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Speaker 0 00:00:00 Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine has devastated the country and continues to have profound impact both regionally and across the globe. I spoke with Northwestern's ambassador and residents with the program in international studies, Ian Kelly, to better understand the situation. Kelly's the former us ambassador to Georgia and the organization for secure and cooperation in Europe. Kelly says the conflict has been brewing for years, a change in government, from what Putin perceived as pro Russian to pro Western led to the annexation of Crimea in 2014, since then there's been low intensity conflict in the region, but he describes a recent list of demands that can his insight into Putin's motivations in
Speaker 1 00:00:43 July Putin, put out a long essay claiming that, um, Ukraine is actually Russian that the Ukraine and Russia are one country and gave a long, um, dense, uh, historical explanation for why UK Ukraine is not a state basically. Uh, then in November, he started his buildup around Ukraine and in December made some demands and the us and NATO
Speaker 0 00:01:16 In terms of the geopolitical landscape, Kelly says we're already seeing policies of 75 years changing almost overnight
Speaker 1 00:01:24 And probably most dramatic is Germany. The chancellor Ola Schultz. He said, uh, Putin, uh, has succeeded in, um, erasing, uh, Germany's historical guilt, uh, when that historical guilt led to them, you know, not wind to arm Ukraine, not wanting to spend a lot on, uh, on military. And so, uh, he announced it was doubling the military budget, which is mind blowing, uh, and we're going to send lethal weapons to, um, uh, to crane. You had Switzerland, which for 200 years has refused to join sanctions, refused to block any kind of bank accounts. Um, they didn't block the, uh, the Nazi regimes accounts. Um, they ever gonna join the sanctions. You had Sweden, which, uh, has been steadfastly neutral, um, that, um, you know, didn't didn't aid Britain when it was, you know, when there was the blitz, uh, it, it actually aided Germany provided Germany with, uh, you know, natural resources and steel. They announced that they're going to arm Ukraine. That's a first
Speaker 0 00:02:53 Police says, well, sanctions, clearly weren't a deterrent. Their impact has been more extensive than Putin predicted mm-hmm
Speaker 1 00:03:00 <affirmative>. And the long term it's terrible for Russia. They're basically cut off in the international system. They're, they're, uh, one big North Korea now. And, you know, Russia is a European country that, and integrated into Europe economically, you know, and the banks credit cards, um, uh, ability to travel. They can't, they can't travel anymore either. Uh, you know, airlines, aren't flying to Moscow, uh, credit cards, don't work.
Speaker 0 00:03:32 Kelly also discussed possible solutions, one
Speaker 1 00:03:35 Very, um, easy no-brainer type action and they can take, and that is to, um, reinforce NATO's Eastern flank, which they're doing and to stress that, uh, the, uh, Alliance will, as they say, defend every inch of, uh, of, of, uh, NATO territory, the, um, the difficult thing of, uh, they've also said, they're not gonna send NATO troops. I mean, we basically have kind of as an asymmetrical, um, approach to trying to stop Putin, he's using military force, we're using economics. Um, and, and like I say, that's not matching, uh, strength for strength there necessarily
Speaker 0 00:04:27 Given Putin's threats against Western intervention. Kelly emphasizes the complexity of the situation,
Speaker 1 00:04:34 And it's gonna be hard to see, uh, Ukrainians Ukrainian under siege, uh, bombarded and not be able to get them the kind of humanitarian help that they need. So, yeah, it's a, it's a very, very difficult situation. The biggest crisis in Europe, really since world war II, I, I would say
Speaker 0 00:05:01 For Ukrainian has been widespread.
Speaker 1 00:05:03 There was a vote in the general assembly of the UN to date and out of the, you know, 150 or so countries, um, only, uh, only five countries voted not to condemn Russia. Um, even Russia, a allies like, um, Kazakhstan, Stan Armenia, uh, uh, Cuba, uh, abstained, you know, didn't, didn't vote against it.
Speaker 0 00:05:34 Ukraine's president Linsky yesterday addressed the EU and was accepted for media membership with the standing ovation was
Speaker 1 00:05:42 A famous line by, uh, president Kennedy, uh, about Churchill, uh, during, during the blitz and his use of his speeches and, uh, his, his use of language. And he said that, uh, Churchill, uh, militarizing, English language landed them up to in, uh, you know, in landed words up in sentences and sent them off to battle. And this is what Lansky's doing. He multiple times he's, he said, I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere. Um, if, if, uh, Putin uses all his force, he's not gonna survive. And he knows that. Um, but he's just, you know, it really is just, he has become a, you know, a world hero <affirmative> and, uh, provided a, uh, stark contrast, uh, to his adversary. You know, it was hold up
Speaker 0 00:06:45 Even here on campus, students painted the rock and raised thousands of dollars to support Ukraine. The university also hosted teach-ins one of which Kelly participated in recently in Evanston and Atlanta, Justine Fisher, w N U R news.
