The Heat discusses fighting in Ukraine, US aid

The Heat

A ceasefire declared in February has failed to stop the fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine. Now, the United States is sending military equipment to the Baltics on behalf of NATO allies. More than 6,500 people have been killed in Eastern Ukraine since the fighting began last year. Pro-Russian fighters now control large portions of two eastern regions following Russia’s absorption of the Crimea Peninsula The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe warns the situation is deteriorating.

CCTV’s John Gilmore filed this report.

Soldiers on patrol in Eastern Ukraine find only burned out buildings and homes in the village of Shyrokyne, outside the port city of Mariupol. The area has been a strategic battleground for Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian fighters over the last 15 months. The fighting has been nearly constant in Eastern Ukraine since a ceasefire agreement was signed in Minsk in February by leaders from Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany. The United States and the European Union have continued to pressure Russia with numerous economic sanctions. In Moscow Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the sanctions a punishment by the West because it has an independent foreign policy. A sentiment echoed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a recent press conference. The United States is sending tanks, heavy artillery and other equipment to countries across the Baltic to bolster their security.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter says the U.S. wants to deter Russia from attempting another incursion within the region. The equipment is headed to temporary storage sites in six countries including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. It will be used by U.S. troops for a series of exercises in the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the actions by NATO Cold War-style provocations and separately has announced a boost to its nuclear arsenal. Meanwhile, The United Nations reports more than a million people have been displaced by the fighting.

The Heat spoke to Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Nations, Yuriy Sergeyev.

The United States is sending tanks, heavy artillery and other equipment to six NATO allies in the Baltics and Eastern Europe in response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Russia has denounced the actions by the North Atlantic Trade Organization as Cold War-style provocations while upgrading its own armed forces. Russian President Vladimir Putin is pledging to deploy more than 40 nuclear ballistic missiles this year.

To discuss this The Heat spoke with:

  • Vladimir Golstein, Associate Professor of Slavic Studies at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
  • Peter Kuznick, a Professor of History at American University and the co-author of “The Untold History of the United States.”