In a grand ceremony at the Kremlin today, Russia's President Vladimir
Putin signed papers to formally but illegally annex four regions
in Ukraine and area the size of Ohio. After what the West called
sham referendums. The U. S and Allies responded with tougher sanctions
and reiterated their support for Ukraine That all happened at the
same time as one of Russia's deadliest strikes on civilians.
Nick Schifrin begins our coverage.
Today's reality the body of the Ukrainian civilians killed by a Russian
rocket.
Today's alternate reality. A Red Square celebration of conquest euphoric
concert marking Russian annexation.
Reality. Ukrainian soldiers re seizing their own territory from Russian
occupiers. Alternate reality handpicked audience cheers. Russian
President Vladimir Putin's calling today a day of truth and justice
over
public, and yet today's formal annexation. Signing with the four
Russian appointed leaders of Ukrainian districts is the war's largest
escalations since invasion.
Thank you.
We will defend our land, using all forces and means at our disposal,
and we'll do everything we can to protect the security of our people
and to an ecstatic audience of elites. Putin rallied against the
West and what he defined as its culture
of culture necessity to maintain its unlimited powers. The real reason
for the hybrid war that the collective West is waging against Russia.
Do we really want in our schools from the elementary grades that
Children are taught that besides a man and a woman, there are other
genders.
Such a rejection of faith and traditional values begins to look like
a perverted religion outright Satanism.
Putin raised his nuclear rhetoric by recalling US attacks on World
War two Japan
The United States is the only country in the world to use nuclear
weapons, twice destroying the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Actually, they set a precedent is actions are assigned. He's struggling.
Shame referenda he carried out. In response, President Biden vowed
never to respect any Russian claim to Ukrainian land. He can't seize
his neighbor's territory and get away with simple as that.
And the U. S government sanctioned more than 1000, Russian people
and companies, including Elvira Nabiullina, Russia's Central bank
governor who's helped the Russian economy survive almost 300. Russian
lawmakers, family members of Russia's National Security Council Russians
accused of torturing Ukrainians and Russian military procurement
officials.
Not Oh, President Vladimir Zelensky used today to formally apply
for an accelerated plan to become a NATO member, and he ruled out
negotiations with Putin. It is obvious that this is impossible with
this Russian president. He does not know what dignity and honesty
are. Therefore we are ready for a dialogue with Russia.
But with a different president of Russia. National Security Advisor
Jake Sullivan said Ukraine's NATO membership should be quote taken
up at a different time. But Putin's nuclear threats topped the administration's
current concerns. There is a risk given all of the loose talk and
the nuclear saber rattling by Putin that he would consider this and
we've been equally clear about what the consequences would be.
And to examine Putin's nuclear threats and annexation announcement
today, and we're all this leaves the war. I'm joined by Fiona Hill,
Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Fiona Hill. Thank you
very much Welcome back to the news hour. Kremlin, of course, has
faced battlefield setbacks in the last few days and weeks. Putin
recently has been criticized by China and India. What do you think
is the context for why Putin is announcing Annexation today? Well,
it's clear to change the entire nature of the battlefield.
What is done in annexing this territory is basically transformed
this into a defensive wall rather than offensive war at least certainly,
rhetorically. I mean, of course, you know this is completely legitimate.
But he's now saying that these territories are in fact part of Russia.
In fact, he said, part of Russia forever.
And that therefore, any kind of attack on the territories of the
her son is up for Asia regions as well as any of the territories
in the Donbass and even further a failed to Crimea will now be seen
as an attack on rush of itself and his hope then is that the call
up of Russian troops? The mobilization that we've seen over the last
several days is partial mobilization. In fact, encourage now people
to the battlefield. We won't be seeing so much of these defections
because people will realize that they're in this all out battle.
He said with the West, not just with Ukraine, and this is a battle
for Russia's survival. So it's really taking it up several notches,
and he is therefore justifying any kind of action against the worst.
Of course, you just said any kind of action, and he brandished what
Jake Sullivan today called new Nuclear Sable rattling.
Putin said the U. S had created quote the president of using nuclear
weapons, Sullivan said. It's the U. S. Has taken it very seriously.
How serious do you think Putin is? I think taking that on the rhetorical
level where he's been very serious about creating this framing there.
I think we have to take this to the court of international reaction.
In other words, take this to the United Nations and get pushback
here as well. But we have to take this threat seriously. Putin is
always the kind of person when he threatened something he wants to
deliver on it. So we should take that seriously. But I think we should
also be very seriously engaged in diplomacy now to push back and
to point out how outrageous not just his statements are but some
of the claims and the distortions of history as you just said The
push on diplomacy, of course, would require Ukraine and
Talansky, as we heard earlier said he would be happy to negotiate
with Russia once Putin was no longer president. There are no negotiations
today, and there's not much of a chance on either side for negotiations,
but
Does zelensky statement and the annexation for stall or further forestall
any possibility for diplomacy to end this war. It doesn't foster
all diplomacy at all. But I think what it does make very difficult,
of course, is some kind of negotiated compromise settlement. Putin's
basically saying there is no room for compromise. We've just annexed
this territory is going to be Russia's
In perpetuity is also got his eyes on a further extension of the
military conflict. When we have seen throughout all of the period
since 2014 Russia used to talk about this idea of Novorossiya, New
Russia, which also includes the deaths that we've seen attacks on
Odessa, we've seen threats against Moldova, the country next to Ukraine,
for example, that might also fall into this rubric of New Russia.
Repeated new Russia's several times during the speech, so the point
here is that he's basically saying I'm not going to negotiate on
the basis of this territory that I've taken. He's basically wanting
to have Ukraine negotiate for the terms of its surrender. This is
the largest on accession since World War two. It's turned the whole
global strategic balance on its head.
And that has to be then a commensurate international reaction. So
I think that's where the next phase of our diplomacy has to be focused,
which is getting other countries worldwide to push back on this act
that follows me Putin has undertaken today. And finally, the pipelines
that take natural gas from Russia into Europe exploded.
Earlier this week today, President Biden said the damage was quote
deliberate Act of sabotage. Jake Sullivan said that there were very
few countries capable of such an act of sabotage, but that the damage
was not caused by a NATO country. Do you believe Russia would have
sabotaged their own pipelines? Actually, I do especially given one
element in the speech today, which I was watching very closely.
Putin talks about. He calls the UK and the United States the Anglo
Saxons together and suggest that the UK and the United States might
have done this as a diversion, blowing up the pipelines and, as he
says, then rupturing the whole edifice of European energy security.
And then he says, well, people speculate.
On who does this benefit, and then he smokes and you can see this
because the camera in the Kremlin auditorium best homed in just as
he said this and caught the smoke in his face. It's almost like he
couldn't stop himself from smoking. And he says, Well, of course,
the person who benefits is the person who did it, and it made it
very clear to me.
That this was ordered by the Kremlin. But what he doesn't mention
is, of course, study is basically continuing to export oil. So that's
the next front. To be mindful of. Putin always does something when
he like this something destructive when he thinks that he can leverage
something else. Fiona Hill of the Brookings Institution. Thank you