ill bless his people israel". ♪ ♪ howard: just got word from ukrainian authorities that russian troops have shot and killed an american filmmaker, brent renaud. he had contributed in the past to the new york times which says it is deeply saddened by his death, but he was not currently on assignment for the paper. national security adviser jake sullivan calling it shocking and horrifying. this underscores the risks for the members of the media who are doing a tremendous job in covering ukraine. sometimes there's a huge story that doesn't need to be hyped or

pumped up. ukraine is that story. a brutal and unprovoked invasion by a lying russian regime causing heartbreaking death and destruction, creating a massive humanitarian crisis is. journalists are bringing the world the rawness of ukraine's suffering, the panicked families fleeing and, inevitably, showing emotion themselves. >> it's just an awful, awful scene. and these people are the lucky ones. >> i'm just going to help her carry this bag a second. excuse me, john, while we try t- [speaking in native tongue] it's not clear how many trains will be leaving from kyiv, but these are the lucky few, the few who have made it out. [speaking in native tongue] >> we just saving our lives, that's it. there's no more we can do here. >> reporter: what have you left behind?

>> our families, everything. >> it is horrible, i understand it's horrible. there are a lot of americans out there who are -- sorry, who are saying they want a no-fly zone as well. >> i don't understand why, why we have to -- this is about humanity. >> i'm sorry. [background sounds] it's awful. howard: with some exceptions, of course, the tone of the coverage has been more serious than strident, there's been a striking decline in sheer partisanship. ukraine and the defense of democracy is the moral test of our time, and that is largely how it's being chronicled. i'm howard kurtz, and this is "mediabuzz." ♪ ♪

howard: with the latest on a devastating russian attack on a ukrainian air base, we go now to fox's mike tobin in lviv. mike, what do we know? >> reporter: well, howard, the west of the country has been spared so much of the violence but has now been subject to three airstrikes this tree days. the first two coming on friday in a town to the north of here. in both cases airstrips were hit, military airstrips. now, the one this morning is in a town which is between where i am and in he e vive and the polish border. it hit a base called the international security and peace-keeping center. that base recently housed members of the florida national guard as recently as february. they got out when it looked like the invasion appeared to be imminent. the strike was 60 miles from u.s. troops from the 82nd airborne deployed in poland. the airstrike was carried out --

the planes took off and fired more than 30 missiles. the ukrainian air defense system worked, shot down some of the missiles in the air. this total 8 missiles got through. 35 if people were killed, 145 were injured. it's not clear exactly what the russians were trying to hit at the particular base, but clearly they spent a lot of rougherses to get it. back to -- resources to get it. howard: mike if, stay safe. vladimir zelenskyy is continuing his media blitz from scolding nato to literally echoing churchill before the british parliament. >> translator: all the people who will die starting from this day will die because of you, because of your weakness, because of your disunity. >> this is right in front of us that we're seeing children die,

children with tumors, children not getting their chemo treatment, and we're just sitting here and saying we've got to watch rule and that rule. >> i am afraid we've awakened a sloof -- sleeping giant. if people see a people who want to be free of getting slaughtered every day. howard: joining us now in charleston, south carolina, guy benson, host of fox's guy benson radio show, and here in the studio, mara liasson, fox news contributor. guy, i'm seeing again and again the emotional agony of journalists torn between reporting on this human death and destruction that the russians are inflicting on this sovereign nation if, especially with the unthinkable bombing of a maternity hospital, and the sobering advice of u.s. ask nato officials saying we can't possibly risk a military confrontation with moscow. your thoughts. >> well, they're not necessarily

mutually exclusive. i think there are many, many americans who understand that this is really complex if, on one hand as you point out, we've heard the argument over and over again -- i think it's a fair ono things, for example, like try to enforce a no-fly, that is about the tantamount -- tantamount to war against russia which is not what the american people want, and it would absolutely draw the united states into a much more serious conflict in a direct way. the american people are not interested in that based on all the polling. at the same time, the images that are being broadcast on tv, across our little screens, on our phones seemingly every hour, more often than that even, they're heart-wrenching. they are absolutely brutal. and journalists who try to keep themselves sort of even keeled, especially during stories like this, they are ultimately human beings who are trying to relay this information

dispassionately. but sometimes, you know, you can't. howard: right. >> sometimes emotions do crop up, emotions do well up. and so we can be horrified and angry without crossing over into saying, well, now that means x, y or z militarily -- howard: right. >> and i know a lot of journalists are trying to strike that balance. howard: it's impossible to be passive about this. putin keeps sinking to new lows, kidnapping a mayor with a bag on his held, targeting a maternity hospital. the kremlin can't possibly believe its denial that this mariupol hospital was taken over by extremists, that the bloody victims who we saw with our own eyes were actors? if it feels ludicrous to report it. >> it does, but vladimir putin has a very different audience. he's not talking to us, he's talking to russians. and he now has a kind of ironclad, iron curtain over russian media, and he's controlling what russians -- voters, people, citizens --

consume. so that's where, the that's what his purpose is. but there's no doubt that russia has committed war crimes, what seems on their face war crimes. also that attack that mike tobin just described today, that was right on the border from the polish border -- howard: and p i think, sending a message about the u.s. and the west trying to bring in any weapons, i don't think the location was an accident. guy, let me come back to you. solid myrrh e zelenskyy, we showed it at the top, he continues to do interviews including one from his presidential office. and it's a pretty remarkable display of media mastery, but he is sounding increasingly desperate -- understand write -- because the diplomats are dithering, and he's running out of time to save his country. >> right. and his frustration and desperation if, i think to some extent, is understandable given the circumstances that his

country is facing. let's remember -- and it's been discussed many times already -- this is not a political creature in zelenskyy. he is the president of the country, but his path to the presidency was unorthodox, to see the -- to say the least. he was a comedian, an entertainer, he understands the power of messaging and hitting people in the heart. and he's been very, very good at that in the his communication skills. i know a lot of the analysis and generals all over tv talking about the tactics and the military setbacks the russians have faced and they've suffered especially in the east and the north. but when it comes to the international sort of viewing public, when it comes to the information war that is inherent in any militarying conflict, the -yard line -- ukrainians are winning that in a rout. it's not even close. and zelenskyy is, i would say, chiefly responsible for that. howard: yeah. it's an absolute slam dunk but, of course, not the same as having anti-tank weapons and surface to air missiles.

mara, the biden white house is accusing russia and china of fabricating a bioweapons lab as a cover for a future false flag operation in which chemical weapons would be used against the ukrainians. some people say, well, the u.s. hasn't always told the truth, wmd in iraq and so forth. but most of what biden has said about the plans and tactics have turned out to be too. >> absolutely, they have a record. they're being totally transparent, explain what they were finding out and show it to the public, and almost every single thing came true. what we are hearing from american diplomats and administration officials is this is the modus operandi of putin. first you accuse your enemy of doing something you're about to do. and there's been testimony that, yes, there are biolabs in ukraine like there are many in every single country. howard: research. >> yes, but they are not bioweapons lab ares. howard: i mentioned at the top,

and this was tragic news, the russians shooting and killing a photojournalist by the name of brent renaud who had done work years ago for "the new york times." he's an award-winning journalist who's also worked for hbo and nbc. the other person who was shot at and wounded is a photographer named juan arrendan, the o, we haven't had time to turn it around, but i'll read a little bit for the audience with. he was traveling with renaud during the attack. he said they were crossing a bridge into irpin to film refugees, a pretty standard thing, and they were attacked by russian forces at a checkpoint. this isn't some case, as i can tell, of mistaken identity. what person says mt. interview, we got into a car, somebody offered to take us to the other bridge. we crossed the checkpoint, and they started shooting at us. so the driver turned around and they kept shooting. he saw rethought get shot in the

neck. guy, this obviously underscores the fact that every journalist who is in that war zone is running quite a risk and can't be embedded with forces. >> it's just heartbreaking. but my hat is off to these journalists who are over there, including so many on our team here at fox, to bring us the information firsthand. it's one thing, again, to rely on statements are the pentagon or statements from the kremlin which are almost always not to be believed. you need eyes and ears on the ground. that is what journalism is. in a time of war there's significant risk attached to that especially when there's chaos, and there is a lot of chaos in that country. and it is horrifying that a journalist was murdered, another one wounded it sounds like. and in case putin was trying to get 100% negative coverage of himself in the west at least, i think he's making moves that will guarantee that because you're going to see a lot of

journalists, i think, circling the wag gones on behalf of of the institution of journalism. and they will be rightly outraged by this. howard: we'll talk to one of those brave journalists, trey yingst, from ukraine coming up after this panel. mara, you could, i suppose if, argue the american coverage is one-sided, but it's it's a one-sided war. almost all the damage is being inflicted on ukraine, it's a deliberate tactic, obviously. putin doesn't seem to have any limit. so some critics say, well, the press focus on this humanitarian disaster is painting russia as a villain, but putin's doing a pretty good job of that. >> yes, it was an unprovoked attack. it wasn't like ukraine was on the verge of joining nato or even on the verge of joining the e.u. but this was something putin as had in mind for a very long time. he started with crimea, and then he started moving into these other russian-speaking territories in ukraine. this is what he's wanted to do,

this is the plan, and it's pretty straightforward. howard: yeah. and all this stuff about it's not a war, it's a peace-keeping mission -- >> doesn't look like one. howard: total b.s., maybe russians who don't have access to information are buying it, i don't think the rest of the world. when we come back, joe biden gets pushed into being russian oil imports. how much does the press care about the impact at home? lavender baths calmed him. so we made a plan to turn bath time into a business. ♪ ♪ find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm.com one of my favorite supplements is qunol turmeric. turmeric helps with healthy joints ♪ ♪ and inflammation support. unlike regular turmeric supplements qunol's superior absorption helps me get the full benefits of turmeric. the brand i trust is qunol.

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howard: president biden wasn't ready to take this step, but under pressure from his own hill democrats, realized he had little choice. 9 without the back of our nato allies, biden belateddedly decided to outlaw imports of russian oil and gas. >> that means russian oil will no longer be accepted at u.s. importants, and the american

people will deliver another powerful blow. >> this was still the right decision. pelosi and schumer pushed the white house, the president and his team realized they had to follow suit. >> the white house now has the advantage of using vladimir putin as the excuse for high gas prices while continuing this argument here at home that we need to transition to an alternative form of energy. howard: guy benson, the media take is this: republicans support this ban on russia's only major export given the horrifying war in ukraine with, but are still going to blame joe biden for rising gas prices at home. fair or unfair? >> well, i think the argument really is not about is there going to be an impact at home from this decision vis-a-vis russia. there will be. it will contribute to a problem that already existed. inflation, fuel costs going up predated any of this in ukraine. so i think it is a bit cynical

for the white house and their defenders and allies in the immediate what often to say, oh, this is all on putin or significantly on putin. this was already a very big problem. and banning the russian imports was a no-brainer, and it was huge bipartisan pressure that finally forced the administration if's hand. i mean, that's fine. but it's only half the equation. the other part of the argument that is having and unfolding here domestically is are production -- our production of fossil fuels in this country. and that is a crucial participant of the debate where you're seeing some of the more part partisanship play up. there's broad agreement on the other side of it. howard: right. mara, as we saw and nobody denies this, the biden white house a had to be steam rolled into doing this, and yet 79% in a "wall street journal" poll, huge bipartisan majority, support this step even after being told in the polling

question it would mean further rising prices at home. so maybe the politicians and pundits are behind the public on this one. >> maybe. or maybe the public if wants to say that it's willing to sacrifice. but as time goes on and they keep on going to the pump and seeing high prices, they are change their minds, and they will play into what the republicans hope they do which is to blame biden for inflation anywhere. a lot of times for presidents it's not their fault, with but it is their problem. and inflation is the problem of the party in power. howard: inflation's almost 8%. >> although it's true there's been more oil domestically under biden than trump, and there are thousands ask thousands of oil and gas leases that are not being used by oil company, so it's a little disingenuous for republicans to say he could wave a magic wand and there wouldn't be price hikes. howard: but the industry blames red tape. guy, does the media have a bit of a selective memory here? they want to forget biden, for

example, canceled the keystone pipeline, and some republicans want to forget their recent praise of vladimir putin and harsh criticism of ukraine since everybody now -- just about everybody, i should say -- is being hugely critical of these horrifying and really war crime tactics by the russian autocrat? >> yes, people have selective memories in politics when it suits their partisan interests for the most part. we see that, it's a bipartisan phenomenon. but on the hostility of the biden administration and democrats broadly to domestic oil production and energy production,s that was a major theme in the 2020 campaign. i remember president trump had a lot of his re-election rallies this places like pennsylvania. he would play a montage on big screen, they'd set up, like, jumbotrons at these rallies, and he would play clips of biden talking about shutting down fracking and fossil fuels and making promises on between new deal type things, and he would

say this is what's coming, this is what biden is promising. that hostility was not some sort of new thing that was mysterious. they kind of campaigned on it. so thousand that's hurting americans, i think people at the white house and elsewhere are trying to black off saying, oh, hang on, this is all in your heads, it's not really true, and they've got excuses but a lot of videotape here. howard: mara, biden was quick to say he was going to be honest with the public. but some in the press are saying, well, east shifting the blame to putin, that this is just an excuse. >> you know what? he has a foil, vladimir putin. and no functioning, breathing politician wouldn't take that advantage. i mean, the country is rate clear this is putin's war, the gas prices are going to go up in part because of putin. so you can call it putin's price hikes. you want to split hairs and not say not all of it it is putin, hen you have to say, guess what? more oil production under biden than trump.

howard: what's interesting is former obama economic advisor steve ratner on msnbc said this is biden's inflation, and he needs to own it. next up, a look at the clash between diplomacy and reporters covering the mounting casual is in ukraine. ♪ muck i earn 5% on our cabin. hello cashback! hello, kevin hart! earn big time with chase freedom unlimited with no annual fee. how do you cashback? chase. make more of what's yours. hello, for the last few years, i've been a little obsessed with chasing the big idaho potato truck. but it's not like that's my only interest. i also love cooking with heart-healthy, idaho potatoes. always look for the grown in idaho seal. i'm so glad we could all take this trip together, son yeah. and kayak made getting here so easy- ♪ ♪ here we go. you know i'm a kayak denier! you can't possibly

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♪ ♪ howard: the death toll is at least 35 after the russian bombardment of an air base in lviv where american troops have trained members of the ukrainian military, and that highlights the disconnect between the grinding gears of diplomacy and the lightning pace of war. >> the reality is there's no time for politics on the ground in ukraine. as we are speaking, at this moment, people are dying here. there's literally blood in the streets of cities across this country. just look at the people that we are interviewing, look at my colleagues along the polish border and the innocent civilians who are caught in conflict. look into their eyes and realize

that ukraine is out of time. howard: and joining us mow from kyiv is trey yingst, the fox news foreign correspondent who's been covering this war. trey, it sounded like during that report that you are extremely frustrated or at least impatient with the slow pace of diplomacy and negotiation, and as a reporter were speaking out by saying people are dying here. i'm witnessing it every day. >> reporter: exactly. i think you need to shine light9 in dark places and let people know what's happening on the ground here. there's a lot of politics behind the scenes when you have a conflict like this, but the people who are most affected is the civilians. they're here in this country, and those who can get out are trying to do so, and those who can't have to stay put. and we don't talk enough about that decision that people have to make. they leave their entire lives behind, and if they don't, sometimes before their eyes they watch their house get completely destroyed and what would normally be a very pleasant place to be the turned into a

war zone with a backdrop of death and destruction. it's important for us to characterize that accurately and show people was happening on the ground here and hold those public officials accountable when they try to describe what's taking place here. we see it with our eyes, we capture it with our cameras, and it's our job to report it fairly and accurately to our viewers. howard: and you said that vice president kamala harris who was meeting with the polish president was laughing at one point, that it seemed like a normal bilateral meeting. so did you feel like you wanted to sharpen the contrast as journalists between, you know, they're having a meeting and patting themselves on the back, and at the same time this death and destruction that you are seeing close up continues and is not going to be on some diplomatic clock. >> i think from a production standpoint there should be a split if screen, and on one side when you have world leaders talking about these things, on the other side you should have the latest video from the ground so people can understand there's often a disconnect between what

politicians are saying and what's happening on the ground in a place like ukraine. this has nothing to do with politics or picking a side. it has to do with prepresenting the facts at hand and observing the situation based on the people that we speak with. and those are soldiers, civilians, officials here in the capital of kyiv. and while they greatly appreciate the support from the united states -- and will let's be very clear, there has been a substantial amount of support in both humanitarian aid and also weapons -- but it's not enough according to the people that we're talking to not only here in this kyiv, but across the country. howard: it's clearly not enough, and that's why we need journalists like yourself to not only report on this, but to sometimes shake people, hey, folks. because i think, you know, we're being now it's going to be the fourth week, there's a tendency to become numb to it. i mentioned at the top that russian forces at a checkpoint had shot and killed an award-winning american photojournalist named brent renaud who has worked for hbo, nbc and the new york times, also wounded we're about to hear from

juan arrondondo, and here's what he had to say. >> and they start shooting at us. so the driver turned around, and they kept shooting two of us, my friend brent renaud, and he's been shot and left behind. >> and how is he? >> i don't know. >> you don't know. you don't know what happened -- >> he was -- i saw him being shot in the neck, and is we got -- howard: trey, you're a journalist who's also on the very dangerous front lines. >> we were there on friday. we would have been there today had it not been for our incredible security team that gathered the intelligence they have and the information and made an assessment that we needed to go somewhere else. the reality is there are journalists putting their lives on the line to get this story, and it's devastating. it's it's tragic. there's no to other way to put it. this is a journalist, didn't matter where he was from, what he was doing, he was trying to capture this story, and i think it just highlights for everyone

who's watching the work that journalists are doing and the dangers they put themselves many in. the story is not about us, it's about ukrainian people, but someone has to be here to tell the story of those individualings. and that's exactly what brent was doing here when he was killed. howard: very well put. you are literally in the line of fire trying to bring us the story. trey yingst, very much appreciate your reporting during this entire war. thanks very much and stay safe. next on "mediabuzz," foxes' longtime moscow reporter amy if kellogg with her take on covering putin even as the press has forced out most major news rout lets. ♪ age, but he was busy working from home... ...so he scheduled with safelite in just a few clicks. we came to his house... ...then we got to work. we replaced his windshield and installed new wipers to protect his new glass, while he finished his meeting. let safelite come to you. >> man: looks great. thank you. >> tech: my pleasure.

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vladimir putin thinks somehow that's an acceptable military target. >> this is not ping-pong. this is about human lives. do not shift responsibility, send is us planes. >> the world watching this horror as what seems like one atrocity after another takes place in ukraine. seeing pregnant women bloodied and and on stretchers shocked and horrified the world. >> that's hard for anybody to watch, and it's just pure evil what is happening there. women giving birth, children that desperately need help. it's horrible. howard: joining us now from ron london, amy kellogg who's spent decades reporting from moscow. amy, how hard is it for you to leave your friends and creeings at least for now and and watch this brutal war unfold? >> it was very difficult, how'd,

because they are suck there, ask their lives have changed forever. a lot of them have small children, and they are looking towards a very uncertain future. of course, all of them will say first and foremost their a pain and anguish is with the people in ukraine. their cousins, their slavic brothers and sisters, their neighbors who are living through a hell right now. but beyond that the russians, who do not support this war and who are horrified and ashame of it, are wondering what the rest of their lives will be like because from closures to sanctions, to shame and to fear about how they can continue to -- they're journalists, most of my friends, and how they will be able to continue doing their work remains uncertainty. howard: right. as a longtime kremlin watcher, do you see this as vladimir putin spinning out of control or just trying to fulfill his long-time dream of reassembling

pieces of the soviet empiresome. >> i think that a lot of people have told me and i think it makes sense that perhaps it's not about him losing his mind suddenly as a lot of people are suggestinginging, but, rather, e has been insulated from criticism for 20 years now. he's been surrounded by yes member. he's accum-- yes, men. yes, there is a wit, apparently, of this need to recreate empire. there is a long-simmering anger at the west for this nato expansion and a sense that russia has been kept down by the west which i think in many ways is misguided. i don't consider that rush a that prior to this was a country on its knees. russia, many of the cities in russia are thriving or were thriving until now and very functional. of course, freedom of speech was a big issue, and i can't minimize that, and the economy

has stagnated. but a country on its knees? no. so a lot of this anger must just come if from some sense of deep offense that the soviet union collapsed, that the system didn't work out and that nato was getting very close. howard: when you thousand are trying to gather information from within russia about this war, do you have to or worry, do you have to stop and worry that you might be putting sources in jeopardy? >> reporter: i'm struggling with that on an hourly basis, howard, because i do have lot of people i can reach out to there. and i am just worried about the consequences for them because we don't though the consequences. that i -- they will say no worries, you can call me on telegram or any number of different messaging services that they feel are secure, but we just don't know. i mean, nobody if thought -- none of people i spoke to in russia pro-putin, anti-putin thought that the war was going to start even up this the last minute. and then suddenly the air space

was closing and things were changing so dramatically, and putin became so unpredictable that you worry that what seems safe today might not be safe tomorrow. howard: right. >> and yet they want to get the story out. people i i know willing to take that risk for the most part. i think it's a balance of trying to figure out what's important to and maybe what you can leave for a little bit later as you go forward trying to collect information. howard: what was striking to me was volodymyr zelenskyy taking aim at russian pundits by saying i want to tell them one thing, you will bear responsibility just as those who give orders to bomb civilians. you will definitely be prosecuted for come complicity in war crimes, hated by russian citizens. i suppose some of them would say they have no choice because they work for state-controlled operations. >> and some of them have been sanctioned. some of the anchors are under sanctions and not just once. so there is that. and i think there's also a sense, howard, of those people

who might within the inner circle, within the security services perhaps even at the kremlin, those who may possibly be seeing this not going their way and leading to a war crimes tribunal. may just realize that if they bail out, they are going to be guilty by association -- howard: right. >> -- or actually just straight on guilty because they've been involved in making these plans. i think there's a lot of -- there's a tight circle now because they're all in this together. but the propaganda machine is working very hard, and it's been very effective, i have to say. i think that it's, you know, the majority of russians, it's their main source of information, state television. howard: right. and, of course, the kremlin now blocking facebook and twitter and as well this draconian law that could send journalists to jail which is why outpit fits like cnn and new york times have decided to stop reporting there for now. amy kellogg, very much

appreciate your insight. thanks so much for joining us. after the break, a former ambassador to the ukraine weighs in on the culture and the night for survival. stay with us. -- and the fight for survival. ♪ ♪ - [female narrator] they line up by the thousands. each one with a story that breaks your heart. like ravette... every step, brought her pain. their only hope: mercy ships. the largest floating civilian hospital in the world. bringing free surgeries to people who have no other hope. $19 a month will help provide urgently needed surgery for so many still suffering. so don't wait, call the number on your screen. or donate at mercyships.org.

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who has no where to turn. the fellowship has been working here on the ground in ukraine with our trusted partners for over 30 years. the distribution centers and volunteers are standing by. we need your help now. your emergency gift of only $45 will help rush food, water, medicine and emergency supplies for one jewish family in ukraine. please call or go online now. howard: the ukrainian air base bombarded by the russians killing at least 35 people, it's it's less than a dozen miles from poland where american troops are stationed to beef up the defense of nato. joining us now, william taylor

are, former ambassador to ukraine and acting ambassador under president trump. welcome. do you see this attack on a base that's so close to poland as a strong signal from vladimir putin that he intends to go after any future shipment of weapons there american or the west through that polish space? >> howard, it could well be. it could well be. that is a training base. i've been there, i've seen the soldiers, american soldiers are there as you've reported. they're not there now, but that is an important base for the training of the ukrainian military. and i imagine, don't know, but i imagine that is the source of some of the weapons that are going in from the if other side. howard: i think most pundits before this war started expected putin's military machine to topple ukraine within days, which hasn't happened, and in fairness, didn't intelligence analysts underestimate the ability of the ukrainians totally overmatched in terms of the size and effectiveness of the russian military a machine

to defend themselves and their homeland? >> howard, the amazing thing that no one picked up other than the ukrainians themselves was how strongly they were going to fight. they have fought fiercely against enormous odds, just as you say. they have pushed back, controlled, delayed and really pushed back the russian military if ways that no one really expected, and we should with very proud of them. howard: i think the whole world of proud of them. and in a way, it's nice to be wrong about that, but it doesn't necessarily last forever. do you think we're getting an accurate picture of the entire invasion of ukraine and the gravity of it from the american media? >> actually, i do. you know, tim snyder, the historian at yale, says journalists -- including you -- are the heroes of our time, and it's because they are providing the truth. they are providing the eyes on what's really happening. i think we're getting a good view, probably better view than any other war in history. howard: yeah. part of that is technology, part of that is the bravery.

i'm not a hero. the people at this network and many many other organizations are risking their lives and we talked about the casualties earlier are the ones that deserve the credit. the daily assault of the apartment buildings, the children's hospital, would you have thought a month ago as guy who knows this region that putin was capable of this? is there anything about this level of brutality that surprises you? >> the level of brutality surprises me totally. that said, he's done it before. he's done it in grossny. he's done it in syria, in aleppo. so we shouldn't be surprised that he could do this kind of thing. however, seeing -- knowing those neighborhoods, seeing those churches, seeing those people who are devastated, that's wrenching. and it has to be -- it's a surprise to me. howard: it's absolutely heart-wrenching for the entire world watching on screens and the journalists there who are sometimes showing their

emotions, for somebody like you who spent part of your professional life there, i am sure. the did journalists overstate the case when they say the future of europe is at stake and putin, if he is able to subdue ukraine, may not stop there? >> i don't think that's overstated. i think that's why ukraine must succeed, it's why ukraine must win. over the long term or in the medium term, they're pushing back right now. there can be real problems in the russian military on morale, on sustainment, on fuel. the russian military might just crumble suddenly. not a real long time, but suddenly. and the ukrainian military then can push russians out. or it could be a long battle. it could -- but the important thing is that ukraine must win because exactly what you said, if they don't win, then russia doesn't stop. then putin doesn't stop. howard: obviously, it's harder to do when you don't have enough plane toss fight the aerial battle. just quickly, volodymyr

zelenskyy using the media to rally the west behind him, but what about his increasingly bitter criticism -- understandable -- of nato for not doing the no-fly zone and not getting the polish migs to him, not giving him the tools that i needs? i've got half a minute. >> he's a national hero, he's an international inspiration, and he's right to push us. he's right to push the west and push nato for more support. we should be giving more support in every way we possibly can. howard: despite the obvious risks of escalating a con terrorration with russia. >> we're many it right now many. we should push -- we should give the ukrainians everything they need that we can possibly provide to help them win. howard: ambassador bill taylor, thanks very much. coming up next, some pundits taking partisan pot shots over ukraine. we'll take a closer look. ve beed with chasing the big idaho potato truck.

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howard: i said at the top that the russian invasion has drained much of the polarization and partisanship from the media's coverage, but there have been exceptions. msnbc's joy reid is attempting to make it about race with ukraine. >> let's face it, the world is paying attention because this is happening this europe. we should also care this much for refugees and those facing war in the middle east, asia and africa too. the radical disparity in how human ukrainians look and feel to western media compared to their browner and blacker counterparts. howard: joining us now, griff jenkins, fox news correspondent. of course, joy reid has a point that the war in europe gets more attention than the war in yemen, but she spins that into we don't care about blacker and browner

people in war zones. >> you know, howie, i think -- let's address first, a u.s. journalist has been killed covering this war, bringing the images of this, and maybe she wants to take this back. her comments are unsupported. we all covered syria wall to wall. where was he? and and the other thing was, you mentionedded she has a point. she does. i went and covered the war in sudan with greta van susteren when the south sudanese were being bombed with russian bombers. but her comments are way out of line when you consider the gravity and the magnitude of what's at stake here. the arc of history may be changed in unimaginable ways, and yet we have these brave journalists who have the courage to go there and bring the stories out there. maybe she wants to apologize to richard ingle or our own trey yingst and ben hall and jonathan hunt and mike tobin and the others that are doing such a great job -- howard: and risking their lives.

now, on news max former fox host eric bolling took exception to kamala harris, being sent toland and romania. here's what he had to say. >> and sending in one kamala harris only exposes just how weak and poor our decision making processes are. a reminder that the last time kamala went to europe, she gave a speech about how ukraine should join nato and russia, four days later, invaded ukraine. howard: now, if pundits want to denigrate kamala harris, but she's not the policymaker. she's delivering a message for president biden as biden did when obama was president and mike pence did when trump was president. >> to steal a phase from joe biden, come on, man that's just a bridge too far. there's plenty to criticize harris on her trip over will, laughing alongside the polish president. that is the kind of demeanor you do not want to see on a global scale. but this accusation that somehow vice president harris is to

blame for the war this many ukraine and putin's invasion is definitely inappropriate, and it doesn't add to the discussion about whether or not harris should even be in this high profile role. howard: in her comments to reporters, she said every nation should decide for themselves to seek nato membership. she didn't push nato membership. just very briefly, is she getting more favorable coverage now that she has this high profile role, better than being the czar at the southern border, right? >> i don't think so. they put her in the role and yet again this week the moment alongside the polish president did not help her stature. and, obviously, the path for diplomacy seems really closed, so i don't think she added with her trip this week. howard: well, the stakes are high, and that can be either good or bad depending how you perform. that's it for this edition of "mediabuzz," i'm howard kurtz, check out my podcast, media buzz meter. you can subscribe vibe at apple

itunes or on your amazon device. we have tried to cover many, many aspects of this war. it is an overwhelming story not just of today, this weekend or this week, but of our time. we'll try to deal with it and treat it with the seriousness it deserves. we'll do that again next week, next sunday. we'll see you then with the latest buzz. ♪ finally. our honeymoon. it took awhile, but at least we got a great deal on our hotel with kayak. i was afraid we wouldn't go.. with our divorce and.... great divorce guys. yeah... search 100s of travel sites at once. kayak. search one and done.

eric: vladamir putin bringing his brutal war on ukraine right to nato's doorstep with a devastating airstrike on a military training base that happens to be just 10 miles prosecute polish border. at least 35 were killed, more than 130 wounded. the airstrike targeting a training base that u.s. troops were using just last month as putin escalating his carnage as the world stands against him. welcome to "fox news live," i'm eric shawn. arthel? if. arthel: hi, eric. hello, everyone.