Europe.

And it's also possible, Neil, that we could see more deployments as well as a reshuffling of equipment in the days, weeks and months to come -- Neil.

CAVUTO: Mark Meredith at the Pentagon.

Thank you, Mark.

To Brett Velicovich right now, the former Army Special Operations soldier, FOX News contributor.

Brett, what do you make of today's developments? I know people get excited at the prospect that they're talking, period. They were. The Russians have promised to have to ease up on some of the airstrikes, even though we were hearing that they were certainly not ending them.

Where are you on this? Optimistic, doubtful, concerned? What?

BRETT VELICOVICH, FOX NEWS CONTRIBUTOR: Hey, Neil.

Well, I pray for peace in this country every single day. But the reality on the ground here is that there's no peace here and won't be for some time. I mean, any of these talks or discussions are a step in the right direction. But bombs are still going off in Kyiv. Our guys hear them every single day. And the constant air sirens near my location tell a different story than what is being reported.

And even if there was some cease-fire, I think, at the highest levels, let's be honest, the Russians have showed their hand to be so incompetent tactically that no Russian soldier right now would adhere to a cease-fire.

I mean, they're so disorganized to have proper command-and-control that would allow for an immediate cease-fire. On top of that, I know that there's a lot of intelligence sharing going on by the U.S. government. And that's one thing.

But there's also a lot of misinformation by the U.S. administration, because they don't have people on the ground here in Ukraine for the most part. You can't run the war from Poland. And so a lot of civilian organizations are doing the job of the U.S. government, at least from getting in humanitarian aid and physical equipment to these guys.

Russia right now, they're losing the war, plain and simple. They underestimated the will of the Ukrainian people and their strength. You have 10 Russian soldiers dying for one Ukrainian. Apart from these massive troop losses that we're seeing every single day, another Russian lieutenant general is just killed in the last 24 hours.

And, by my count, that makes seven generals already killed. I have never heard of that in my life only a month into this major war. And they taught us in intel school to fear the Russians, that they're this near peer threat that we should be so concerned with. Well, they're exposing themselves to be none of that.

They're mildly incompetent -- competent from the air, but they have yet to achieve air superiority, which has always been the first step. So I think Zelenskyy is in a position of strength right now. When he goes to that negotiation table. he's got to be thinking that. Here's this man who went from thinking he was last week -- one week once bombs started, he was he was done, and now he sees this pathway for defeating the Russians.

CAVUTO: You know, Brett, you might be right.

I mean, President Zelenskyy sort of just mirrored your comments, saying that he sees no reason to trust words from certain representatives of a power that continues to fight for our destruction, obviously referring to Russia, and Vladimir Putin in particular.

So he doubts this. And it's way beyond just the Ronald Reagan thing, trust, but verify. He doesn't even trust. So how do you see these talks going whenever they are resumed?

VELICOVICH: Well, I wouldn't trust anything the Russians are going to say.

But,in the end, any talk is a step forward. And I have been focused heavily on the humanitarian side of things here, getting medical aid in. And I have been pretty polite, frankly, when it's come to not bashing the administration, because I know there's good people in the government who mean well.

But the good ones right now, from my perspective, on the ground are being limited and restricted by the policies of what they can really do to help in here, because some of the people in charge. I mean, why am I getting calls from Ukrainian commanders and special operations guys who haven't received humanitarian aid on the front lines?

Why am I sitting in front of elite Ukrainian commandos and some are wearing tennis shoes into battle, and they don't have another choice? It's freezing on the front lines. We're hearing doctors that we talk to not getting the meds they need to do surgery. Many of them barely even have like simple chest seals that in the end aren't enough to stop punctured lungs.

So people are dying here, Neil, and Washington, I think, is moving too slow. And what's going on here? Why are civilian organizations doing the job of the U.S. government? I spent all day long today packing these IFAK kits. These are hundreds of combat medical kits that are going to the front lines. This is the number one requested item here on the front lines.

And they're not coming from us organizations. They're coming from private groups who, frankly, a lot of them don't even want to be named, but they're funding all this. And so I'm just trying to understand that, why the U.S. government doesn't -- they don't owe me an explanation.

They owe the Ukrainian soldiers and the Defense Department an explanation as to why the aid they promised in this massive $800 million package has yet to come to the front lines. So I just pray there's some senator out there who's looking exactly at where these things are going, because, from where I'm sitting and from what we're seeing at the front lines, it's not getting into the hands of the right people.

CAVUTO: Brett, I'm curious too, and you have been involved in this, the number of orphans and where they stand.

VELICOVICH: Right.

CAVUTO: How is that part going?

VELICOVICH: It's such an important thing.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: We talk about the refugees and all of that, but what's going on there?

VELICOVICH: So, that's my number one focus now is these orphans, because we have been asked to assist by the Ukrainian government. We just signed an MOU with the state administration.

There's a major humanitarian human trafficking situation that's popped up as a result of more than three million refugees who have fled the country. Most of these refugees are women and children. And we're getting reports that some are being exploited, trafficked, and getting forced into prostitution.

There are over 10,000 orphans right now, Neil, unaccounted for across the country. We're trying to assist with determining where these orphans are, rescue them, and then bring them to areas where the Ukrainian government can oversee their care, and without concern for their health and safety. But this is a major, major issue with these human trafficking concerns in country.

CAVUTO: You know, Brett, I know you don't like to take a bow, and you always speak about the people who help.

But you didn't have to do any of this. You had served your country notably and honorably. And you went right back into battle to deal with this and help these people out. It is remarkable. And it is inspirational. Thank you for everything. And thank you for taking the time to talk to us.

Thank you, Neil.

CAVUTO: Brett Velicovich.

I mean, that that's a rare breed right there, my friends.

We're going to be talking to Joe Lieberman about what's going on there right now. To just state what Brett has said and what the Ukrainian president has also said, it's nice to talk about each side making overtures to the other, but believing Vladimir Putin and believing the notion that he's going to ease up, they don't know.

What does Joe know? We will ask.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: All right, you heard about U.S. officials a little skeptical about some of the promises to ease up on the bombing from Vladimir Putin and the Russians in general.

But it did get hope spurring that maybe at least they're talking and that could lead to something.

To Joe Lieberman, the former vice presidential nominee and Democratic senator, independent senator.

Senator, always great to have you.

FMR. SEN. JOE LIEBERMAN (I-CT): Thanks, Neil.

CAVUTO: What do you make of the skepticism around these Russian promises from the White House on down?

LIEBERMAN: Well, I agree with the skepticism.

And I would say even go beyond that to distrust. There's no reason to trust Putin. He has proven himself to be a liar, a killer, everything the president of the United States has called him, a thug, a war criminal. How can you trust him? You got to see what's happening on the ground.

On the ground, the Ukrainians are achieving remarkable victories and essentially winning the war. And I do think the Russians are redeploying, but it's not clear in any sense that they're withdrawing.

But, from the air, the Russian planes continue to dominate the skies. And they're inflicting terrible losses in life and buildings. The whole city of Mariupol and Kharkiv, they're essentially destroyed. And until that stops, there really can't be any peace or truce between the parties.

We have a strange situation where I think we're getting to a point where Putin has to know that he's not going to be able to control Ukraine, because you can't control a country unless you control it on the ground. And the Ukrainians won't let him do that. But he continues to have the power from the air to inflict terrible pain on the Ukrainian people.

And that's where I believe NATO and the U.S. have simply not done enough to protect the Ukrainians and defeat Putin.

CAVUTO: Senator, do you think the president made a mistake -- he says he did not -- when he winged that response at the end of his speech about Putin going? I'm paraphrasing here.

LIEBERMAN: Yes.

CAVUTO: But the message was one of alarm that a lot of the world had that that was further firing up this situation. How do you feel about that?

LIEBERMAN: Yes, I was not -- I didn't mind that statement by the president at all. I thought he was speaking not only from his heart, from his head. Putin deserves it.

Why should he be in power anymore? I mean, again, he is a person that we have called a war criminal. We have seen how he will kill people without any hesitation. I didn't think the president -- I don't know why the White House felt so defensive about it. I think we have spent too much time in this aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine trying to reassure Putin that we wouldn't do this or we wouldn't do that.

I didn't hear President Biden saying that we were going to go in and capture Moscow and overthrow the government. Whether he stays in power or not in Russia depends on the Russian people. But why not say Russia and the world would be a lot better off without Putin in power?

And he's proven that by his own actions. So, that's one statement by President Biden that I was inspired by, really. And I thought he was right.

CAVUTO: And then they had to dial it back, or they tried to explain it. You might raise a very good point there, Senator.

I'm just curious, though, if the world was outraged by that statement, you think about almost every official I have talked to, Senator, from Ukrainians on the ground to some of these other worlds diplomats. They all say, to a man or woman, no matter how this war ends -- and, hopefully, it does soon.

LIEBERMAN: Right.

CAVUTO: Those sanctions and punishments on Russia should continue as long as Vladimir Putin is running Russia. That does seem to be advocating regime change, does it not?

LIEBERMAN: I agree.

Listen, I feel the same way. Let's say there is a truce or a peace between Russia and Ukraine. This doesn't mean that, after what Putin has done, the death and destruction he's caused, that we can just say, OK, bygones are bygones.

He is a war criminal. We ought to really be focused on taking a case against them to The Hague, and not lifting the sanctions or any of the other punishments against him for what he did here, no more than, oh, after Hitler's invasion of Poland in the late '30s. That's when England came into the war. It wasn't like England tried to work out a peace with Hitler.

They decided he couldn't be trusted anymore and he wanted to take all of Europe. And I think we can conclude the same about the malevolent ambitions of Vladimir Putin toward Ukraine and anything else he can grab in Europe.

CAVUTO: Senator, well put.

Very good seeing you again, sir, Joe Lieberman, former Democratic vice presidential candidate...

LIEBERMAN: You too, Neil. Take care.

CAVUTO: ... weighing on -- very good seeing you again.

Meanwhile, the focus on Poland as well. As you know, it's taken in better than two million of the nearly four million Ukrainian refugees.

Aishah Hasnie is there with some added pressure on the Poles even now -- Aishah.

AISHAH HASNIE, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Neil.

That's right. So this crisis has problem after problem involved in it, including what to do in the long term with Ukrainian refugees in Poland. They are still streaming in by the thousands every single day. I talked with the mayor of Warsaw today.

And, coming up, I'm going to tell you why he's calling on world leaders to come up with a better strategy to try to help cities like his.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: All right, well you have been seeing what's happening on the Ukrainian border, but have you seen what's happening along our border?

The crisis that people are ignoring -- after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: All right, the president has promised help for Poland and a lot of the other borderline countries that are trying to deal with an influx of refugees from Ukraine, but a lot of people doubting that aid, or at least the immediate help the president promised, is getting there anytime soon.

Aishah Hasnie in the middle of it all in Warsaw has more -- Aishah.

HASNIE: Yes. Hey, Neil. That's right.

This is a very complicated situation on the ground, this humanitarian crisis, a lot of layers, including this one. So I spoke with the mayor of Warsaw today. And I asked him about President Biden offering to take in 100,000 refugees into the U.S. He thinks it's a great idea.

But he says that world leaders really have to come up with a better relocation strategy, because, if there is a second wave, which we do expect, then this city of Warsaw is going to be overwhelmed. So, as you know, Warsaw has already taken in some 300,000 refugees since the start of this war.

And last week, President Biden pledged to take in 100,000. And the mayor here says there's been a lack of a global relocation strategy here. And the city, of course, will continue to welcome in Ukrainians, but the conditions are going to deteriorate if leaders can't come up with a plan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFAL TRZASKOWSKI, MAYOR OF WARSAW, POLAND: We need a strategy, because, if a second wave comes, we are going to be overwhelmed if we are not going to be assisted and helped by our friends.

We need to show to Putin that we are strong, that we are united, that he's not going to destabilize us with another wave of refugees.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HASNIE: OK, so on top of this, as we know, the Biden administration has also pledged a billion dollars in humanitarian aid.

But, Neil, nonprofits are struggling to deliver what they already have to those stuck inside Ukraine. The U.N. is calling for a cease-fire because of this, writing: "We must be guaranteed safe passage by parties to the fighting. We cannot deliver aid when the shelling continues and the roads are mined."

At the same time, American volunteers are telling me on the ground they need help from the State Department to expedite the delivery of those medical narcotics to treat war injuries inside Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON VOSE, TRAUMA MEDIC: Ketamine, any type of opioid, analgesics, painkillers, we -- it's very difficult for us to get that across the border, because we're shipping narcotics across the board. We can't just walk across without all the paperwork.

And that takes weeks sometimes to get all of that stuff taken care of. Those relationships haven't been created yet. And we need to see that happen quicker.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HASNIE: So those are urgent needs that have to be taken care of right now.

The bottom line is, this refugee crisis is not ending anytime soon. I spoke with the mayor of Przemysl, a border town here in Poland. He told me, they're still seeing from 6,000 to 7,000 refugees crossover every single day -- Neil.

CAVUTO: So, Aishah, I'm curious. You're right in the heat of this. The Poles never reject any incoming Ukrainian.

HASNIE: Yes.

CAVUTO: Somehow, with the limited resources they have, they make sure everyone gets in and is welcome. It's amazing.

HASNIE: It's incredible.

And one of the things I keep hearing, especially from aid workers, is, we don't see any tent cities, right? We don't see people living and sleeping in tents, which is incredible, and very rare for refugee crises, especially of this size. And that's because the Poles have taken these people into their homes, into their hotels, into gymnasiums, anything that is empty, a warehouse.

They have set these people up. What is the long-term solution, though? That is the question. That's what the Warsaw mayor is wondering. It's great that these countries like the U.S. are inviting people in. But what is the relocation strategy?

Because, right now, there's 300,000 extra people living in the city. There's kids that need to go to school. There's hospitals that have to treat patients.

CAVUTO: Right. Right.

HASNIE: They need help quickly. They need a plan.

CAVUTO: Well, thanks for bringing the world's attention to it, Aishah. Much appreciated.

Aishah Hasnie following all of that in Warsaw.

HASNIE: You bet.

CAVUTO: These are unusual times, my friends.

Today, an editorial in The Washington Post and another in The Wall Street Journal both wondering the same thing about President Biden: Is he slipping? Is his age showing?

After this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: All right, we're just learning right now that oil executives are expected to testify before Congress on the record high gas prices on April 6.

As you know, the administration is hinted that there's one thing about supply and demand, but quite another about the commonality of prices quickly going up. But when oil turns south, it will take a longer time to go that way. But it's raised suspicions and now raised questions and now prompted a hearing scheduled for April 6 in Washington.

If we become -- get any more information on this, of course, we will update you.

In the meantime, updating the president and the ongoing reaction to words he flippantly makes and now has to have the White House defend.

Jacqui Heinrich is there with more -- Jacqui.

JACQUI HEINRICH, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Neil.

Well, the newest question is whether the U.S. does in fact have any sort of an operation training Ukrainian troops in Poland. At yesterday's press conference, the president appeared to reveal a previously unknown or possibly covert operation where the U.S. military is training Ukrainian troops in Poland when he was asked to clarify a comment that he made in Poland suggesting that U.S. troops would be seeing atrocities there in Ukraine, suggesting that they might be in fact going to Ukraine.

So he was trying to clarify that U.S. troops were not ever going to go into Ukraine, but he appeared to reveal that they were going to be training Ukrainian soldiers, because he said he was talking about instead the training that Ukrainian troops in Poland are going to get.

A week ago, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said unequivocally the U.S. doesn't have any troops training Ukrainians. So I asked the White House if Biden accidentally revealed something he wasn't supposed to in this press conference where he was cleaning up another wayward comment.

Communications Director Kate Bedingfield said Biden in no way revealed compromised information, but did say for the first time there's regular interaction between U.S. soldiers and Ukrainian troops.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KATE BEDINGFIELD, WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR: Well, as I said, there is regular interaction between Ukrainian soldiers in Poland and the U.S. troops that the president saw on the trip.

There's nothing -- no further detail that I can add on that, except to say that there is regular interaction. As you saw, we were there near the border. And there's regular interaction between those troops that he saw and Ukrainians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEINRICH: What that regular interaction is, we don't really have a lot of detail about.

Also today, there's some more distance between what the president is saying vs. the rest of the administration. Russia claimed it is reducing military attacks near Kyiv and will withdraw its forces. The Pentagon shut that down right away, saying that no one should be fooled by the Kremlin's claim. Any movement of troops should be seen as a redeployment.

The president, though, commander in chief, appeared not to be convinced of anything in particular just yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will see.

I don't read anything into it until I see what their actions are. We will see if they follow through on what they're suggesting. There are negotiations that have begun today -- or not begun -- continued today, one in Turkey and others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEINRICH: So, the president just signed an anti-lynching bill here in the Rose Garden. That is the last that we will see of him today.

So clarifications on our remaining questions will have to wait until tomorrow, Neil.

CAVUTO: Jacqui Heinrich at the White House, thank you very much for that.

Meantime, this was an unusual day, not only for what's going on in Ukraine, but two newspapers, generally, editorially, at least, miles apart when it comes to the message on their opinion pages, but The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal featuring stories on a presidency that has been dominated right now by an open mic, as Gerry Baker writes.

But in The Washington Post, an interesting article as well by Henry Olsen, writing: "It's part of a disturbing pattern of miscues that unnecessarily raise the risk of a direct confrontation with Russia."

Now, Gerry Baker joins me right now, who penned a piece that had the same tone in The Wall Street Journal, and a host of "The Wall Street Journal at Large" on FOX Business.

You essentially were saying the same, that this -- these constant miscues, open mic mistakes, whatever you want to call it, there's a pattern and it's worrisome. And your big worry now is, it's out of control, right?

GERRY BAKER, HOST, "WALL STREET JOURNAL AT LARGE": Yes. Yes, I do.

Look, I mean, I don't -- as I said, we can't really go on like this with this -- it's one thing when the president fails to -- misidentifies the vice president as the first lady, as he did a couple of weeks ago, or when he gets somebody's name wrong or forgets where he is.

When he starts this loose lips approach when he's talking about a war that's going on and what the United States wants to achieve in that war, the failure to be precise, the verbal incontinence, as I call it, is actually endangering the United States and endangering the U.S. and its allies.

And -- but the problem is, there is a real mystery here, because, on the one hand, President Biden has been -- in terms of what he's done over Ukraine, has been quite cautious. I mean, I think you can approve of that or not. A lot of people are pleased with -- that he hasn't -- he hasn't risked getting the United States too deeply involved in this.

CAVUTO: Right. Right.

BAKER: And I think a lot of people like that. Some people want him to go further.

But you can argue -- you can argue that either way. But that's been the approach. That's been the actual practical effect. But then he goes out and says that there's wildly bellicose statements, whether it's kind of implying that the United States will respond in kind if Russia uses nuclear weapons, saying that Russia -- American troops will soon see the inside of Ukraine, and then, of course, that remark about Putin can't remain in power.

It is all -- you -- and so -- so the legitimate question is, what is the policy here? What -- what -- who's driving the policy? And what is the policy? Is it this cautious, softly, softly, step-by-step approach, which seems to be able to administration is trying to do, or is it the policy that's reflected in the president's words?

CAVUTO: Now, Ronald Reagan overruled his advisers by putting the evil empire thing in the language here. But he planned that. A lot of these miscues by Joe Biden make you wonder, especially with the cleanup campaign afterwards, whether he just stumbled upon it.

And it gets back to the age thing, and whether, at close to 80 years old, it's showing. I don't know any other way to say it, polite or not.

BAKER: Yes.

We have got another three years of this, Neil as well. This is the worrying thing. And, by the way, forgive me for saying this, but the alternative, should Joe Biden step aside or something worse happen, in the form of Kamala Harris, is not exactly reassuring either.

So, look, and, again, I don't want to be too critical. He is of a certain age. And we know that people of a certain age do have cognitive difficulties. And this president does seem to particularly reflect that.

But, again, I think there has to be some more discipline, because this is not just about, again, whether or not the president is making gaffes or saying things that he shouldn't say. All presidents do that.

CAVUTO: Right.

BAKER: This is about sending really dangerous mixed signals about what U.S. policy...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: But this is about language.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: No, no, you're a very good -- Gerry, you're an excellent writer, and every line is carefully scrutinized here.

But you mentioned something interesting at the end about the language can work against you if you flub. You said that: "John Kennedy said during World War II that Winston Churchill mobilized the English language and set it to battle. Mr. Biden seems intent on doing the same. Only, he may be sending it into battle on the wrong side."

Is it that dangerous?

BAKER: I think it is.

Look, that's famously what was said about Winston Churchill. And language matters.

(CROSSTALK)

BAKER: It matters in terms of rallying your own people. Look at President Zelenskyy and what extraordinary rhetoric he's been able to utilize to rally his own people in a kind of Churchillian way.

But it matters in the other way too. When you say things that are false, that are wrong, that are then immediately contradicted by your staff or by your allies, you're sending signals. You're sending dangerous signals.

Look, Vladimir Putin is, we're glad to say, cornered right now. He's clearly overreached. He's clearly made terrible miscalculations. He's -- we're seeing today maybe that they're kind of pausing, perhaps, and certainly in their battle for Kyiv.

But they're certainly -- they're certainly on the -- they're certainly -- they have been pushed back from where they expected to be. So this is a great opportunity for us.

The risk is that by sending the wrong signals to Vladimir Putin, you could actually prompt him to escalate, to go further, to do things -- if you're - - if he thinks, for example, that the endpoint of this really is that the U.S. wants to see him gone, and maybe will try and do things to get him gone, then the stakes for him are maximal, right? They're existential.

CAVUTO: He has nothing to lose. He has nothing to lose.

BAKER: So, he may as well just -- he may well...

CAVUTO: Yes.

BAKER: He may decide to blow the whole world up and go with him. I hope he doesn't.

But that's the risk. When you send these mixed signals, that is the risk that you're sending mixed signals to your allies and you're sending mixed signals to your enemy, and it's a really dangerous moment.

CAVUTO: Yes, words matter. And it was the series of instances you brought up, as well as a colleague on the left who brought them up at The Washington Post, that bears watching.

Thank you, my friend. Very good seeing you, Gerry Baker, following all of that.

In the meantime, we told you what's happening at the Ukrainian border. But we have serious problems at our own. And they're igniting all over again.

And doesn't Bill Melugin know it -- Bill.

BILL MELUGIN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Neil, local Border Patrol stations completely over capacity and illegal immigrants being mass-released into local communities.

I'm Bill Melugin live here in Eagle Pass, Texas, one of the epicenters of the current border crisis.

We will have that story for you coming right up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CAVUTO: You know, it might have gotten lost in the news sauce with everything going on in Ukraine, but we have a border problem of our own. And I mean a huge one.

Fortunately, Bill Melugin has been on this long before anyone was or even is. He joins us right now from Eagle Pass.

I guess, Bill, here we go again, huh?

MELUGIN: Neil, that's exactly right. Here we go again, part two, and this year already shaping up to be worse than last year.

As you mentioned, we're here in Eagle Pass. And directly behind us all afternoon, we have been watching his group after group after group of migrants just walks across the Rio Grande and illegally enters Texas. And we will show you what that looks like. Take a look at this video here, exact spot shot a few hours ago where we're standing right now, as a pretty large group of migrants just waited right across the Rio Grande and entered into Texas illegally right in front of the Texas National Guard.

You will see some of them actually raising their hands with joy in celebration once they reach Texas soil after making the journey. There was no resistance on the Mexican side of the border. And once they got here, they were just processed by Border Patrol and taken away.

But take a look at this photo again from Eagle Pass. This was on Sunday, Border Patrol encountering this single huge group of 187 migrants, mostly Nicaraguans and Cubans. And Border Patrol has been reporting they have been encountering these huge groups virtually every single day. That's putting a huge strain on their resources.

Their local Border Patrol stations are way over capacity. So what's happening? They're starting to mass-release migrants into local communities. And this is what that looks like, if we can pull up this video right here.

This is from Representative Tony Gonzales' office. They shared this video with us yesterday showing about 300 illegal immigrants being released into the city of Eagle Pass at an NGO here. This NGO has been taking in several 100 migrants every single day, mass-released by the federal government.

And it's not only happening here, these mass releases happening all over Del Rio sector, Del Rio, Uvalde, Carrizo Springs, here in Eagle Pass. And earlier today, the chief of U.S. Border Patrol said at a forum in San Antonio that we are on track any day now to already hit one million migrant encounters in just the last six months.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAUL ORTIZ, U.S. BORDER PATROL CHIEF: I'm going to be hitting some record numbers myself.

And probably in the next two or three days, we will hit over a million encounters or apprehensions along the Southwest border. But it's not just the Southwest border. I have got some coastal sectors that are under attack. And then, of course, on the northern border, we still have a threat up there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MELUGIN: And, Neil, keep in mind, last year, fiscal year 2021, set the all-time record at the border with 1.7 million encounters.

Here we are only halfway into fiscal year 2022, we're already at one million. Says it all right there. And that doesn't account for got-aways. And the busiest months are still ahead of us. We will send it back to you.

CAVUTO: Incredible, Bill.

My hat's off to you too, because you were on this when nobody was and still doggedly following it. Thank you, Bill, very much.

Bill Melugin in Texas on that.

Meanwhile, it's one thing to say, well, airstrikes are slowing down and things are going to get better in Ukraine. It's another thing to have the view from the ground.

We have got that view -- after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): One shouldn't be afraid of anything anymore. And I must not be afraid. I'm rather calm about things.

You know, how to conquer any fear, one has to understand, what's the worst thing that can happen? The worst thing that can happen has already happened, the war, a full scale of Russia against Ukraine, in modern world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAVUTO: That was President Zelenskyy talking to my next guest, Paul Ronzheimer, Germany's Bild TV reporter.

Paul, great to have you.

You're there. You're on the ground. You have spoken to the president. You have spoken to Ukrainians up. They're not believing a lot of this talk they're getting out of Russia about easing up, are they?

PAUL RONZHEIMER, BILD: No, they don't believe shit, if I can say that.

I talked to the mayor of Kyiv earlier. And he said: "What do they talk about peace?"

I was at the front line today. I saw in towns next to Kyiv a lot of fighting going on. And even if you hear the church bell right behind me right now, just hours before, we heard a lot of fighting going on around the city.

CAVUTO: So, when you're in Kyiv and other areas, I mean, how are everyday people responding to the sirens, the raids when they happen? Some try to go on with their lives. But that's pretty tough, isn't it?

RONZHEIMER: More people are trying to go on with their lives. That's true.

At the beginning, everybody would hide in the cellars. Everybody would run when they hear the sirens. But, I mean, they have to survive. They have to go on with their lives. There's still almost two million people here in Kyiv right now. And they can't go downstairs in the cellar every time they hear the sirens, because, otherwise, they wouldn't get any sleep.

So they keep on. But that's the danger. It's the danger of life.

CAVUTO: So, this idea that this could end anytime soon, that doesn't seem in the cards, from the people talk to?

RONZHEIMER: No, people don't believe that this could end anytime soon.

They hear from the Russians that they say they want to retreat from Kyiv to the east and they want to only fight in the east. But they don't believe that. They heard what Vladimir Putin was saying at the beginning of this war. He said: I want whole Ukraine, and Ukraine is Russia.

And people believe this is just tactical, this is just strategy, what he's doing right now, to get, like, new soldiers in, new weapons in to attack the Ukrainian capital in some weeks, months, whatever, years, again.

CAVUTO: Paul Ronzheimer, thank you very much. Sorry for the limited time, Germany's Bild TV reporter.

He's very well connected with people on the ground, the authorities, all the way up to the president of Ukraine. And what he sees is not jibing with what we're hearing out of Russia, and, for that matter, sometimes what we hear out of Washington.

We apologize for the language, but, again, this is war.

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