How are we goinin to keep on
living?
>> For more on thisis we turn to
drew Weiss who served ininhe
George H H bush and hununn
adadnistrations at the Pentagon
and the state dedertment.
The carnegieie down meant,
welcomom back to the N nshour.
Let's start T th a possible deal
ofhat has been a bloloaded
port O oodessa.
>> The Russian governmenen is
trying to strangle Ukraine's
economy.y.
One of the key exportsf the
ukraraian economy israin which
it sells primarilylyo countntes
like sub-s-saran Africa and the
Middle East.
The impact on G gbal food andnd
security frorothese bloloades
has been quite sigigficant.
E Russians also bomomd port
facilities in soututrn Ukraine.
Theuestion is if the ruruians
suddenen had a change of heaea
where they noonger wanted to
stroy Ukraine' economy a a
eir ability to feed T T world.
I will remain somewewt skeptical
about that.
This I is an extremely delicaca
stage abouou that.
Wewe will S S what ththactual
agrereent consists of.
Itoes R ruire a certain
suspension of disbelief that the
Russian governrnnt is
negogoating in good faith.
If the agreements S sned,
how sisiificant is that?
>>>> W W will see the
implementation.
Russia has been a master of
saying it willll D the R rht
thing a a doing the exact
opopsite.
Thererare so many complpl issues
bound up withhpening up the
ports.
Mainly if you can find
international L ipping operators
that will send their ruse into
an area that T heavily mined.
And D ll the Ukrainians be able
to rememe minds that they puttn
place totory to proroct the port
of Odessa from the possiblbl
Russian ininsion?
>> How sigigficant is it that
Russia is now out loud saying
the aims going beyond.
>> Rususs foreign minister Hasas
indicated bebeuse the west has
come to you rain's resese and
provoved significant militarar
systems, russisi neeee to seize
even more territory anan annex
partrtof ukrainetself that
re not part of the source of
the 2014-2015 time.
Ssia is goioi to excuse what
it's about toto do and B bme it on
ththwest.
This ISS classic Russian blameme
shifting.
But annexatioiois a major
calatory move.
>> We used the wowos annexation
playbook.
What will we seeeehem do?
>> Russiaa is prepariri for
regionon elections and regularar
parts of rususa.
Those are set for September 11.
Cacayou dress Upp what is
ppening in the donbassss region,
asasell as what is happening in
nearby regions??
Can you come up with enough of a
stable environment where Russia
could conduct a rererendum?
They did that in 2014 inn crimea
bubu it was not a war zone.
What is going on in southern
Ukraine which wowod behis land
bridid that Russia has wanted to
nnect mother Russia toto crimea
as well a a what is going on in
dodoass is a heavily fought over
very dangerous a aa.
Athere will be voter T tnout
and have a local populatioio is
toe a big stretch.
This comes back to T T lunacy of
is war.
Vladadir Putin seems to wantnt
some shred of legigimacy.
He thinks if he has staged
vovo that it will be enough.
Isherenything the
ministration cane doingo
try to P pvent annexation?
I think the adminintration
evevy day is lookinggt what
they can D do T to help the
Ukrainian governrnnt to be
effective on N E battlefield.
Ave seen T teginnings O O
insurgencycyype actions where
Russians are domomant.
I think you'u're likely to see T T
administraraon giving ukraiai
government a a the people E
Ukraine T T tools that theyeyeed
and the S sport T Ty N nd T T
defend theheelves against this
invavaon.
The P pblem is T tt both sides
are in a war of attrition as
secretety austen indicated D E
other Dada
this is a grgrling long-term
battle and I think T TRE has
been a notion circulatingg that
those sides wililget exhausted.
Itit doesn'tt mean this conflict is
ose to O solution.
We a a nowhere near thahapoint.
>> Thanknkou very much.