KEEP I
>>> WHOEVER WINS THE
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WILL BE
FACED WITH A SLEW OF PRESSING
ISSUES ON THE INTERNATIONAL
STAGE.
NBC NEWS SENIOR INTERNATIONAL
CORRESPONDENT KEIR SIMMONS IS
TAKING A LOOK AT THE BIGGEST
FOREIGN POLICY CHALLENGES WITH
RUSSIA PERHAPS TOPPING THAT
LIST.
KEIR JOINS US NOW FROM MOSCOW.
KEIR.
>> Reporter: HEY, MIKA, GOOD
MORNING, IN A SPEECH THIS WEEK,
PRESIDENT PUTIN WEIGHED IN FOR
THE FIRST TIME ON THE AMERICAN
ELECTIONS.
HE CRITICIZED VICE PRESIDENT
BIDEN’S WHAT HE CALLED SHARP
ANTI
ANTI-RUSSIAN RHETORIC AND LA.
I’VE GOT TO SAY, IN MY
CONVERSATIONS WITH KREMLIN
FINISH
OFFICIALS I’VE KNOWN THEIR MOOD
TOWARD AMERICA TO BE DARKER.
WHOEVER IS PRESIDENT NEXT YEAR
WILL INHERIT THIS BECAUSE IT’S
CLEAR ON BOTH SIDES OF THE
ATLANTIC VIEWS HAVE HARDENED.
PRESIDENT PUTIN HAS DOMINATED
RUSSIA FOR DECADES SPANNING THE
PRESIDENCIES OF CLINTON, BUSH,
OBAMA, AND TRUMP, AND HE’S NOT
DONE CONSIDERING STAYING IN
OFFICE THROUGH THE NEXT FOUR
PRESIDENTIAL TERMS THROUGH 2036.
>> THIS IS A ONE-MAN SHOW.
THIS IS A DICTATORSHIP.
YOU CAN HANG ALL THE CAMOUFLAGE
YOU WANT ON IT, BUT THIS IS A
DICTATOR
DICTATORSHIP
DICTATORSHIP.
>> Reporter: OVER TIME PUTIN’S
POLICIES HAVE BECOME
INCREASINGLY ADVERSARIAL, NOW
AMERICA FACES A RUSSIAN LEADER
WHO DOESN’T FORGET.
>> I LOOKED THE MAN IN THE EYE.
I FOUND HIM TO BE VERY
STRAIGHTFORWARD AND TRUSTWORTHY.
I WAS ABLE TO GET A SENSE OF HIS
SOUL.
>> AND WHO HAS LIVED THROUGH
MULTIPLE AWKWARD ATTEMPTS AT
RECONCILIATION.
>> WE WANT TO RESET OUR
RELATIONSHIP.
>> Reporter: DO YOU THINK IT’S
FAIR TO SAY THAT AMERICA HAS
STRUGGLED WITH RUSSIA FOR
DECADES BECAUSE ULTIMATELY IT
HASN’T KNOWN WHAT TO DO ABOUT
PRESIDENT PUTIN OR EVEN
UNDERSTOOD HIM?
>> WELL, PRESIDENT PUTIN MAKES
IT CLEAR WHO HE IS AND WHAT HE’S
ABOUT.
HIS HISTORY AS A KGB AGENT AND
HIS ACTIONS INDIRECTLY
INTERFERING IN THE 2016 U.S.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION AND HIS
DETERMINATION TO DO SO AGAIN
MAKES IT CLEAR THAT HE IS A
PERSON WHO DOES NOT RESPECT
WESTERN NORMS AND VALUES.
>> Reporter: DURING THE PAST
DECADE, RUSSIAN FIGHTERS HAVE
CONFRONTED AMERICA’S ALLIES IN
UKRAINE AND FOUGHT ALONGSIDE
AMERICA’S ENEMIES IN SYRIA
PROPPING UP BASHIR AL ASSAD.
>> THEIR APPROACH IS ONE OF
SABOTAGE.
THEIR APPROACH IS ONE WHERE IT’S
TRYING TO TAKE US DOWN.
THAT’S THE ONLY WAY THEY’LL BE
ABLE TO GO UP.
>> Reporter: LIKE IN JUDO, PUTIN
HAS MADE HIS OPPONENT’S WEAKNESS
HIS STRENGTH.
>> DURING PRESIDENT OBAMA’S
TENURE, HE DREW A LINE IN THE
SAND IN SYRIA, DIDN’T BACK THAT
UP AND SHORTLY AFTER THAT WE SAW
RUSSIAN INVADE CRIMEA.
UNDER THIS PRESIDENT, WE HAVE
SEEN AN UNWILLINGNESS TO
CONFRONT VLADIMIR PUTIN ON
ALMOST ANY FRONT.
>> Reporter: INSTEAD CONFRONTING
QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS RELATIONSHIP
WITH PUTIN.
HIS WILLINGNESS TO PUBLICLY CAST
DOUBT ON RUSSIAN ELECTION
INTERFERENCE IN 2018.
>> I HAVE PRESIDENT PUTIN.
HE JUST SAID IT’S NOT RUSSIA.
I WILL SAY THIS, I DON’T SEE ANY
REASON WHY IT WOULD BE.
>> Reporter: CAUSING A BACKLASH
EVEN AMONG REPUBLICANS AND
FORMER MEMBERS OF HIS
ADMINISTRATION.
>> THIS CAMPAIGN OF DISRUPTION,
DISINFORMATION AND DENIAL IS
AIDED BY ANY LEADER WHO DOESN’T
ACKNOWLEDGE IT.
>> Reporter: TODAY U.S./RUSSIAN
RELATIONS ARE FROZEN.
PUTIN IS FURIOUS.
EVEN IN 2018 UNVEILING A NEW
MISSILE WITH AN ANIMATED VIDEO
SHOWING IT HITTING FLORIDA, HOME
TO THE PRESIDENT’S MAR-A-LAGO
RESORT.
>> Reporter: A NEW NUCLEAR ARMS
RACE SEEMS A REAL POSSIBILITY.
WHOEVER IS PRESIDENT, MUST
QUICKLY DECIDE WHETHER TO RENEW
THE LAST REMAINING ARMS CONTROL
AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE WHITE
HOUSE AND THE KREMLIN.
THE DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY.
MEANWHILE AMERICA’S ALLIES IN
EUROPE ARE GRAPPLING WITH THE
SHIFT IN APPROACH TO NATO UNDER
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND
RUSSIA’S ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS
AGAINST PUTIN OPPONENTS COMBINED
WITH A HEAVY HANDED CRACK DOWN
AGAINST INTERNAL PROTESTS AND
OPPOSITION.
>> I WOULD PERSONALLY WISH THAT
THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION COMES
BACK ON AN INTERNATIONAL LEVEL
BUT THEY NEED TO PLAY BY THE
RULES.
>> WE WANT TO HOLD OUT THE HAND
OF FRIENDSHIP TO THE RUSSIAN
PEOPLE. BUT PRESIDENT PUTIN’S ACTIONS,
BUT PRESIDENT PUTIN’S ACTIONS,
THE INVASION OF CRIMEA, THE
POISONING, THESE ARE NOT THE
ACTIONS OF A LEADER WHO WANTS TO
STAND ALONGSIDE DEMOCRATIC
LEADERS ON THE WORLD STAGE.
>> Reporter: A CLOSE ALLY OF
PRESIDENT PUTIN AND RUSSIAN
BUSINESS LEADER TOLD US JUST
LIKE ANY COUNTRY, THERE ARE
FACTIONS WITHIN RUSSIA.
>> IT’S IMPORTANT THAT JUST AS
IN AMERICA THERE ARE DIFFERENT
VIEWPOINTS SO THERE IS A
DIFFERENT POINTS IN RUSSIA.
A HOSTILE ATTITUDE OF THE U.S.
TOWARD RUSSIA MAKES THE MORE
CONSERVATIVE THE MOST FOCUSED ON
RUSSIA BEING BY ITSELF, PEOPLE
IN RUSSIA STRONGER.
AS A STRONGER U.S. PUSHES
RUSSIA, THE WEAKER THE LIBERAL
WING WILL BE AND THE STRONGER
THE HARDLINE WILL BE.
>> Reporter: THAT’S UNLIKELY TO
PERSUADE MANY ACROSS THE
ATLANTIC, A POTENTIAL BIDEN
PRESIDENCY HAS PROMISED TO
REBUILD ALLIANCES WITH AMERICA’S
ALLIES.
>> Reporter: AN INVESTMENT
BANKER IS SEEN WITH PUTIN ALL
THE TIME.
I THOUGHT THIS QUOTE WAS
FASCINATING AND I WANTED YOU TO
REACT TO IT.
HE SAYS THE STRONGER THE U.S.
PUSHES RUSSIA, THE WEAKER THE
LIBERAL WING WILL BE AND THE
STRONGER THE HARDLINE WING WILL
BE.
>> THERE MAY BE SOME MERIT, BUT
THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT SHOULD
GOVERNOR WHAT WE DO AND WHAT’S
IN OUR NATIONAL SECURITY
INTEREST.
WE NEED, GOING FORWARD, A POLICY
THAT IS VERY CLEAR ABOUT WHAT’S
ACCEPTABLE AND WHAT’S NOT
ACCEPTABLE THAT STANDS UP FOR
THE VALUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO
US, THAT REBUILDS OUR
RELATIONSHIPS AND ALLIANCES
AROUND THE WORLD.
>> Reporter: WHILE EVEN A SECOND
TERM, PRESIDENT TRUMP WOULD
CONTINUE TO FACE THOSE IN HIS
OWN PARTY DETERMINED NOT TO LET
PRESIDENT PUTIN OFF THE HOOK.
>> HE’S NOT GOING TO HAVE AN
EPIPHANY AND DECIDE THEY’RE
GOING TO BE A PEACE-LOVING,
FIRST-WORLD COUNTRY.
>> Reporter: IT’S SAID THAT
PRESIDENT PUTIN PLAYS A WEAK
HAND WELL.
ANY AMERICAN PRESIDENT WHO
UNDERESTIMATES HIM DOES SO AT
THEIR PERIL.
AND, GUYS, TWO OF PRESIDENT
PUTIN’S FOREIGN POLICY SUCCESSES
IS WIDELY TALKED ABOUT IS MAKING
RUSSIA MORE RELEVANT IN THE
MIDDLE EAST AND BUILDING AN
ALLIANCE WITH CHINA.
IT’S THAT ALLIANCE WITH CHINA
WE’RE GOING TO LOOK AT IN
ANOTHER REPORT.
THAT ALLIANCE THAT SHOULD BE
WORRYING WASHINGTON, RUSSIA HAS
HALF THE WORLD’S NUCLEAR
WEAPONS, CHINA NOW HAS THE
BIGGEST NAVY IN THE WORLD.
FIGURING OUT THE RIGHT APPROACH
TO THAT SITUATION FROM THE
AMERICA SIDE, THAT IS GOING TO
BE A TASK FOR THE NEXT