and simon schuster, and nbc news chief foreign correspondent richard engel is with me on set. talk to me where we are in this moment and why the speech could be critical. you ve been on the front lines for months. ukraine is trying to do everything it can to stay relevant, to keep the attention on ukraine. ukrainian money, and weapons and wants sanctions to be maintained on russia. i think many are watching. some nations seem to be wavering, maybe it s time to strike a deal. maybe it s time to bring putin back in the fold. perhaps ukraine should give away some of its provinces in exchange for peace. and ukrainian officials are trying to counter that narrative, saying we can t stop. putin is not going to stop even if we cut off part of our country and give it away to him. this leads to greater appetites of dictators. there s a tremendous desire from president zelenskyy personally to make sure the world continues to focus on ukraine and stay with ukraine. do you get a sense
they will probably annex it. the ukrainians are holding one particular town orvilleage. in the south, it s been more difficult for the ukrainians to get a toehold. and kherson has seen an opposition. a little of a guerrilla movement. there s starting to be on the streets, even though there is under russian control, a sense maybe they can throw off the yolk of the russian oppression. the government is trying to gain gain support and the weapons to launch a counteroffensive to liberate kherson. the russians are not just