russia had paid for his political rise and for his political party. they had worked to install him in power. they totally controlled him. he was their guy. that was how russia controlled ukraine. they controlled the ukrainian president. they installed him in power and told him what to do and he did it. and russia, of course, didn t want ukraine to have better economic ties to the west. they didn t want ukraine to have any ties to the west. they wanted ukraine to only be tied to russia. and so when ukraine had the opportunity to sign on to this pro-european trade deal, russia didn t want him to do it and russia s guy in ukraine, this very corrupt, very compromised pro-russian president said he wouldn t sign that trade deal with europe. he said instead he would sign a knew one with russia. people in ukraine did not want that. they wanted to stop looking east. they wanted to look west instead. so in response they started protesting. in november of 2013. and a few months into it,
maintain their support? well, my guest is general ben hodges, former commander of the us army in europe. could this winter be russia s friend? i m going to start with something you said just last month. you said total restoration of all of ukraine s sovereign territory, including crimea, is inevitable. now, a few weeks on, do you still believe that? even more so. i think ukrainians have achieved irreversible momentum. the russians are losing in every facet of this war. so that s why they re resorting to things like going after energy infrastructure, doing what they can, exactly as you said in the lead in, to stretch this out in hopes that the west would lose the will to continue supporting ukraine. but it s not a small thing, is it? the way the russians are hitting civilian infrastructure, they are, as we speak, cutting power and heat to millions of people across ukraine. and it seems, despite the best efforts of ukrainian air defences, they can continue to do it. it sure loo
nation in three years. and the premier li keqiang. now on bbc news hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i m stephen sackur. winter is coming to europe, and vladimir putin is hoping the battle lines in his war on ukraine will be frozen, buying him time to reinforce at the front, while exposing ukrainians and all of europe to the reality of an energy crisis. the ukrainian armed forces have made gains in recent months, but can they go further, and will kyiv s backers in the us and europe maintain their support? well, my guest is general ben hodges, former commander of the us army in europe. could this winter be russia s friend? thanks, steve. even more so. i think ukrainians have achieved irreversible momentum. the russians are losing in every facet of this war. so that s why they re resorting to things like going after energy infrastructure, doing what they can, exactly as you said in the lead in, to stretch this out in hopes that the west would lose the will to continue supporting
the ukrainian armed forces have made gains in recent months, but can they go further and will kyiv s backers in the us and europe maintain their support? well, my guest is general ben hodges, former commander of the us army in europe. could this winter be russia s friend? i m going to start with something you said just last month. you said total restoration of all of ukraine s sovereign territory, including crimea, is inevitable. now, a few weeks on, do you still believe that? even more so. i think ukrainians have achieved irreversible momentum. the russians are losing in every facet of this war. so that s why they re resorting to things like going after energy infrastructure, doing what they can, exactly as you said in the lead in, to stretch this out in hopes that the west would lose the will to continue supporting ukraine. but it s not a small thing, is it? the way the russians are hitting civilian infrastructure, they are, as we speak, cutting power and heat to millions o
in tigray for a permanent cessation of hostilities. the two year conflict has left hundreds of thousands dead, almost five million displaced, and a population on the brink of starvation. now on bbc news, it s time for hardtalk. welcome to hardtalk. i m stephen sackur. winter is coming to europe and vladimir putin is hoping the battle lines in his war on ukraine will be frozen, buying him time to reinforce at the front while exposing ukrainians and all of europe to the reality of an energy crisis. the ukrainian armed forces have made gains in recent months, but can they go further and will kyiv s backers in the us and europe maintain their support? well, my guest is general ben hodges, former commander of the us army in europe. could this winter be russia s friend? i m going to start with something you said just last month. you said total restoration of all of ukraine s sovereign territory, including crimea, is inevitable. now, a few weeks on, do you still believe that? even m