Q The common denominator in the strife in Ukraine and Syria is the support that those
two governments get from Russia, and I’m wondering, sir, if you believe that President
Putin bears some responsibility for the intransigence of those two regimes.
And to some degree, has this gone beyond just those two countries, and has it become a tug
of war between two world powers?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: …With respect to Syria and the Ukraine, I do think it is worth noting
that you have in this situation one country that has clearly been a client state of Russia,
another whose government is currently -- been supported by Russia; where the people obviously
have a very different view and vision for their country.
And we’ve now seen a great deal of turmoil there that arose organically from within those
countries.
I don’t think there’s a competition between the United States and Russia.
I think this is an expression of the hopes and aspirations of people inside of Syria
and people inside of the Ukraine who recognize that basic freedoms -- freedom of speech,
freedom of assembly, fair and free elections, the ability to run a business without paying
a bribe, to not be discriminated against because of your religion or your beliefs -- that those
are fundamental rights that everybody wants to enjoy.
Now, Mr. Putin has a different view on many of those issues, and I don’t think that
there’s any secret on that.
And our approach as the United States is not to see these as some Cold War chessboard in
which we’re in competition with Russia.
Our goal is to make sure that the people of Ukraine are able to make decisions for themselves
about their future, that the people of Syria are able to make decisions without having
bombs going off and killing women and children, or chemical weapons, or towns being starved
because a despot wants to cling to power.
Those express our values and our national interests, and we will continue to express
those national interests.
There are times, I hope, where Russia will recognize that over the long term they should
be on board with those values and interests as well.
Right now, there are times where we have strong disagreements.
And when I speak to Mr. Putin, I’m very candid about those disagreements, even as
we will continue to pursue cooperation with Russia on areas where we had shared concerns.
But I want to emphasize this: The situation that happened in Ukraine has to do with whether
or not the people of Ukraine can determine their own destiny.
And my government and Vice President Biden, and I personally, have expressed to President
Yanukovych the need for him to recognize the spirit of the Ukrainian people and work with
that, as opposed to trying to repress it.
And so we’ll continue to stand on the side of the people.
My hope is, at this point, that a truce may hold, but Stephen is exactly right -- ultimately,
the government is responsible for making sure that we shift towards some sort of unity government,
even if it’s temporary, that allows us to move to fair and free elections so that the
will of the Ukrainian people can be rightly expressed without the kinds of chaos we’ve
seen on the streets and without the bloodshed that all of us I think strongly condemn.