VIDEO: How does the U.S. make the case for its interests in Ukraine? (Interview with Michael McFaul)
PBS interviews former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul about unfolding events in Ukraine and the U.S. response.
They spoke with McFaul at a conference in Colorado.
Said McFaul:
The biggest, obvious point, you know, fork in the road for Ukraine is to end the violence. If Poroshenko or some configuration of international leaders helped end the violence, then Ukraine has a chance as a state as and economy, as a democracy and that should be the first and foremost objective, is to help stabilize the economy and to make the democracy function.
That’s the way you deter further aggression and further problems in Ukraine — looking forward, but a pre-condition to make that happen is to end the violence in eastern Ukraine.
McFaul also pointed to Russian involvement with the Ukrainian rebels, even if he argued that direct control was not exerted on a daily basis.
We don’t have this insurgency without Russia support. It doesn’t mean they control them, doesn’t mean Putin is on the phone every day talking to the commanders. It’s not that kind of control. But particularly the open border and the public support for them as well as the military assistance, the hardware. Those three components are there and if Putin wanted to shut it down he could by disrupting those three components.