Today at 18:34
Brad Crawford is a U.S. Army veteran. He’s been through Iraq, Afghanistan and now he’s training soldiers in Ukraine. Having been in the military for over two decades he’s sure – he is on the right side of history. But over the course of several weeks, the U.S. military, intelligence aid to Ukraine has been halted completely and Brad reacts emotionally in this interview to these events.
Because he’s there, he’s on the ground and that support saves people’s lives. Be sure to watch this emotional and sincere interview of an American veteran defending Ukraine, exclusively on UATV.
—We would like to discuss what is happening right now all over the world with the United States—some aspects of their foreign policy, what’s changing.
To start with, I would like to ask you about the halt of military aid to Ukraine and intelligence data sharing. Just as we were preparing for this interview, there was news that the United States no longer supports radar systems for Ukrainian F-16s. So now, Ukrainian F-16 pilots won’t know when the enemy will target them with missiles.
As a man on the field in Ukraine, what’s your take on that?
— Well, first off, I’d like to thank you for having me here today—to be able to speak not only to the Ukrainian people but hopefully to the American people and people around the world as well. It’s a great honor to be here today.
I’ve been in Ukraine for almost two and a half years now, mentoring, training, and advising Ukrainian forces. I’ve been everywhere inside Ukraine, on pretty much every front. We’ve worked with over 22 brigades and trained almost 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers during our time here as volunteers in an effort to help the Ukrainian people.
So when it comes to these subjects that you’re talking about today, not only do I have insight through my military experience—being a retired military serviceman from the United States with decades of experience—but I also have experience here on the ground in Ukraine, in real-time conditions.
So, I would say this to not only our current administration but to Americans around the world: we have to understand that these issues caused by delays in funding, military equipment, and intelligence-sharing have catastrophic effects—not just on the Ukrainian military but also on the world order of freedom and democracy.
It is vital that we get these operational systems from the United States and our allied partners. It is vital that we maintain intelligence links and receive this information—not only for military operations but also for humanitarian operations. Because, as you know, a lot of this military intelligence information isn’t just for military use; it’s also used to protect civilian infrastructure.
Many times, when we don’t have the proper military intelligence—especially during air alerts—civilian lives are put in danger. So, it’s a very important matter, and I think we could break it down into a couple of different aspects. I think it would be better to answer each one of those individually.
— We both know that these decisions literally cost human lives—the lives of Ukraine’s defenders, civilians, and, unfortunately, people like you: foreign instructors and international legion fighters who came to defend Ukraine and the rules-based order from Russian aggression.
This aggression is essentially trying to destroy the values that you in America, we in Ukraine, and Europe cherish—the ability to choose your government, to decide how your country develops, and not to be subdued by some authoritarian power with no influence on how you live your life.
— Well, I think there are a lot of misinterpretations in the West and in the United States about this war. I’ve heard a few over the last couple of days.
Number one: we’re talking about who started this war. That should be a no-brainer for many people. I don’t remember, in 2022, Ukrainian forces crossing the Russian border and invading Russia.
Second: I know for a fact that a lot of the money going to Ukraine is going exactly where it’s supposed to go. I’ve seen this equipment; I’ve seen it delivered to units. I’ve seen units struggle to get equipment. I’ve seen deliveries delayed for weeks, even months—critical supplies that were needed during the counteroffensive and other major military operations.
And then there’s the issue of funding. I made a video for the American people a few days ago, and as a soldier who fought in the Global War on Terrorism in the U.S. Army, I can tell you that the wars we fought over the last 20 years cost trillions of dollars and thousands of American lives.
Now, the American administration talks about the billions of dollars spent on Ukraine. Some figures mention $350 billion, but if you look into it, we’ve actually spent around $120–$122 billion on Ukraine, and only $86 billion of that was for military aid.
So when the U.S. government says, “We don’t have the money to support this war,” I would ask: why did we spend two or three trillion dollars on wars in countries where we didn’t even know if they were truly on our side? In many cases, we lost thousands of American lives in those conflicts.
Now, we have an ally we know is on our side, defending their freedom and democracy against an aggressor. And let’s not forget—most Americans still understand that Russia has thousands of nuclear weapons pointed at every major U.S. city and at our allies around the world.
They are not our friends. They are our second-largest enemy. Some say China might be first, given the global political situation. But regardless, they are not our friends.
For the U.S. to act as if they are, despite these facts, is leading us into very dangerous territory.
— For almost a decade now, I’ve been hearing from Russia that America is the enemy. Their propaganda says, “We hate America; we want it wiped off the planet.” There are daily shows on Russian television—like with Solovyov and other propagandists—openly stating this.
We even have a weekly program where we compile their most extreme statements. They openly talk about destroying the entire world.
At the same time, they claim, “We want peace.” But on their own TV programs, they are preparing their audience for something—maybe for an everlasting, global war.
With that said, we can see alliances reshaping. People in NATO are uncertain about tomorrow. There are rumors about moving U.S. troops from Germany to Hungary. Some say a new U.S. administration might not be interested in protecting Europe from a possible threat.
Do you think this is just a problem with the current administration, or is it a broader issue within American society—a desire to isolate itself from global problems and focus on internal social issues?
— Well, thank you for that question.
I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I’m an independent. I believe in the U.S. Constitution and our laws and traditions. So, I don’t take a side in party politics.
I’d like to break this down into a couple of areas.
First, if you look at U.S. news media, you’ll notice a lot of Russian talking points being repeated. For example, some claim the war started in 2014 when Ukraine allegedly bombed certain territories.
But history tells a different story. Russia has been conducting these aggressions for a long time—Georgia, Chechnya, Transnistria, Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk. There has never been a time when Russia truly wanted peace. It has always pursued expansionism.
Regarding the current administration, when the new president was elected, I thought he would be tougher on Russia and that Russia would have more respect for the U.S. administration.
I’m just a former soldier, not a politician. I don’t have a Ph.D. in political science. But throughout history, the U.S. has always stood up to aggression.
We fought in World War I, World War II, against the Nazis, and during the Cold War against the Soviet Union. We fought in Iraq, Afghanistan.
So my question is: why stop now?
— Well, maybe there is a hidden reason that we do not understand, but you are an American, and I am a Ukrainian. I’ve never been to the United States, but I usually hear from Twitter, or now X, when a billionaire bought the company. I also hear from the news that there are some social problems that people wanted to be addressed, and because of that, they have voted the way they did. As a citizen of the United States, can you tell me if those social issues are really so acute right now, or is it part of a bigger political game?
— Well, in the United States, we always talk about the economy. We always talk about freedoms, rights, and things that we all feel should be important. We try our best to ensure that the government does not interfere in our daily lives and duties.
Like I said before, this is really not my department to discuss, but I think the last election definitely showed that the American public does care about the economy. They do care about social issues, their freedoms, and their rights. That certainly plays a role in the current changes taking place. What those changes might be, I am not entirely sure.
You can see that everyone has an opinion, but to really find a problem, you need to look at the root cause. Right now, there are so many things happening that it’s hard to pinpoint the exact root cause.
I believe we will find out later, as we always do. We only understood the root causes of World War II after it had ended—the same with World War I. I really hope that this war ends soon because so much blood has been spilled, so much destruction. I have personally witnessed a lot of devastation. Even our UATV channel was hit by a Russian missile and completely obliterated just four weeks ago.
This is the reality of daily Russian missile and drone attacks. Here in Kyiv, we are relatively protected—well, we were protected by Patriot missile defense systems. We still have German IRIS-T systems and possibly some upcoming deliveries from Germany of Patriot missiles, but currently, none from the US.
It is unbelievable to imagine how life continues in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and other cities. Not mentioning it would be wrong. New businesses are opening in Kharkiv every day. We call it the city of resilience, of resilient people. They are very close to the Russian border, yet they strive, they stand strong, and they truly seem unbreakable.
A drone falls in the city center—within four hours, the debris is cleared, the road is fixed, and life goes on as usual. It is an incredible beacon of hope.
For me, this war has two sides. The first is horror, killing, and destruction. The second is the great hope that we can live better—that Ukraine can live better. In 2014, everything started because people wanted a better life—not like in some rural state near Russia. Not like Belarus today, for example. They wanted to join the European Union.
I’m not discussing the Revolution of Dignity right now, just the root cause of this war: Ukraine is not Russia, and Russia is not Ukraine. We are different. We want to live differently. The Russians do not want that. They want to impose their way of life on Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Kazakhs.
We have the right to live free and independent, to choose our own paths and destiny. That’s one of the things that confuses me about the American public right now.
I don’t understand how they can just sit back and watch what’s happening without having a strong reaction, without wanting to take action, without demanding change. I understand that the US has been engaged in wars for a long time, and there is fatigue from that.
But we can’t just retreat from the world stage—especially now, when we have one of the largest countries in the world invading a sovereign nation in Eastern Europe. Back in the 1980s, if the Soviet Union had even considered invading a sovereign nation in Eastern or Central Europe, we might have gone to World War III over it. But now, for some reason, times have changed, and I don’t understand why.
Most Americans, especially veterans like me, believe in fighting for freedom, for the defense of democracy. We love our country. We love the values of our institutions. And for us to step back at this time—it’s unthinkable. That’s what I say to myself and to fellow Americans, to fellow Western soldiers I work with here. We are very confused about what’s happening.
Some days, when I’m out training Ukrainian soldiers, I check social media during a break, and I see something that just makes me turn my phone off because it’s so frustrating. It feels like this is not the government I used to serve. These are not the values of the institutions I was a part of.
And it’s difficult. Especially as an American, standing beside brave Ukrainian soldiers, training them, looking them in the eye, knowing they see me as an American. I have to keep a straight face and not show my emotions, to show them that I am here to help. It’s very difficult.
— Thank you. To finish our interview, I’d like to ask you: what are your future plans here in Ukraine? How will you cope with this? Because big politics are happening, news is being printed, but we still have to live our lives—here and now. So, to end on an optimistic note, what’s your take? What are you going to do?
— The first thing I’d like to see is peace. I’d like to see peace in the next second, the next minute, the next week, the next month.
But in order to achieve peace, as President Zelenskyy says, we must have security guarantees. We must go to the negotiating table with a fair peace agreement.
We can’t just stop hostilities, give away all the lost territories, refuse NATO membership, demilitarize, and allow other countries to take advantage of our resources. That’s not a peace agreement—that’s surrender. And we cannot surrender.
We must continue fighting until we get a fair peace agreement for both sides. I have been talking to my friends in the United States, trying to raise awareness about what is happening here.
To my American government, if they are listening, I say this: we must radically change our way of thinking. You will never force Ukraine to the negotiating table by taking away our weapons, our intelligence, or by forcing political changes. You will never force Ukraine to concede territory that thousands of brave Ukrainian soldiers have fought and died for.
And another thing—why is Russia not being asked to pay for its actions? In World War I, the Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to pay reparations. After World War II, Nazi Germany had to compensate countries it destroyed. Why are we not holding Russia accountable? Why are we not demanding reparations for their war crimes and destruction?
We must tell them in clear terms that their actions are not tolerated and will never be tolerated again.
As for me, I will continue to be here, training Ukrainian soldiers, doing my best to help them return home to their families.
I’ve been in the military for decades, and the Ukrainian soldiers I have served with are some of the bravest, strongest, and most dedicated people I have ever met. It is an honor to be here.
Read also: Putin Will Make a Deal Only Under Mad Pressure. Interview with Jonathan Fink
