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I have met Putin 25 times.
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And for me, Putin is someone
that knows how to measure risk.
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There is a rationality in
his decision-making.
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When I saw him the days before
the invasion of Ukraine,
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I think emotion was stronger
than the rational thinking.
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Now he's expressing a very,
very deep frustration and
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resentment against the West -
but not only against the West,
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against the past, against history.
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Vladimir Putin has rocked the
foundations of European security.
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This is the story of Putin's
path to war,
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how and why
he wrong-footed the West
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through a decade of clashes...
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Putin said, "I can get away with it.
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"And the Americans
won't do anything."
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..told by the leaders who've
locked horns with him.
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We should have stood up to him then.
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That is the truth.
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And what is happening now
in Ukraine is the turning point.
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In this episode, how Europe's will
was put to the test when, in 2014,
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Putin first attacked Ukraine...
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I said, "If we don't react now,
the Russians will interpret this as
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"a carte blanche to do even more".
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..and how, when he spied
division in the West,
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the Russian President
pressed home his advantage.
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When I confronted him with the fact
that there were Russian troops
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in Crimea, he said,
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"Jose Manuel, these are not
the Russian troops.
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"If it was really the Armed Forces
of Russia," he said to me,
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"they could take Kyiv in
less than two weeks".
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Quite extraordinary.
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I remember the summit very clearly
because actually, strangely enough,
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the Foreign Office didn't think
it was particularly important.
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But President Grybauskaite
of Lithuania,
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who was holding the conference,
said, "I really want you to come.
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"This is important."
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And I thought, "Well, I'll come".
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Eastern Partnership summits were
not always attended by everyone.
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This time, everybody came,
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including the
Prime Minister of Britain,
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because we knew this would be
a historic moment.
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The climax of the summit was due
to be a breakthrough trade deal
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between Ukraine and the EU.
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If President Viktor Yanukovych
signed, it would be his country's
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biggest step towards the West since
leaving the Soviet Union in 1991.
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But after a recent trip to Moscow,
rumours had started that
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he was feeling the heat
from Vladimir Putin.
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We were staying at a lovely hotel,
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and the reception area was full of
people having coffee, chatting.
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And as I came through the lobby,
I saw Yanukovych.
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He's a very tall,
very imposing figure.
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He saw me, nodded to me,
and then, came over.
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We exchanged pleasantries -
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how was he, what was
his journey like - and so on.
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And after the pleasantries,
he says to me,
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"You do know that
I can't sign the agreement".
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He was very embarrassed,
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because that agreement had
been negotiated for
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more than five years.
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He tried to present some excuses...
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..but it was very clear that
he could not do it
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because of Russian pressure.
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Whatever was said on the trip to
Moscow, Yanukovych clearly
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came back, er, having had, er,
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really having had
the frighteners put on him.
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I and Merkel, we had been speaking
with him just eye-to-eye.
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And, because we spoke in Russian,
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he was more sincere.
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And he gave us some kind of
understanding that he was
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under pressure,
personally under pressure.
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Chancellor Merkel told
President Yanukovych very clearly,
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"We expect you to agree to it.
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"We believe that also, this is
what your population believes.
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"This is what we have been striving
for, for the last years, actually.
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"And now, you are backing down.
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"This is incomprehensible for us."
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There was this popular expression
in Ukraine about milking two cows.
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That Ukraine, to a certain extent,
had an opportunity to, sort of,
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play both sides off against
each other, make sure it was,
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kind of, sucking the benefits
out of both relationships.
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We thought that it's only
about financial compensations.
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So, we presented him possible
solutions, even billions
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of financial assistance.
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Again, he's not able to sign.
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The EU was offering Ukraine
huge developmental assistance
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for the country...
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..but bound up in procedures
and spread over many years.
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Putin was offering cash
literally the next day.
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There were rumours of trucks
with cash being sent from Ukraine
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to Yanukovych's accounts in Russia.
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I was pretty clear, from everything
I heard from Yanukovych,
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that he wasn't serious about
a partnership with the EU.
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I spoke with President Aliyev,
from Azerbaijan, who I always
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thought was quite a good reader
of the situation,
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and he said, "Oh, it's clear to me,
Yanukovych and the Ukrainians want
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"a better deal from Moscow,
so they're flirting with the EU
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"to get a better deal from Moscow.
But that's what they want."
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We said to Yanukovych, "You're
the president of your country.
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"You were elected on a platform
that included the signing of
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"this agreement as a centrepiece
of your presidency.
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"You have chosen, for whatever
reasons, not to sign it.
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"It's your responsibility now
to go home and explain to the people
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"who elected you,
why you have done that."
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In Ukraine's capital,
thousands had gathered in
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the main square, the Maidan.
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When Yanukovych refused to sign,
the crowds were watching.
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I was very clear -
EU is the only way for Ukraine.
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European Union is the only future
for the Ukrainian people,
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and we will never go
back to the USSR.
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Just two weeks later,
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as demonstrations continued
in the Maidan,
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Yanukovych returned to Moscow
to sign a deal with Putin.
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At that time, we really had
a good relationship with
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our Ukrainian colleagues.
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We were supporting Ukraine
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from the very beginning,
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when Soviet Union has disappeared.
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That is why the Russian
government has allocated a
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very serious sum of money.
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We hoped that we can make
Ukraine stable.
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Russia would slash gas prices
for Ukraine and loan Yanukovych's
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government $15 billion.
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In the tug-of-war over Ukraine,
Putin looked to be winning.
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We were always very clear,
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if Ukraine signed up to the
association agreement with the EU,
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it would be signing up to a lot of
things that Putin wouldn't like.
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Like the rule of law,
like an independent judiciary,
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strengthening democratic
institutions.
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And that, in turn,
raises the risk that people
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in Russia are going to say, "Look,
we need some of this, as well" -
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and that's what Putin doesn't want.
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Putin was now facing a popular
uprising on Russia's doorstep,
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as protesters forced back
Yanukovych's riot police
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and took over the Maidan.
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Through the bitter winter,
a stream of Western politicians
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and diplomats came to visit -
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leaving little doubt
whose side they were on.
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Hello, how are you?
Good to see you.
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Arriving there, the thing that
I remember most is getting out of
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the car and the cold air hitting me.
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Cos it took your breath away,
it was freezing.
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This was all kinds of people -
younger, older, families, children -
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with one message for me, which is,
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"We want to sign this agreement".
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I was over there to take part
at the ministerial meeting,
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so we were in Kyiv.
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And the hotel was
not far from Maidan.
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And I saw lots of diplomats.
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And really, I didn't believe
that they could intervene so openly
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into the political process.
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Two months into the protests,
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Putin had a rare chance to confront
the EU's leaders face-to-face.
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Putin was very strong
on his position.
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So, it was a very tough,
tough meeting.
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Dealing with Putin, one is very
conscious of somebody who has power.
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He is not brusque, but not friendly.
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Putin was pretty clear that he was
angry about what was happening.
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He said to me that I should not
take part in the demonstrations.
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I pointed out that my responsibility
was to represent the EU,
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but I did have to go and talk
to people who were
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either flying an EU flag literally,
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or who were really interested in
the relationship with the EU.
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What is the right that Putin has
to say who should go or
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not go to Ukraine?
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Ukraine is not part of Russia.
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We are, er, free countries!
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But that was the position.
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Soon, the protesters in Kyiv
started moving out of the square
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and towards government buildings.
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Oleksandr Turchynov,
a leading opposition MP,
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rushed to see the President.
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Before the protesters could retreat,
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they came under fire from
the security forces.
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I was in the Dolomites,
on a skiing holiday with my family.
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I checked my phone, and there was
this video posted by Romanska TV -
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a kind of citizen's TV
station at the time.
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And you could clearly hear
the sounds of gunfire.
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And not in the air, but into people.
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So, I mean, we were about to get
dressed for skiing, and...
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I had to inform my family,
"Sorry, I have to go and be there".
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That night, the demonstrators
set fire to car tyres,
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trying to force back the police.
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It had been the deadliest day
of the protests so far,
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with more than 20 killed
and hundreds wounded.
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Arriving in Kyiv, Sikorski,
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along with the foreign ministers
of France and Germany,
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headed to meet Yanukovych.
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Later.
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We told him,
"Look, you have to get real.
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"This situation cannot be resolved
if you don't agree to go before
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"your term of office expires."
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Erm, and he sort of went white,
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and went to the next room
to make a foreign call.
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00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:07,640
Yanukovych didn't tell us
where the call was originating,
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or where he was calling.
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But his associates told us that
he was calling Moscow.
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And, to our astonishment,
when he returned, er, he agreed.
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For the Ukrainian President,
it was a humiliating defeat.
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He's had to give up many of the
powers he took in controversial
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changes to the constitution,
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and he'll be gone
by the end of the year.
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When we were entering
this building 24 hours ago,
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there was black smoke, there was the
sound of gunfire and of detonations.
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Now we have fair weather -
which shows that God is looking
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with, um, favour on this agreement.
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The following day,
Ukraine's parliament started trying
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to put the deal into practice.
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The House passed the legislation,
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and we were trying
to find Yanukovych.
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He has to sign it into the law.
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No-one knew where Yanukovych was.
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I remember ringing up and talking
to the Deputy Foreign Minister
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at the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry,
and saying, "What's going on?".
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And the guy on the other end
of the phone said,
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"We don't know where
President Yanukovych is".
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In the middle of the night,
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Yanukovych had flown by helicopter
to the East of Ukraine,
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near the Russian border.
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And on the streets of Kyiv,
the thousands of security forces
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who'd been battling the protesters
had disappeared.
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00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:31,320
We were worried that now
we had a vacuum.
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I thought it was really important
to get to Kyiv to talk to everybody,
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and to see what we could do.
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You, sort of, felt the heaviness.
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You saw people standing around
in the streets with guns.
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00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:48,840
Everyone was really, kind of,
taking in what was going on.
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Somebody whispered in my ear,
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00:18:53,960 --> 00:19:00,480
"Do you think it felt like this in
1917, in the Russian Revolution?"
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00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:03,400
And although, of course it was
entirely different,
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00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:06,720
I think what they were referring to
was that sense that everything
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was about to change, and nobody
quite knew where it would go.
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00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:19,240
On the night that
Yanukovych fled Kyiv,
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00:19:19,240 --> 00:19:23,360
Vladimir Putin was busy hosting
the biggest international event
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00:19:23,360 --> 00:19:28,560
Russia had staged in years -
the Sochi Winter Olympics.
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00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:22,120
By now, Yanukovych had
reached Crimea,
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00:20:22,120 --> 00:20:24,240
a peninsula in the South of Ukraine.
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It had deep ties to Russia,
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and was home to
its Black Sea naval fleet.
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00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:35,800
Putin ordered his special forces
to escort Yanukovych to Russia.
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But that wasn't all.
240
00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:41,800
He was about to make his most
audacious move since taking office.
241
00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:20,360
We started to hear that something
was afoot in Crimea.
242
00:21:22,120 --> 00:21:25,480
By that time, in a number of
Ukraine's bigger cities,
243
00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:30,960
we'd seen efforts on the part
of Russian-leaning groups
244
00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:36,840
to storm public offices, to
kind of take over the town hall.
245
00:21:36,840 --> 00:21:40,960
And, to be quite honest,
our first reports to London were
246
00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:45,440
that we understood that something
similar was happening in Crimea.
247
00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:52,560
In fact, Armed Forces were
appearing across the peninsula.
248
00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:56,000
These "little green men",
as they came to be called,
249
00:21:56,000 --> 00:22:00,160
wore unmarked uniforms and carried
modern Russian weapons...
250
00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:35,280
In Washington, the President was
briefed on the situation.
251
00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:40,440
So far, he'd kept the crisis
in Ukraine at arms' length.
252
00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:43,160
But Putin had now crossed a line.
253
00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:44,880
Good afternoon, everybody.
254
00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:48,960
We are now deeply concerned
by reports of military movements
255
00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:53,160
taken by the Russian Federation
inside of Ukraine.
256
00:22:53,160 --> 00:22:56,560
Just days after the world came
to Russia for the Olympic Games,
257
00:22:56,560 --> 00:23:00,480
it would invite the condemnation
of nations around the world.
258
00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:04,560
And there will be costs for any
military intervention in Ukraine.
259
00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:09,600
..Who those forces are in Crimea?
Are they Russian forces?
260
00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:12,480
Obama called in his top advisers.
261
00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:16,800
The President was keen for action -
not military action,
262
00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:21,160
but economic action - which can be
very powerful if the US is doing it.
263
00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:24,520
And the natural thing was
to turn to sanctions.
264
00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:30,480
But we also wanted to be joined
together with allies in Europe.
265
00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:36,040
And we in the US knew the economic
costs of sanctions on Russia,
266
00:23:36,040 --> 00:23:39,240
and of any counter-sanctions
by Russia would be felt
267
00:23:39,240 --> 00:23:43,200
much more strongly in Europe
than in the United States.
268
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:47,760
Obama would let
the Europeans take the lead.
269
00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,520
The British Prime Minister
was one of the first
270
00:23:53,520 --> 00:23:55,520
to speak directly to Putin.
271
00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:00,880
The thing with Putin is
you've always known he mourns
272
00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:03,120
the loss of the Soviet Union.
273
00:24:03,120 --> 00:24:05,800
He wants to recover
territory where he can.
274
00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:08,520
And I said to him, "Look, you know
this is illegitimate action.
275
00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:12,200
"Ukraine is a legitimate country.
It has its own borders."
276
00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:16,360
Cameron said what had happened
was just completely unacceptable.
277
00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:21,520
One country had literally seized
a chunk of territory from another
278
00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:24,680
country and claimed it for itself.
279
00:24:24,680 --> 00:24:29,120
And when was the last time that
had happened in Europe?
280
00:24:29,120 --> 00:24:34,040
Maybe...maybe the Second World War,
and it hadn't happened since.
281
00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:38,120
And Putin's response was that
Crimea basically historically had
282
00:24:38,120 --> 00:24:40,920
always been part of Russia
and was their territory.
283
00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:43,080
"This is my backyard,
keep out of it."
284
00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:53,400
An emergency summit of EU
leaders was called.
285
00:24:55,320 --> 00:24:58,880
Cameron arrived with a draft
proposal for wide-ranging
286
00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:01,440
sanctions against Russia.
287
00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:06,200
I was clear that we were not going
to send troops to Ukraine.
288
00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:09,840
In your heart, you wanted
to do more, but in your head,
289
00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:16,120
you knew, you know, we must not make
this a Russia-NATO conflict.
290
00:25:16,120 --> 00:25:19,880
But I thought we could do
everything we could to try and make
291
00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:23,640
the consequences bad for Russia
by having sanctions,
292
00:25:23,640 --> 00:25:25,960
travel bans, asset freezes.
293
00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:29,040
We need to send a very clear
message to the Russian government
294
00:25:29,040 --> 00:25:32,800
that what has happened is
unacceptable.
295
00:25:33,760 --> 00:25:36,000
There were two difficult
issues in it.
296
00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:38,840
Number one -
if you talked about energy,
297
00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:42,000
a lot of European countries,
particularly central European,
298
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:48,480
but also Germany had quite a heavy
reliance on Russian oil and gas.
299
00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:50,440
And second,
some European countries -
300
00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:53,440
notably again, Germany and Italy -
301
00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:56,960
sold a lot of stuff to Russia.
302
00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:38,400
Viktor Orban,
the Prime Minister of Hungary,
303
00:26:38,400 --> 00:26:45,040
was saying that it was difficult
for him to accept sanctions because
304
00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:50,720
if we adopted sanctions, there would
be counter-sanctions from Russia.
305
00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:53,120
Merkel was quite supportive,
306
00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:56,920
but kind of flagged up
the energy was difficult.
307
00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:01,320
The reaction of Europe
at the time was very upsetting.
308
00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:05,200
The cheap energy was so comfortable
309
00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:08,960
and so addictive that
they were not able to overstep
310
00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:10,600
their pragmatic policies.
311
00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:15,000
I said very clearly,
"No more business as usual.
312
00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:18,000
"We can't leave this Council
without a clear declaration that
313
00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:19,480
"what's happened is wrong."
314
00:27:37,320 --> 00:27:41,160
That's always the problem
with sanctions taken
315
00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:43,440
by a group of countries.
316
00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:46,280
The countries want to
adopt sanctions,
317
00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:50,800
but they don't want their sectors
or where they have stronger
318
00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:52,640
interests to be very much affected.
319
00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:57,160
The European Council
threatened sanctions
320
00:27:57,160 --> 00:27:59,160
unless Putin withdrew his forces.
321
00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:03,840
These would target a
small number of individuals,
322
00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:07,040
but none of Russia's key
economic sectors,
323
00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:09,320
and nothing would happen right away.
324
00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:14,320
I'll answer every question you ask.
325
00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:16,680
I was disappointed, yes.
326
00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:20,520
But I never went public
accusing our Western friends.
327
00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:22,680
I am well aware of Putin's playbook,
328
00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:25,000
to split unity in the EU
329
00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:27,320
and to play on these differences.
330
00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:31,240
So, I never went public,
but I was very tough
331
00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:33,000
behind the closed doors.
332
00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:43,320
Ten days later,
with Putin's backing,
333
00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:45,680
a referendum was held in Crimea.
334
00:28:49,320 --> 00:28:54,880
Officially, 93% voted in favour of
joining the Russian Federation -
335
00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:58,480
a figure widely rejected
by the international community.
336
00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:03,560
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
337
00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:06,360
For Putin, this didn't matter.
338
00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:53,080
The same week, Obama was in Europe
with his own message for Putin.
339
00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:55,800
America's got a whole
lot of challenges.
340
00:29:55,800 --> 00:30:02,880
Russia is a regional power that
is threatening some of
341
00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:05,080
its immediate neighbours...
342
00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:10,040
..not out of strength,
but out of weakness.
343
00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:14,160
He said that Russia is just
a regional power -
344
00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:19,640
and this is not helpful,
because it feeds on resentment.
345
00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:23,800
And for me, Putin is essentially
a product of resentment
346
00:30:23,800 --> 00:30:29,200
because of the decline, and also,
humiliation of Russia after
347
00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:31,320
the collapse of the Soviet Union.
348
00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:35,120
What's the need of humiliating,
or creating more resentment
349
00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:37,440
in someone like Putin?
350
00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:40,920
It perhaps inflamed Putin
that he said it.
351
00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:43,040
But that was how he saw it.
352
00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:45,240
This is not the biggest
threat that we face.
353
00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:47,560
This is a threat that
we're going to deal with,
354
00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:49,040
and that we are dealing with,
355
00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:52,400
but we don't need to get too
worked up about it.
356
00:30:52,400 --> 00:30:55,600
When Putin met the new President
of the European Commission
357
00:30:55,600 --> 00:31:00,200
months later, Obama's words
still rankled.
358
00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:03,080
We were discussing Crimea.
359
00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:08,320
Putin repeated his Crimean poem,
360
00:31:08,320 --> 00:31:12,280
saying that this was
a part of Russia,
361
00:31:12,280 --> 00:31:14,400
and of the former Soviet Union.
362
00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:20,280
And for the very first time,
I noted that something had changed.
363
00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:27,560
When it came to Ukraine,
he suddenly expressed himself in
364
00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:31,200
a far more brutal way than
was usually the case.
365
00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:34,000
He's hardened his position.
He's very aggressive.
366
00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:37,440
He's very revisionist
in his approach to history.
367
00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:40,160
He repeatedly said,
"Ukraine is Russian".
368
00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:43,960
And the sentence that he always
brought up, is that the sentence
369
00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:49,120
of President Obama that Russia
would be only "a regional power".
370
00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:55,320
And he really felt hurt
and insulted by that.
371
00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:58,320
Putin was about to face
another humiliation.
372
00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:02,920
These leaders huddled
around a small table decided that
373
00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:06,080
they would suspend
taking part in G8 meetings
374
00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:08,400
until Russia changed course.
375
00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:13,800
Russia was kicked out of the club
for the world's leading economies
376
00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:16,720
as the G8 became the G7.
377
00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:20,680
These are industrialised countries,
378
00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:23,640
and we clearly have seen that
379
00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:26,480
they treat Russia like an outsider,
380
00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:31,880
like the desire is just to leave
Russia as an agrarian country with
381
00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:35,920
a lot of mineral resources -
like Bulgaria, for instance.
382
00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:37,640
We were always on the periphery.
383
00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:38,920
It's not a place for us.
384
00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:49,920
In Ukraine, the situation was
threatening to explode.
385
00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:59,080
Crimea had been taken with
little resistance.
386
00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:03,200
But in the Eastern region of Donbas,
Ukrainian forces were now being
387
00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:06,320
attacked by Russian-backed
separatists.
388
00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:39,640
That summer, France would host
celebrations for the 70th
389
00:33:39,640 --> 00:33:43,040
anniversary of the D-Day landings.
390
00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:45,800
Putin's invitation had
been in doubt.
391
00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:47,560
But the French President,
392
00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:50,280
spotting the chance for
a diplomatic breakthrough,
393
00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:52,440
arranged a dinner at the Elysee.
394
00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:17,840
Hollande pressed Putin on
the need for peace talks.
395
00:34:17,840 --> 00:34:21,120
The next day's celebrations
in Normandy would be a perfect
396
00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:23,320
opportunity to speak face-to-face
397
00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:28,200
with Ukraine's newly-elected
President, Petro Poroshenko.
398
00:34:28,200 --> 00:34:30,840
President Putin did not recognise
this election.
399
00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:34,400
So, we had a raising
tension on one hand,
400
00:34:34,400 --> 00:34:36,440
and on the other hand, no contact.
401
00:34:36,440 --> 00:34:40,400
So, we thought, "Why shouldn't
we try to bring them together"?
402
00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:15,560
He seemed to be positive,
but we had no guarantee.
403
00:35:15,560 --> 00:35:21,960
So, we had to organise this in a...
kind of...uncertainty.
404
00:35:33,200 --> 00:35:38,960
The next day, Putin joined
19 other heads of state in Normandy.
405
00:35:42,640 --> 00:35:44,400
For Ukraine's new President -
406
00:35:44,400 --> 00:35:47,600
a billionaire who'd made
his money selling chocolate -
407
00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:49,400
the pressure was on.
408
00:35:54,160 --> 00:35:57,840
Of course, all the world leaders
were in Normandy for D-Day.
409
00:35:57,840 --> 00:36:02,040
And I was surprised that
the line of the leaders who want
410
00:36:02,040 --> 00:36:03,880
to shake hands with Obama,
411
00:36:03,880 --> 00:36:09,240
President of the United States,
was significantly shorter than
412
00:36:09,240 --> 00:36:11,360
the line of the leaders
413
00:36:11,360 --> 00:36:14,000
who want to shake hands with Putin.
414
00:36:15,080 --> 00:36:20,760
And then, I see how difficult
it would be for me,
415
00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:23,960
for Ukrainians to stop Putin.
416
00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:44,440
We had 20 minutes before the
huge lunch with all
417
00:36:44,440 --> 00:36:46,200
the heads of state and government,
418
00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:48,840
including Her Majesty the Queen.
419
00:36:48,840 --> 00:36:53,440
We couldn't afford to be late,
because normally, you do not tell
420
00:36:53,440 --> 00:36:57,480
the Queen of England that,
"Sorry, we are a bit late.
421
00:36:57,480 --> 00:36:59,200
"You have to wait 15 minutes."
422
00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:00,800
That doesn't work.
423
00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:06,640
Putin hated the idea to
have this meeting.
424
00:37:06,640 --> 00:37:09,520
He tried to do his best to avoid it.
425
00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:15,760
And it happened while
Francois Hollande take his hands
426
00:37:15,760 --> 00:37:17,760
and accompany him to the room.
427
00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:22,480
Hollande had enlisted
the German Chancellor's support.
428
00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:27,640
We got together in this
typical French chateau,
429
00:37:27,640 --> 00:37:30,680
and they were sitting there,
it was very crisp.
430
00:37:30,680 --> 00:37:35,280
When Putin entered, he said,
"OK, 10-15 minutes, no more".
431
00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:36,320
"Why?"
432
00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:38,280
"Because I have a very
busy schedule."
433
00:37:39,680 --> 00:37:44,640
"OK." I started with the...
434
00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:48,880
..demand for the immediate
liberation of the Crimea.
435
00:37:48,880 --> 00:37:52,800
Putin said in Russian,
he said, "Ikh tam net".
436
00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:56,280
Which means, "There is no
Russian troops there".
437
00:37:56,280 --> 00:38:02,840
And then, Angela said, "Volodiya" -
she said it in Russian.
438
00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:06,040
"Don't be stupid, so, come on."
439
00:38:06,040 --> 00:38:10,600
After less than 20 minutes,
the leaders left for the lunch.
440
00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:12,960
Nothing substantive had been agreed.
441
00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:42,680
A month later, the US President had
a scheduled phone call with Putin.
442
00:38:42,680 --> 00:38:44,920
Ukraine was top of the agenda.
443
00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:50,320
Putin was saying we've both got
interests in Ukraine,
444
00:38:50,320 --> 00:38:56,600
and Obama was saying words
to the effect of, "Vladimir,
445
00:38:56,600 --> 00:39:01,040
"I don't have a national security
interest in Ukraine itself.
446
00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:03,400
"But we have a national
security interest in
447
00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:05,680
"the sovereignty of Ukraine."
448
00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:10,960
And at some point, Putin said
something about things happening.
449
00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:14,800
The President of Russia
reported to President Obama that
450
00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:19,600
a plane crash had just taken place
in the Donbas region.
451
00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:24,200
None of us knew what he
was talking about.
452
00:39:24,200 --> 00:39:26,680
There was a sense of,
"Oh, there's a war going on".
453
00:39:26,680 --> 00:39:28,280
Maybe a helicopter has crashed.
454
00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:31,040
Maybe some other crash
has taken place.
455
00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:35,520
I left at that phone call
and went to run a meeting.
456
00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:40,080
And halfway through it, one of
my staff members passes me a note
457
00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:43,720
that says, "You better get
back to your office.
458
00:39:43,720 --> 00:39:49,000
"There are suitcases and body parts
falling from the sky in Donbas."
459
00:39:57,680 --> 00:40:02,240
A Boeing jet,
Malaysian Airlines flight MH17,
460
00:40:02,240 --> 00:40:04,800
had come down in
the East of Ukraine,
461
00:40:04,800 --> 00:40:07,000
about 30 miles from the
Russian border.
462
00:40:10,680 --> 00:40:14,640
The first reports suggested it had
been shot out of the sky.
463
00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:20,520
Literally within a few hours,
464
00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:25,360
we hear from the security
intelligence agencies that the
465
00:40:25,360 --> 00:40:31,280
Americans are pretty sure
that the missile came out of
466
00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:35,760
separatist-held regions of Donbas,
467
00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:38,600
and that it had been
supplied by the Russians.
468
00:40:39,760 --> 00:40:44,800
I had a call with Putin where,
you know, he just lied.
469
00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:46,920
He must've seen
the same evidence as me.
470
00:40:46,920 --> 00:40:48,720
He probably knew more than me.
471
00:40:48,720 --> 00:40:53,280
And this was what we used to call
in, sort of, Foreign Office terms,
472
00:40:53,280 --> 00:40:55,880
it was the Russian approach
of deny and lie.
473
00:40:55,880 --> 00:40:59,600
It was clear that it was a mistake.
474
00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:04,720
But the so-called international
community, which means US policy
475
00:41:04,720 --> 00:41:08,280
or European Union, the next day,
put the blame on us.
476
00:41:08,280 --> 00:41:11,160
This is another step
to drive the wedge
477
00:41:11,160 --> 00:41:13,600
and to make this wedge
larger and larger
478
00:41:13,600 --> 00:41:15,480
between West and Russia.
479
00:41:21,800 --> 00:41:25,000
With separatists controlling
the crash site,
480
00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:28,080
investigators weren't able
to collect evidence
481
00:41:28,080 --> 00:41:29,840
or recover victims' bodies.
482
00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:41,480
The vast majority of the 298 people
on board had been Dutch nationals.
483
00:41:41,480 --> 00:41:43,480
Four days after the disaster,
484
00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:47,320
the Dutch Foreign Minister
attended a special meeting of
485
00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:48,840
the United Nations.
486
00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:54,240
Just for one minute,
I'm not addressing you as
487
00:41:54,240 --> 00:41:58,160
representatives of your countries,
488
00:41:58,160 --> 00:42:03,040
but as husbands and wives, fathers
and mothers, just imagine that
489
00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:09,360
you first get the news that your
husband was killed.
490
00:42:09,360 --> 00:42:15,480
And then, within 2-3 days,
you see images of some thug
491
00:42:15,480 --> 00:42:19,880
removing the wedding band
from their hands.
492
00:42:19,880 --> 00:42:22,680
I thought if I could create
the right momentum in
493
00:42:22,680 --> 00:42:26,240
the security council, with all the
others putting pressure on Russia,
494
00:42:26,240 --> 00:42:29,640
it would be very difficult
for them to refuse at least access,
495
00:42:29,640 --> 00:42:32,960
so that we could, you know,
bring the remains home.
496
00:42:32,960 --> 00:42:36,600
I call on the international
community on this Security Council,
497
00:42:36,600 --> 00:42:40,240
on anyone with influence on
the situation on the ground,
498
00:42:40,240 --> 00:42:44,960
allow us to bring the victims'
remains home to their loved ones.
499
00:42:44,960 --> 00:42:47,240
They deserve to be home.
500
00:42:51,480 --> 00:42:53,920
Frans Timmermans' speech
struck a chord.
501
00:42:55,200 --> 00:42:59,520
Despite Russian resistance,
the UN agreed a resolution demanding
502
00:42:59,520 --> 00:43:02,920
emergency services be given
access to the crash site.
503
00:43:04,480 --> 00:43:07,960
He now wanted to make sure
that Putin would pay.
504
00:43:10,880 --> 00:43:15,680
It's impossible for me to put
into words how the Dutch nation
505
00:43:15,680 --> 00:43:19,560
mourned this and
how furious people were,
506
00:43:19,560 --> 00:43:21,920
and how sad people were.
507
00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:25,080
And that needed to find
a political outlet.
508
00:43:25,080 --> 00:43:27,000
We needed to do something with that.
509
00:43:28,840 --> 00:43:32,080
24 hours after addressing the UN,
510
00:43:32,080 --> 00:43:35,600
Timmermans confronted his fellow
EU foreign ministers.
511
00:43:37,320 --> 00:43:42,640
He wanted sanctions to hit Russia's
key sectors like energy and banking,
512
00:43:42,640 --> 00:43:45,600
even if this meant
European economies suffered.
513
00:43:47,000 --> 00:43:51,080
I said, "If we don't react now,
the Russians will interpret this as,
514
00:43:51,080 --> 00:43:54,640
"sort of, a carte blanche
to do even more".
515
00:43:54,640 --> 00:44:00,280
Straight away, it was clear that
there were two extremes in the room.
516
00:44:00,280 --> 00:44:02,720
That, on the one hand, the Poles,
517
00:44:02,720 --> 00:44:06,520
the Baltic states, as usual,
518
00:44:06,520 --> 00:44:10,840
taking a very, very tough
line on Russia.
519
00:44:10,840 --> 00:44:12,640
At the other end of the scale,
520
00:44:12,640 --> 00:44:17,840
some of the Southern Europeans being
much more reluctant to move forward.
521
00:44:17,840 --> 00:44:21,520
I said, "Surely you don't want
to be the one to prevent
522
00:44:21,520 --> 00:44:23,040
"our unity from being clear.
523
00:44:23,040 --> 00:44:26,600
"How are you going to explain to
your media that you don't
524
00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:28,280
"want us to impose sanctions?"
525
00:44:28,280 --> 00:44:32,440
Most countries didn't,
and probably still don't
526
00:44:32,440 --> 00:44:34,200
feel threatened by Russia.
527
00:44:35,800 --> 00:44:39,960
When a Lithuanian, or even a Pole
says something about Russia,
528
00:44:39,960 --> 00:44:41,480
they are sceptical.
529
00:44:41,480 --> 00:44:47,720
But when a really cool,
rational Dutchman says it,
530
00:44:47,720 --> 00:44:50,840
it has a greater effect on
the western Europeans.
531
00:44:52,280 --> 00:44:56,360
There were member states who,
I think, at that time were feeling
532
00:44:56,360 --> 00:44:58,320
we'd done enough,
533
00:44:58,320 --> 00:45:02,200
or maybe it was time to
relax our position.
534
00:45:02,200 --> 00:45:05,320
Nobody suggested that, having
listened to Frans.
535
00:45:07,280 --> 00:45:09,320
I think we have a good result,
536
00:45:09,320 --> 00:45:16,040
one that should be satisfying
to Holland, to the Dutch public,
537
00:45:16,040 --> 00:45:23,200
one that should make President Putin
realise that this time
538
00:45:23,200 --> 00:45:25,520
we are for real, this is serious.
539
00:45:32,240 --> 00:45:34,680
The EU, together with America,
540
00:45:34,680 --> 00:45:39,120
imposed the toughest sanctions
Russia had faced since the Cold War,
541
00:45:39,120 --> 00:45:42,760
targeting its energy, arms,
and finance sectors.
542
00:45:44,760 --> 00:45:47,840
But some thought
they should go even further.
543
00:45:49,280 --> 00:45:53,040
In the Pentagon, discussions had
started about whether the US should
544
00:45:53,040 --> 00:45:56,800
send Ukraine its much-lauded
Javelin anti-tank missiles.
545
00:45:58,400 --> 00:46:02,160
The most important thing for us
was to deter the Russians.
546
00:46:02,160 --> 00:46:05,400
And so, we thought the Javelin
system was perfect because
547
00:46:05,400 --> 00:46:07,480
they are defensive,
but they're lethal.
548
00:46:10,600 --> 00:46:13,000
They will kill
the people in the tank.
549
00:46:14,520 --> 00:46:16,400
So the body bags go back to Russia,
550
00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:18,240
and Russia has a political problem.
551
00:46:19,760 --> 00:46:22,480
Farkas took her pitch
to the White House,
552
00:46:22,480 --> 00:46:25,280
where she met Obama's
top Russia advisers.
553
00:46:26,640 --> 00:46:31,200
We were very concerned about
pouring fuel on the fire.
554
00:46:31,200 --> 00:46:34,280
I said, "Let's not move up
a ladder of escalation
555
00:46:34,280 --> 00:46:36,600
"that we are unlikely to win".
556
00:46:36,600 --> 00:46:39,920
I said that Russia has a border
of 1,000 miles with Ukraine -
557
00:46:39,920 --> 00:46:41,600
more than 1,000 miles.
558
00:46:41,600 --> 00:46:44,760
Russia has uncontested
military superiority -
559
00:46:44,760 --> 00:46:47,480
why should we play to
Russia's strength?
560
00:46:47,480 --> 00:46:50,800
We should play to our strength
by hitting them with sanctions.
561
00:46:50,800 --> 00:46:53,400
We already had a sense
that sanctions weren't going
562
00:46:53,400 --> 00:46:55,280
to do it in the short run.
563
00:46:55,280 --> 00:47:02,000
I deemed the situation as urgent
enough to merit, you know,
564
00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:05,240
essentially exacting
a price in the form of,
565
00:47:05,240 --> 00:47:08,080
sorry to say, Russian lives.
566
00:47:08,080 --> 00:47:11,440
That price would be
the only thing that would cause
567
00:47:11,440 --> 00:47:12,960
Vladimir Putin to stop and think.
568
00:47:12,960 --> 00:47:17,480
I don't think that Vladimir Putin is
the kind of leader who's gonna say,
569
00:47:17,480 --> 00:47:21,160
"Well, I just lost 100 soldiers.
I'm going to stop."
570
00:47:21,160 --> 00:47:24,760
The United States did not want
to be going to war with Russia.
571
00:47:24,760 --> 00:47:28,160
And so, there was concern about
what would be provocative.
572
00:47:28,160 --> 00:47:33,760
We knew that the Europeans
were taking the lead in talks
573
00:47:33,760 --> 00:47:39,640
with Putin, and so the United States
suddenly weighing in with weapons
574
00:47:39,640 --> 00:47:44,240
would've been consequential,
and seemed to be problematic.
575
00:47:53,200 --> 00:47:56,160
The violence in Ukraine
was getting worse.
576
00:47:57,520 --> 00:48:00,720
Reports were emerging of Russian
troops crossing the border
577
00:48:00,720 --> 00:48:02,600
to fight alongside the separatists.
578
00:48:09,080 --> 00:48:12,160
Ukraine's President now
had his first face-to-face meeting
579
00:48:12,160 --> 00:48:13,920
with Putin since Normandy.
580
00:48:23,080 --> 00:48:24,920
The fighting had increased,
581
00:48:24,920 --> 00:48:27,960
they had just captured
ten Russian soldiers.
582
00:48:27,960 --> 00:48:33,640
There were huge implications for how
this might go in the future.
583
00:48:33,640 --> 00:48:38,200
I said, "Vladimir, this
is your soldiers on my soil.
584
00:48:38,200 --> 00:48:41,720
"And we have the evidence
for the whole world."
585
00:48:41,720 --> 00:48:43,200
And the Putin answer was,
586
00:48:43,200 --> 00:48:45,680
"No, no, no,
this is not our soldiers".
587
00:48:45,680 --> 00:48:49,520
"Vladimir, this is the ID tag
of your soldiers.
588
00:48:49,520 --> 00:48:51,760
"And we have dozens and
dozens of them."
589
00:48:52,800 --> 00:48:56,320
"No, no, no, this is not mine,
I don't know how you..."
590
00:48:56,320 --> 00:49:00,520
"OK, we have the orders that
they are regular soldiers
591
00:49:00,520 --> 00:49:02,760
"of the regular army."
592
00:49:02,760 --> 00:49:08,920
"I double check -
no, they are on holiday."
593
00:49:08,920 --> 00:49:12,360
"We called to their parents,
we called to their wives,
594
00:49:12,360 --> 00:49:15,040
"and they said that
they are in regular army."
595
00:49:16,600 --> 00:49:21,680
"No, because they were in
regular army, but they just lost
596
00:49:21,680 --> 00:49:25,680
"their way when they're driving
in the Russian territory."
597
00:49:25,680 --> 00:49:28,720
The leaders of
the European Union said,
598
00:49:28,720 --> 00:49:31,520
"Putin, OK, stop. Stop, stop."
599
00:49:31,520 --> 00:49:36,440
Poroshenko looked pretty drawn
and was visibly shaken.
600
00:49:36,440 --> 00:49:40,360
It was clear that the bigger issues
were nowhere near resolution.
601
00:49:48,000 --> 00:49:51,880
With no Western military support,
Ukraine's forces were being
602
00:49:51,880 --> 00:49:54,800
overwhelmed by the rebels
armed by Russia.
603
00:49:56,680 --> 00:49:59,240
By February,
it was looking desperate.
604
00:50:03,600 --> 00:50:08,000
A critical battle was raging
around the city of Debaltseve -
605
00:50:08,000 --> 00:50:10,040
a stronghold which, if breached,
606
00:50:10,040 --> 00:50:12,080
would be disastrous for Ukraine.
607
00:50:13,760 --> 00:50:16,960
The French and German leaders
called an emergency summit.
608
00:50:19,840 --> 00:50:20,880
As they arrived,
609
00:50:20,880 --> 00:50:22,400
Poroshenko grabbed a private word
610
00:50:22,400 --> 00:50:24,520
with the German Chancellor.
611
00:50:27,120 --> 00:50:31,800
Poroshenko told her very clearly
the defence forces are defeated,
612
00:50:31,800 --> 00:50:35,080
they barely can hold the line.
613
00:50:35,080 --> 00:50:36,680
If the Russians break through,
614
00:50:36,680 --> 00:50:39,240
they can go all the way to Kyiv.
615
00:50:39,240 --> 00:50:42,080
So, he needed - he needed an
agreement.
616
00:50:42,080 --> 00:50:45,520
In a diplomat's life, you have
very few occasions where you have
617
00:50:45,520 --> 00:50:48,080
directly at stake the life of -
literally the lives
618
00:50:48,080 --> 00:50:49,400
of thousands of people.
619
00:50:49,400 --> 00:50:53,640
If you fail,
if you have no compromise,
620
00:50:53,640 --> 00:50:56,000
people can be killed
on the one hand.
621
00:50:56,000 --> 00:50:59,200
But on the other hand, you cannot
accept any compromise because
622
00:50:59,200 --> 00:51:04,160
by definition, this is the pressure
they are trying to put on you.
623
00:51:42,800 --> 00:51:45,200
So, in a small corner
of this palace,
624
00:51:45,200 --> 00:51:47,640
these negotiations took place.
625
00:51:47,640 --> 00:51:51,480
A lot of people in there,
a big table in the middle
626
00:51:51,480 --> 00:51:53,320
where all during the night,
627
00:51:53,320 --> 00:51:57,160
food was brought in so that
it was used as a buffet.
628
00:52:15,640 --> 00:52:18,960
In front of Putin, Poroshenko
wasn't going to reveal
629
00:52:18,960 --> 00:52:20,960
how vulnerable his forces were.
630
00:52:23,160 --> 00:52:25,040
I said, "What you want?
631
00:52:25,040 --> 00:52:27,560
"Do you want to kill
more Ukrainians?"
632
00:52:27,560 --> 00:52:29,640
I said, "You have the
wrong information.
633
00:52:29,640 --> 00:52:32,640
"Our soldiers is one of the best,
634
00:52:32,640 --> 00:52:35,440
"and we don't give you any
chance to do that."
635
00:52:37,000 --> 00:52:40,800
I said, "I think that
the first important message
636
00:52:40,800 --> 00:52:45,400
"should be immediate and
unconditional ceasefire".
637
00:52:45,400 --> 00:52:47,760
Who can be against ceasefire?
638
00:52:49,520 --> 00:52:52,400
Putin appeared to relent.
639
00:52:52,400 --> 00:52:54,880
He agreed to an immediate ceasefire,
640
00:52:54,880 --> 00:52:58,680
as long as Ukraine's forces
also pulled back.
641
00:52:58,680 --> 00:53:04,440
All of a sudden, the Russians
backtracked on a very important part
642
00:53:04,440 --> 00:53:08,120
and that was the timing
for the ceasefire.
643
00:54:01,920 --> 00:54:04,880
With the talks on
the verge of collapse,
644
00:54:04,880 --> 00:54:07,240
Hollande and Merkel
took Putin aside.
645
00:54:34,880 --> 00:54:37,880
The compromise was that
the ceasefire would be
646
00:54:37,880 --> 00:54:40,400
delayed for 48 hours.
647
00:54:40,400 --> 00:54:42,960
I was worried about these 48 hours.
648
00:54:42,960 --> 00:54:46,560
We had guarantees, verbal
guarantees, but we were not
649
00:54:46,560 --> 00:54:52,640
100% sure that this opportunity
would not be used to attack.
650
00:55:18,440 --> 00:55:21,480
A glimmer of hope
to end the bloodshed.
651
00:55:21,480 --> 00:55:25,360
The warring parties in the Ukraine
conflict finally reached a deal,
652
00:55:25,360 --> 00:55:28,600
paving the way for peace
after ten months of fighting.
653
00:55:32,320 --> 00:55:35,400
Even after the 48 hours was up,
654
00:55:35,400 --> 00:55:39,120
separatist forces continued
their assault on Debaltseve.
655
00:55:42,400 --> 00:55:45,280
Five days later, they took the city.
656
00:55:48,600 --> 00:55:52,920
Russian forces didn't advance
any further into Ukraine.
657
00:55:52,920 --> 00:55:56,080
But the fighting in
the East never stopped,
658
00:55:56,080 --> 00:55:59,680
and Crimea remained under
Russian control.
659
00:56:01,920 --> 00:56:06,360
Do you know what is the achievement,
despite the fact that Russia
660
00:56:06,360 --> 00:56:09,840
did not fulfil one tiny
thing from Minsk?
661
00:56:09,840 --> 00:56:16,160
These documents give
Ukraine eight years
662
00:56:16,160 --> 00:56:18,840
for building up army,
663
00:56:18,840 --> 00:56:24,080
for building up economy,
and for building up global
664
00:56:24,080 --> 00:56:27,360
pro-Ukrainian, anti-Putin coalition.
665
00:56:41,080 --> 00:56:44,360
Three years later,
Putin took centre stage at
666
00:56:44,360 --> 00:56:47,520
the opening of a bridge connecting
Crimea to Russia.
667
00:57:08,960 --> 00:57:13,000
The bridge was deemed a
violation of international law,
668
00:57:13,000 --> 00:57:18,360
and the US and EU hit the companies
who built it with sanctions.
669
00:57:18,360 --> 00:57:20,720
But Putin wasn't deterred.
670
00:57:22,320 --> 00:57:27,200
Putin once said to me,
"Why are you defending Ukraine?
671
00:57:27,200 --> 00:57:32,080
"Ukraine is a creation of the CIA
and of the European Commission."
672
00:57:32,080 --> 00:57:35,400
And I said to him, "Look, if it
was the European Commission
673
00:57:35,400 --> 00:57:39,440
"that had created Ukraine,
I would probably know about it".
674
00:57:39,440 --> 00:57:43,360
So, it's amazing that,
in Putin's mind,
675
00:57:43,360 --> 00:57:48,280
Ukraine was an artificial
creation by others.
676
00:57:48,280 --> 00:57:50,560
And I think that's part
of the problem.
677
00:58:07,760 --> 00:58:10,160
I blame the West, us.
678
00:58:10,160 --> 00:58:15,800
We are guilty that we allowed him to
grow to such a level of
intimidation.
679
00:58:36,960 --> 00:58:40,800
Next time -
buoyed by his success in Crimea,
680
00:58:40,800 --> 00:58:44,880
Putin asserts Russia's power
in the Middle East.
681
00:58:44,880 --> 00:58:47,400
Putin doesn't care about
the loss of life.
682
00:58:47,400 --> 00:58:49,480
He doesn't care about
the damage he inflicts,
683
00:58:49,480 --> 00:58:51,920
he doesn't care about what
he does to civilians.
56303
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