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Chris Christie reflects on visit to Ukraine, says country should enter NATO if it defeats Russia

Conversation with the Candidate
Adam Sexton
Political Director
Chris Christie reflects on visit to Ukraine, says country should enter NATO if it defeats Russia

Conversation with the Candidate

ABOUT. THANK YOU. QUICK FOLLOW UP, GOVERNOR. LET’S SAY UKRAINE WINS THE WAR AND EXPELS RUSSIA FROM ITS BORDERS AND THE UNITED STATES HAS A CHANCE LIKE IT HAD IN THE EARLY 90S, TO APPROACH A DIFFERENT RUSSIA. HOWEVER THAT HAPPENS. WHAT SHOULD THE UNITED STATES OR THE NEXT PRESIDENT DO TO TRY TO CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF RUSSIA SO YOU DON’T END UP WITH THE SAME SITUATION OVER AND OVER AGAIN? WELL, FIRST IS TO PUT UKRAINE INTO NATO. ONCE THE WAR IS OVER, THEY’VE EARNED IT. AND THEY, BY THE WAY, WILL BE THE MOST HARDENED, BEST TRAINED MILITARY FORCE IN NATO AFTER WHAT THEY’VE JUST GONE THROUGH. SECONDLY, IT DEPENDS ON WHO THE NEW LEADER OF RUSSIA IS. ADAM, IF YOU HAVE AN AUTOCRATIC MANIAC LIKE VLADIMIR PUTIN WHO REPLACES VLADIMIR PUTIN, YOU CAN BE VERY LITTLE THE UNITED STATES CAN DO TO COMBAT THAT. ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND WAS JUST THERE JUST LAST FRIDAY, I WENT TO THE TOWN OF BOUCHER WHEN THE RUSSIANS INVADED THEIR. THE MAYOR TOLD ME ABOUT ONE PARTICULAR STREET WHERE THE RUSSIAN SOLDIERS WENT INTO EVERY HOUSE, PULLED THE MEN OUT, GOUGED OUT THEIR EYES WHILE THEY WERE ALIVE, TIED THEIR HANDS BEHIND THEIR BACK AND SHOT THEM IN THE HEAD AND THEN WENT INTO THE HOMES AND RAPED THE WOMEN WHO WERE THERE. THEY WENT TO THE SAINT MICHAEL’S CATHEDRAL ON THE TOP OF THE HILL IN BOUCHER. THEY KILLED 160 PEOPLE, CIVILIANS, AND BURIED THEM IN A SHALLOW GRAVE BEHIND THAT CATHEDRAL. AND RANSACKED THE CATHEDRAL. AND THE MAYOR SHOWED ME A PICTURE THAT A REUTERS PHOTOGRAPHER HAD TAKEN OF A TEN YEAR OLD GIRL WHO WAS DEAD ON THE STREET, BEEN SHOT BY A RUSSIAN SOLDIER IN HER HANDS. WAS HER LEASH WITH HER DEAD DOG AT THE END OF THAT LEASH, SHE WAS OUT WALKING HER DOG AND WAS SHOT AND KILLED BY A RUSSIAN SOLDIER, 91,000 CHILDREN HAVE BEEN ABDUCTED FROM UKRAINE BY THE RUSSIAN ARMY, STOLEN FROM THEIR FAMILIES AND TAKEN BACK TO RUSSIA TO REPROGRAM THEM TO BE ANTI UKRAINE. I MET ONE OF THOSE MOTHERS WHOSE CHILD WAS TAKEN AWAY FROM HER. THEY DON’T KNOW WHERE THEIR CHILD IS, IF THEIR CHILD’S DEAD OR ALIVE BEING CARED FOR, ABUSED. THIS IS THE REGIME THAT UKRAINE IS FIGHTING. THIS IS NOT A TERRITORIAL DISPUTE. GOVERNOR DESANTIS. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING WE SHOULD IGNORE. DONALD TRUMP. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT AMERICA STANDS UP AGAINST AND THOSE FOLKS DESERVE AND HAVE EARNED OUR SUPPORT. AND THEY’RE NOT ASKING FOR ONE AMERICAN MAN OR WOMAN TO COME THERE AND FIGHT THEIR FIGHT. THEY JUST WANT US TO GIVE TH
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Chris Christie reflects on visit to Ukraine, says country should enter NATO if it defeats Russia

Conversation with the Candidate
Adam Sexton
Political Director
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was asked by “Conversation with the Candidate” moderator Adam Sexton, WMUR’s political director, about how he would approach Russia if Ukraine were to win its war against the invading country.Christie, who visited the war-torn country last week, said he’d first support Ukraine’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, saying they have “earned it.”As for how he’d handle Russia, Christie said that would depend on who was in charge.“If you have an autocratic maniac like Vladimir Putin who replaces Vladimir Putin, there would be very little the United States can do to combat that,” Christie said. Christie said the mayor of Bucha, Ukraine, told him during his visit some of the atrocities in his town allegedly committed by Russian soldiers during the conflict.“The mayor told me about one particular street where the Russian soldiers went into every house, pulled the men out, gouged out their eyes while they were alive, tied their hands behind their back and shot them in the head, and then went into the homes and raped the women who were there,” Christie said. Christie said he learned soldiers killed 160 civilians on a single street and buried them in a mass grave behind a cathedral in the community.“And the mayor showed me a picture that a Reuters photographer had taken of a 10-year-old girl who was dead on the street. She had been shot by a Russian soldier,” Christie said. “In her hands was her leash with her dead dog at the end of that leash. She was out walking her dog and was shot and killed by a Russian soldier.”Christie made mention of thousands of children said to have been abducted from Ukraine by the Russian army.“(They were) stolen from their families and taken back to Russia to reprogram them to be anti-Ukraine,” Christie said. “I met one of those mothers whose child was taken away from her. They don’t know where their child is, if their child’s dead or alive, being cared for, abused.”The Republican invoked Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump when describing the nature of what Ukraine is up against in the war.“This is the regime that Ukraine is fighting. This is not a territorial dispute, Gov. DeSantis. This is not something we should ignore, Donald Trump,” Christie said. “This is something that America stands up against and those folks deserve and have earned our support.”See Christie’s full answer in the video player above.See the full "Conversation with the Candidate" event through the following links:Watch Part 1: Christie blasts Trump, Biden over their families’ wealth gainsWatch Part 2: Christie wonders why other Republicans won't confront Trump moreWatch online exclusive: Christie says he, Scott might be only Republicans who seek unityOther "Conversation with the Candidate" events will be held throughout the campaign season. The full list of candidates who participate will be updated here.Conversation with the Candidate is a town hall-style program recorded in advance of when it airs. It is intended to allow the candidate to convey their points of view on a wide range of topics. During the program, the moderator may challenge the candidates' assertions, but every fact may not be checked in real time. WMUR News 9 is committed to holding the candidates accountable on their claims throughout the election cycle.
MANCHESTER, N.H. —

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was asked by “Conversation with the Candidate” moderator Adam Sexton, WMUR’s political director, about how he would approach Russia if Ukraine were to win its war against the invading country.

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Christie, who visited the war-torn country last week, said he’d first support Ukraine’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, saying they have “earned it.”

As for how he’d handle Russia, Christie said that would depend on who was in charge.

“If you have an autocratic maniac like Vladimir Putin who replaces Vladimir Putin, there would be very little the United States can do to combat that,” Christie said.

Christie said the mayor of Bucha, Ukraine, told him during his visit some of the atrocities in his town allegedly committed by Russian soldiers during the conflict.

“The mayor told me about one particular street where the Russian soldiers went into every house, pulled the men out, gouged out their eyes while they were alive, tied their hands behind their back and shot them in the head, and then went into the homes and raped the women who were there,” Christie said.

Christie said he learned soldiers killed 160 civilians on a single street and buried them in a mass grave behind a cathedral in the community.

“And the mayor showed me a picture that a Reuters photographer had taken of a 10-year-old girl who was dead on the street. She had been shot by a Russian soldier,” Christie said. “In her hands was her leash with her dead dog at the end of that leash. She was out walking her dog and was shot and killed by a Russian soldier.”

Christie made mention of thousands of children said to have been abducted from Ukraine by the Russian army.

“(They were) stolen from their families and taken back to Russia to reprogram them to be anti-Ukraine,” Christie said. “I met one of those mothers whose child was taken away from her. They don’t know where their child is, if their child’s dead or alive, being cared for, abused.”

The Republican invoked Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump when describing the nature of what Ukraine is up against in the war.

“This is the regime that Ukraine is fighting. This is not a territorial dispute, Gov. DeSantis. This is not something we should ignore, Donald Trump,” Christie said. “This is something that America stands up against and those folks deserve and have earned our support.”

See Christie’s full answer in the video player above.

See the full "Conversation with the Candidate" event through the following links:

Other "Conversation with the Candidate" events will be held throughout the campaign season. The full list of candidates who participate will be updated here.

Conversation with the Candidate is a town hall-style program recorded in advance of when it airs. It is intended to allow the candidate to convey their points of view on a wide range of topics. During the program, the moderator may challenge the candidates' assertions, but every fact may not be checked in real time. WMUR News 9 is committed to holding the candidates accountable on their claims throughout the election cycle.