Mar 1, 2022
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said President Joe Biden and his counterparts have agreed to send parts of the organization’s response force, to help protect allies in the east over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He insists the Kremlin’s objectives are not limited to Ukraine. After chairing a NATO meeting, Stoltenberg said the leaders decided to send parts of the NATO response force and elements of a quickly deployed spearhead unit, involving land, sea and air power. This episode features comments from Stoltenberg, plus my exclusive interview with Oregon’s senior U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. He is in a unique position with regard to decisions and actions on Ukraine, as a member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and as the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, which will have a lot of control over sanctions. He describes Vladimir Putin’s motives, why he thinks Ukraine is moving away from Russia, and the long time lobbying effort to make Ukraine part of NATO.
Along with KXL’s Brett Recap, I also talked to Cyber Security Expert Chris Moschovitis, author and President of the New York based Information Technology Management Group, focusing on the very real threat of cyber warfare and disinformation campaigns emerging from Russia.
And I talked to Oregon State University History Professor Dr. Christopher McKnight Nichols, who shares his thoughts about Putin’s selective and strategic version of Ukrainian history.
We also hear from Ukraine’s embattled President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, insisting he’s staying in his country.
And, the U.S. State Department’s Ned Price comments, about how Putin is not showing he is willing to de-escalate.
Finally we recap what President Joe Biden said, in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine. He calls this a beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, and he announced new, tougher sanctions. One notable quote from Biden: “Who in the Lord’s name does Putin think gives him the right to declare new so- called countries, on territory that belongs to his neighbors?”