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Putin Asserts Right to Use Force in Eastern Ukraine Away From Show of Diplomacy in Geneva, Putin Puts On a Show of His Own
(about 5 hours later)
MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia emphasized on Thursday that the upper chamber of Parliament had authorized him to use military force if necessary in eastern Ukraine, and he asserted Russia’s historical claim to the territory in language not often used before, signaling a new and more aggressive policy. MOSCOW — Even as the world’s top diplomats were gingerly drafting a tentative accord to “de-escalate tensions” in Ukraine, President Vladimir V. Putin was on national television here, brashly declaring Russia’s historical claims over Ukrainian territory, reiterating a threat to use military force and generally sounding a defiant, even mocking, tone toward the United States.
Mr. Putin repeatedly referred to eastern Ukraine as “New Russia” — as the area north of the Black Sea was known after it was conquered by the Russian Empire in the late 1700s. He said only “God knows” why it became part of Ukraine in 1920. Mr. Putin, appearing cool and confident during a four-hour question-and-answer show, referred repeatedly to southeast Ukraine as “New Russia” — a historical term for the area north of the Black Sea that the Russian Empire conquered in the 1700s. And, he said, only “God knows” why the region became part of Ukraine in the 1920s, signaling that he would gladly correct that error.
Speaking in a televised question-and-answer show, Mr. Putin also admitted for the first time that Russian armed forces had been deployed in Crimea, the disputed peninsula Russia annexed last month immediately after a large majority of the population voted in a referendum to secede from Ukraine. But he dismissed suggestions that Russian troops were behind the unrest in eastern Ukraine. Dropping previous pretenses, he calmly acknowledged for the first time that Russian troops had been deployed to occupy and annex Crimea. And in perhaps the day’s most astonishing moment, he took evident delight in fielding a prerecorded question from Edward J. Snowden, the fugitive American who is wanted on espionage charges for leaking documents on surveillance programs.
Mr. Putin’s remarks on eastern Ukraine came as officials from Russia, the United States, Europe and the new government in Kiev were meeting in Geneva in four-way negotiations aimed at resolving the political crisis. If Mr. Putin’s show of bravado seemed out of sync with the diplomatic niceties in Geneva, it laid plain his determination to sustain Russian influence over Ukraine and his utter refusal to be cowed by the West. The tentative agreement did not address Russia’s annexation of Crimea, nor did it require the Kremlin to withdraw its troops massed on the Ukrainian border.
If his bravado performance seemed out of sync with the diplomatic niceties in Geneva, it plainly underscored Mr. Putin’s unflinching views on Ukraine and his steadfast refusal to be pressured by the West. The tentative Geneva accord did not address Russia’s annexation of Crimea, nor did it require the Kremlin to withdraw troops massed on the Ukrainian border. While Russia’s willingness to go along with the accord most likely forestalled an immediate new round of economic sanctions by the West, Mr. Putin’s televised remarks made clear that his view of an independent Ukraine as a historical accident had not changed, nor had the existing sanctions deterred his plan to reassert Russian power by challenging America’s dominance in global affairs.
In recent days, pro-Russian demonstrators have caused widespread unrest throughout the eastern part of the country, seizing police stations and other government buildings and forming roadblocks. There have been several outbursts of violence, including a firefight at a Ukrainian military base overnight in which at least three pro-Russian militiamen were killed. Underscoring that his views on Ukraine are still driven by long-held beliefs, Mr. Putin on Thursday repeated his view that the West had lied to Russia about NATO expansion. “At one time we were promised,” Mr. Putin said, “that after Germany’s unification, NATO wouldn’t spread eastward.”
During the question-and-answer show, Mr. Putin asserted that he had the authority to invade Ukraine, but said he hoped that it would not be necessary. He continued: “Our decision on Crimea was partially prompted by this. Needless to say, first and foremost we wanted to support the residents of Crimea. But we also followed certain logic: if we don’t do anything, Ukraine will be drawn into NATO sometime in the future. We’ll be told, ‘This doesn’t concern you’ and NATO ships will dock in Sevastopol, the city of Russia’s naval glory.”
“I remind you that the Federation Council has given the president the right to use armed forces in Ukraine,” he said, referring to the upper house of Parliament. “I really hope that I do not have to exercise this right and that by political and diplomatic means we will be able to solve all of the sharp problems.” Mr. Putin’s view that the West has lied to Russia and humiliated him on numerous occasions, including its plans for Libya, explain why he will continue to talk — and act — tough on Ukraine even as he takes diplomatic steps toward resolving the crisis, said Samuel Charap, the senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a research organization in Washington.
Mr. Putin’s use of the historical term “Novorossiya” or “New Russia” to refer to southeastern Ukraine, which he had not emphasized previously, suggested that he was replicating Russia’s assertions of historical ties to Crimea before the occupation and annexation of the peninsula. “They are going to keep the boots on Ukraine’s throat until they are 100 percent convinced that they have gotten what they wanted,” Mr. Charap said in an interview. “They believe that if they completely pulled back from the pressure they are applying, tomorrow the West would swoop in and try to steal Ukraine away again.”
Novorossiya generally refers to a broad area, stretching from what is now the border of Moldova in the west to Donetsk in the east, including the port city of Odessa to the south and the industrial center of Dnepropetrovsk to the north. Mr. Putin’s willingness to challenge the West aggressively also reflects his relatively strong position — militarily in post-Soviet space, and politically on the domestic front. “He’s at the top of his game,” Mr. Charap said. “In terms of the situation on the ground and Ukraine’s future, they have the upper hand.” He added, “There’s a sense you get watching him of someone who has an 80 percent approval rating and has been supported by the people he cares about most.”
Mr. Putin’s question-and-answer show is an annual event that lasts for four hours and has become a ritual of sorts as he fields questions not only from a studio audience but from across Russia’s vast geographic expanse. That much was clear throughout Mr. Putin’s four-hour session. Although he sat at a desk throughout, he seemed to be strutting the entire time.
One of the most startling moments came not in an exchange with a Russian citizen but with a surprise appearance by Edward J. Snowden, the fugitive American who leaked a huge trove of highly classified documents related to electronic surveillance by the National Security Agency. Mr. Putin pointedly asserted that he had the authority to invade Ukraine, but added that he hoped it would not be necessary.
In a bold poke at the Obama White House, the Kremlin arranged for Mr. Snowden, a former N.S.A. contractor wanted on espionage charges, to appear on camera and ask Mr. Putin about Russia’s own surveillance practices. “I remind you that the Federation Council has given the president the right to use armed forces in Ukraine,” he said, referring to the upper house of Parliament. “I very much hope that I will not have to exercise this right, and that through political and diplomatic means we will be able to resolve all the pressing, if not to say burning, issues in Ukraine.”
When told that there was a question from Mr. Snowden, Mr. Putin responded slyly, saying, “Well, how could we do without this?” Mr. Putin’s use of the historical term “Novorossiya,” or “New Russia,” to refer to southeastern Ukraine, which he had not emphasized previously, suggested that he was replicating Russia’s assertions of historical ties to the Crimean Peninsula before its occupation and annexation.
Mr. Snowden’s appearance as a prop during the tightly scripted show risked legitimizing criticism of him as a stooge of the Kremlin, which has allowed him to remain in the country since June. Novorossiya generally refers to a broad area, stretching from what is now the border of Moldova in the west to the Russian border in the east, including Donetsk, the port city of Odessa to the south and the industrial center of Dnepropetrovsk to the north. On the question of Ukraine, Mr. Putin repeated his assertions that Russia feels an obligation to protect ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine, where they are a large minority of the population. “We must do everything to help these people to protect their rights and independently determine their own destiny,” he said.
Supporters of Mr. Snowden, however, many writing on social networks, praised his courage in making the appearance, which they said demonstrated his willingness to challenge the use of illegal surveillance in Russia, much as he had in the United States. “The question is to ensure the rights and interests of the Russian southeast,” he added. “It’s New Russia. Kharkiv, Lugansk, Donetsk, Odessa were not part of Ukraine in czarist times, they were transferred in 1920. Why? God knows. Then for various reasons these areas were gone, and the people stayed there. We need to encourage them to find a solution.”
In his prerecorded appearance, Mr. Snowden said that he had seen “little discussion of Russia’s own involvement in the policies of mass surveillance.” Mr. Putin took questions from the studio audience in Moscow, but also from various other locations, including Sevastopol in Crimea, where Russia maintains the headquarters of its Black Sea fleet and where the cameras showed a large, cheering crowd, with many people waving Russian flags.
“So I’d like to ask you,” he continued, “does Russia intercept, store or analyze in any way the communications of millions of individuals?” Mr. Putin was at his most determined in asserting Russia’s right to protect itself against Western threats.
Mr. Putin, a one-time K.G.B. agent and former head of the Russian intelligence service, played up their common professional experience in spycraft. “When the infrastructure of a military bloc approaches our borders, we have grounds for certain apprehensions and questions,” he said at one point. “We must take certain steps.”
“Mr. Snowden, you are a former agent,” the president replied. “I used to work for an intelligence service. Let’s speak professionally.” At another point he said that Russia simply could not allow NATO into Ukraine.
“Our intelligence efforts are strictly regulated by our law,” Mr. Putin said. “You have to get a court’s permission first.” He noted that terrorists use electronic communications and that Russia had to respond to that threat. “In this way, Russia may be really ousted from this region that is extremely important for us, a region for which so many Russians gave up their lives during all the previous centuries,” he said. “This is a serious thing.”
“Of course we do this,” Mr. Putin said. “But we don’t use this on such a massive scale and I hope that we won’t.”
“But what is most important,” Mr. Putin concluded, “is that the special services, thank God, are under a strict control of the government and the society, and their activities are regulated by law.”
On the question of Ukraine, Mr. Putin repeated his assertions that Russia feels an obligation to protect ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine who are a large minority in the region.
“We must do everything to help these people to protect their rights and independently determine their own destiny,” he said.
“Can a compromise be found on the Ukrainian question between Russia and America?” Mr. Putin asked. “Compromise should only be found in Ukraine,” he said. “The question is to ensure the rights and interests of the Russian southeast. It’s New Russia. Kharkiv, Lugansk, Donetsk, Odessa were not part of Ukraine in czarist times, they were transferred in 1920. Why? God knows. Then for various reasons these areas were gone, and the people stayed there — we need to encourage them to find a solution.”