Everything we`ve seen is that Putin is not yet on a path to an off ramp and that he will double down. And the Ukrainian people are the ones that are going to pay the price. But so are the Russian people. And I think that`s important to remember.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch discusses the consequences of Putin's actions on both Ukrainian and Russian people.
Share
More from Marie Yovanovitch
I think that he was hoping that this would be -- he believed, no doubt, that this would be an easy, victorious campaign, and it would boost his popularity ratings as he’s starting to go into the 2024 presidential elections.
Not only is it wrong, and bad for the American people, but it sends a signal to dictators around the world that deals can be done with that administration, weakening the United States.
I think he needs to knock it out of the park with that speech, again, emphasizing western unity, American leadership and calling Russia out for what it is and then explaining once again why Ukraine matters, why this is a greater battle of…
I think that he, frankly, didn't really think that much about Ukraine, but he thought a lot about Russia as a great power. And he sort of accepted, I think, Putin's view of Ukraine is not really being a real country.