"It's quite a unique experience to be able to talk to you, sir," Lee said. "The question I'd like to put forward to you is, you are a legislator, a legislator in your government. Is that correct?"
"Well, I'm a part of the regional legislature, and this year we are participating in the election to our federal Duma," Bout explained.
"Very good," Lee remarked. "Now, this war with Ukraine, your country has been waging the last four years, has created millions of casualties, and you've really not changed anything. The lines have been drawn for the last two and a half. At what point are you going to start coming down on Vladimir Putin about ending this war, even if it means a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from all Ukrainian territory prior to 2014?"
Before allowing Bout to respond, Jones defended Russia's war of choice.
" Russia has stopped NATO's expansion, and it's now fighting the proxy war that was launched," Jones claimed. "And that's just a fact... The EU Commission has said they want to break up Russia. The West launches attack. Let's just be honest about it."
"My response is very simple," Bout chimed in. "First of all, [Ukraine's] Donbas is a Russian land. It was illegally, you know, given to so-called Ukrainian Republic."
"Second one, majority of the population of these areas is almost 90% is Russians," he continued. "What are you thinking? That Russia ever will abandon its own, you know, people to be, you know, subjugated to these neo-Nazis regime? Hell no! The population of Russia fully supported [the war]!"
Bout insisted that the war was a battle for Russia's future.
"And this is our land," he quipped. "So there is no way Russia will, you know, decide it or surrender or get out, because first of all, everything, if you look from the history, Ukraine has not existed. It's an artificial creation... it should be a single unitary territory of Russia."
Jones again spoke up in defense of Russia: "Well, Russia's had naval bases in Crimea for 500 years."
"I find it audacious that I see you on here saying, well, the Ukrainians are hitting residential areas," the caller replied. "What I mean you've been doing it for four years, sir? The other thing is, you guys invaded illegally in 2014. You started this war. The only resolution is the complete withdrawal of Russian troops!"
"You have lost the war!" the man exclaimed.
"No, it's absolutely incorrect!" Bout shouted back. "We're not started this war!"
"Would we put up with a bunch of foreign troops on the Canadian border or the Mexican border?" Jones asked.
"What troops were in Ukraine prior to [the war]?" the caller shot back.
"Oh, my! I've had family over there as advisors before this even started!" Jones bellowed. "But Lee, you sound really pissed off because you know Russia is winning this war against the unelected EU and the British Empire, who are our enemies. This war is hurting America. We should have trade deals with Russia."
"Yeah, if you want to give your taxpayer money to this, you know, drug addict Zelenskyy," Bout said, "who everything — lost his legitimacy, go ahead. Spend your money. Then you don't have a [expletive], you know, bridges, schools! Go ahead, support Ukraine!"
Before hanging up, Jones scolded the caller.
" NATO for decades has moved missiles up to the border of Russia," he ranted. "And then we were taught, oh, Russia went into Cuba because — just to start a fight. No, they did it and said because you put nukes on our border. Now they've got hypersonic nukes even closer. This is crazy!"
