one place closely watching events in kazakhstan is belarus. both countries are members of the russian—led collective security treaty organization, or csto, which has sent peacekeeping forces to kazakhstan. speaking on state tv, belarusian president alexander lukashenko said his forces were not there to kill. translation: we are not fighting for anyone. - there is only one company of our troops — peacekeepers. we've informed the un that we would like to help kazakhstan to restore peace. we came to kazakhstan not to kill or not to fight. we are peaceful people. our servicemen are peaceful people. we need to stop the fratricidal war, and we are doing exactly that. i've been speaking to franak viacorka, who is a senior advisor to sviatlana tsikhanouskaya, the exiled belarusian opposition leader. i asked him what reaction there had been in belarus to csto troops being sent to kazakhstan. it's shameful. belarusians should not fight abroad and should not participate in such operations — should not help other dictators to stay in power by all me

we have seen troops going into belarus. we have seen nato directing troops towards its eastern flank. does that mean the scope for diplomacy has narrowed? mr. price: what it means is that we have not seen the de-escalation that is necessary if diplomacy and dialogue is to prove successful. we've been very clear that, as we always are, that there is not a precondition for dialogue and diplomacy. but, there is a precondition for that dialogue and diplomacy moving in the right direction and moving towards the end state we hope to see, and that precondition is de-escalation. reporter: things rarely stand still in this world. mr. price: i don't think we see any concrete indications of de-escalation yet. yes? anything else on russia-ukraine? sure. reporter: you were talking about the unity among allies. i wonder if you want to response to the croatian president -- he said croatia would in no way be involved with this crisis if it escalated and specifically said we would recall croatian troops from nato. is there real unity among

same as in belarus. we are continuing calling for a peaceful resolution and we don't want russian troops come to belarus to help us and solve our own crisis. he to belarus to help us and solve our own crisis.— our own crisis. he obviously worked very _ our own crisis. he obviously worked very close _ our own crisis. he obviously worked very close with - our own crisis. he obviously worked very close with the l our own crisis. he obviously - worked very close with the main opposition leader in belarus. what other thoughts about all this? ~ ., , what other thoughts about all this? ~ . , . this? we are very concerned, and at one — this? we are very concerned, and at one point _ this? we are very concerned, and at one point they - this? we are very concerned, and at one point they will. this? we are very concerned, | and at one point they will feel weak and a new wave of protests will start, and russian troops will start, and russian troops will appear, so we are asking the community to prevent it, allow

we are not part of the political problem between belarus and poland. we just want to cross the border and get to safety and the european union. >> it is a familiar story told by desperate people fleeing circumstances they cannot longer tolerate. there may be, among them, purely economic migrants, but poland makes little distinction, putting hundreds into asylum, detention camps, and simply pushing others back. the crisis that flare last autumn is now much reduced. thousands were allegedly lord to the border on the promise of an easy crossing. it was both a cynical attempt by belarus to destabilize parts of the eu, and also a political opportunity for the polish government. nick: poland's wall being that -- expense, and also through forests that are protected, is an sure neri answer. is it worth it to stop small numbers of people trying to cross the border from belarus? it is if you are a right-wing populace. >> state-run tv bulletins claim poland is doing its bit to protect the external borders of the eu from uncontrolled migration. public opposition t

some troops have been set to belarus. in 9427 years ago russia alleged "madam president, it would be -- this is a challenge to the european order. ukraine you -- ukraine repeatedly -- what can justify the loss of thousands of lives? severe stipulations, tensions, including what has been made repeatedly clear. severe consequences. no other place knows more about war and its disastrous consequences in this room. we must be able to see beyond and seek other means to who they are and who they seem to be. finding solutions for negotiations in 2020. it remains now in the council. there are several mechanisms to be used for diplomatic efforts. such efforts should be used to create -- we hope this process will continue. madam president, we all should keep in mind the crisis surrounding ukraine has an impact on the whole europe. targeted attacks. political interference here and there for political gains and a growing tendency of genocide denial i hope this meeting will be part of such efforts and i thank you. >> i think the repres

——in belarus. elected democratic government in kyiv. --in belarus.— in kyiv. --in belarus. some member— in kyiv. --in belarus. some member states _ in kyiv. --in belarus. some member states of - in kyiv. --in belarus. some member states of the - in kyiv. --in belarus. some - member states of the european union compared to what the americans might have to put forward and some nato states? are us said that the sanctions alone were not sufficient and i think we almost should not pay too much attention to the sanctions and look at the military balance of power and that i am afraid that vladimir putin thinks he can achieve his objectives without much pain. that somehow he is betting the payment will not come another day if we support an insurgency or something like that. the problem is, he could be right. if he comes in with massive and power and that is why in the west we need to think more creatively and up our game, provide maritime and air defences to the ukrainians and look at other things we can do to distract vladimir putin. we should release information publicly about

moreover, russian troops are deployed in belarus as well. this adds up to the current escalation and is of direct concern to us. crimea continues to use full narrative that russia is forced to defend itself from a threat even as the opposite is true. it is russia who is threatening crimea and other neighbors for position over 100,000 troops. as it attempts to portray so. it is the aggressive. strengthening its security at the expense of others. by its own actions in the georgian region, the illegal annexation of crummy russia has contributed to significant deterioration of security environment in europe. we reaffirm for commitment to the core principles of international security enshrined in the u.n. charter founding documents of the oec, including helsinki final act and the shadow affairs and others. notably, the sovereign equality and territorial integrity of states, the viability of frontiers, refraining from use of force. the violation by russia as an obstacle to a common and indivisible security space in europe and threatens peace and s

, defense ministry, just a few days ago on the 28th of january, the president of the republic of belarus. alexander, to kush anchor responding to questions, they stated the way that was most war is only possible into could circumstances if there is an attack on pillars. or if that is an attack on our ally, the russian federation responding to the different insinuations against miller roses. regarding any thing to do with the domestic ukrainian situation, we.

significant russian troop build up recently in belarus. we're saying it could happen at any point and we need to be prepared for that, as the ukrainians do and we're preparing together for that possibility. >> but president zelensky was very clearly disagreeing with the american characterization as well as saying the draw down from the embassy was a mistake. they feel that undermines confidence in their ability to defend themselves or their ability to at least protect their own people. >> reporter: i want to be clear about what's happening and isn't in kyiv. the u.s. embassy is reducing personnel. the secretary of state made that decision based on what they believed was the best interest of the united states and safety and security of the personnel. but our embassy remains fully functional, fully up and running and will continue to be. all this decision making was done in full coordination and consultation with the ukrainians. we explained to them our trag rational and we're going to continue to provide support with our diplomats that rema

gary, let us move — in belarus as well. gary, let us move away _ in belarus as well. gary, let us move away from - in belarus as well. gary, let us move away from the - in belarus as well. gary, let. us move away from the foreign policy points of those remarks that he made and focus a bit more on the domestic issue that he tackled. he is obviously listening to the press conference earlier and under great pressure to defend his record. also really bad approval ratings at this point. what is your sense of how he is doing? what is your sense of how he is doinu ? �* , , ., , what is your sense of how he is doinu? h , ., ,~ what is your sense of how he is doinu? h, . ., doing? it's been really a year of two halves. _ doing? it's been really a year of two halves. no _ doing? it's been really a year of two halves. no question . of two halves. no question about that. the first half was pretty good and the approval ratings held up pretty well and he got the american rescue plans through which is a huge piece of legislation, $2 trillion worth of aid for covid—19, etc. and t

scared for people in belarus, for my own family. you cannot choose. you have to go forward, knowing that we are you know, strong nation. >> while he's become an international pariah after essentially hijacking an eu flagged plane to arrest an opposition blogger and unleashing a migrant crisis this fall, he does remain in business. not just thanks to russia, but also china as xi recently called for deeper economic ties despite u.s. and economic sanctions. but she believes allowing a massive russian force into the country will further discredit him. >> this is like invisible resistance, but it is going ton every day so i'm sure i'll go back to belarus the same as hundreds of thousands of those in our political prisons. >> and erin, she believes what she calls the invisible resistance is a lot stronger and that change can happen in belarus. meanwhile, the u.s. has clearly seen the threat of russia possibly using belarus as a launch pad for an attack on ukraine. in fact, the state department spokesman, he said that if that were to happen, luke shen ko wou

because ukraine and belarus supply up to 70% of oil products to ukraine now. -- russia and belarus. and if they stop the supply, there will be a possibility to replace this fuel, but the time will matter. so belarus can play some role to even destroying energy security in the space. >> thank you for clarifying that. it is indeed important for everyone to understand what's happening. it is not always fully understood around here. so, let me just take one more question. we still have two minutes on our clock. so let's benefit from that. the question that i thought was interesting here is because it's not only about the traditional military aggression, but it's also about hybrid warfare, which is an equal part of the problem. one questioner is asking, if the panel can elaborate a bit more on the state of resilience and protection of critical infrastructure, which obviously would be a primary target of any cyberattack or form of cyber aggression. not only thinking about the energy central, but also thinking about hospitals, schools, food supply. how well is ukraine prepared to defend it

belarus and russia. look in january 2022, we offered you securi guarantees, now we have to look that we guarantee security ourselves. anchor: whether or not there is an invasion, you are saying that is improbable, the u.s. and the k. are threatening serious sanctions against russia and putin, what kind of effect do you think those sanctionsight have? >> we have to see that it is easy, pecially for the united states to threaten russia with sanctions, because of the economic ties between the u.s. and russia are rather weak. it would be european states like germany who would pay a heavy price if it really would come to sanctions. i think for the british and american government, at this point, it is quite easy to level sanctions against moscow. anchor: the west is warning that a war could be imminent, that is something you disagree with. ukraine continues to urge everyone not to panic. what do you think the calculation here is on the part of president zelenskand the ukrainians? >> think t ukrainians are alre

but with russian troops now in belarus there are fears they could also target the capital, kyiv, from the north. but what's the west prepared to do to deter russia? would it abandon this new gas pipeline from russia to germany that could leave energy prices soaring across europe? well, today germany's foreign minister was in moscow and said her country was ready to pay a high economic price, and there could be consequences for the pipeline. russia's foreign minister said that would be counter—productive and rejected what he called speculation about russian aggression. translation: we are not | threatening anyone but hear threats directed at us. we cannot accept demands related to military operations on our own territory. but the white house said the situation was extremely dangerous. we're now at a stage that russia could at any point launch an attack on ukraine. i would say that's more stark than we have been. for now, the us is still looking for a diplomatic solution, with the country's secretary of state holding talks with his russian counterpart in geneva later this week. meanwh

_ an empire ukraine, russia, belarus and then he wants to have — belarus and then he wants to have the _ belarus and then he wants to have the role that russia had in europe, intervening, reactionary... but he is a realist _ reactionary... but he is a realist. well, that is not the way— realist. well, that is not the way the _ realist. well, that is not the way the modern world is. the 19th _ way the modern world is. the 19th century was the 19th cerrtury— 19th century was the 19th century and we are now in the 21st _ century and we are now in the 215t century. century and we are now in the 21st century-— 21st century. what about the ethio - ian 21st century. what about the ethiopian generals, - 21st century. what about the ethiopian generals, still - 21st century. what about the | ethiopian generals, still lives by those rules. —— putin still lives by those rules. if by those rules. -- putin still lives by those rules.- lives by those rules. if we descend _ lives by those rules. if we descend back _ lives by those rules. if we descend back into - lives by those rules. if we

because forces in belarus can move very far west without having to fight. let's bring back to 2014 and what was one of the major problems that mr. putin facedments they were given many names, i used moms in moscowment and a hue and cry, people taking to the streets their sons coming home in body bags and i think in this instance, mr. putin is concerned how that might play out. he can advance through belarus and lose almost none of his soldiers and that route, that approach takes him near kiev with little loss of life. one of the options, almost the same option going through dombach. it's not talked about in the press, his approximately forces are there and he can match there and not lose a lot of life. those are options in front of him. >> let's ask about the administration's first military response to the 8500 troops that are now on higher alert. what was that intended to show to the russians? >> well, as i understand it, those 8500 troops are our part of contributions to the nrf in the nato, the nato response forces, so the idea is that we are preparing t

russia has amassed 100,000 troops on the border and over the weekend moved forces to belarus forjoint military drills but it denies planning an invasion. here's our diplomatic editorjames landale. russian forces training near the border with ukraine, just some of thousands deployed there since the autumn, raising fears in the west that russia is planning an invasion. fears that are dismissed by moscow. but exacerbated by this — the arrival of russian forces this week in belarus, north of ukraine for what moscow says are joint military exercises to repel external aggressors. but nato�*s secretary general said the risk of conflict was real. the main task now is to prevent a military attack on ukraine, and that's exactly why we send a very clear message to russia that if they once again decide to use force against ukraine it will come with a high cost for russia. britain is sending short range anti—tank weapons to bolster ukraine's defences with, downing street said, about 100 british troops to help with the training. russia's estimated to have about 100,000 troops on the border wi

there's also another interesting question here and actually someone is asking what role does belarus play in the current situation? perhaps maria formulatedcould you respond to this ? >> i can certainly respond. i think that we don't divide any more at least from the ukrainian perspective we don't divide any more the danger which can come from russian territory and the danger which is coming from belarus. so this is like the new instrument of how can russia try to hide its intervention and some provocation if it's time to do it from the territory but for our foreign audience we need to explain that though ukraine has more than 1000 kilometers of the border with belarus, the majority of these borders, a great part of this order is not suitable for effective land operation but nevertheless it's still a risk especially taking into account that not only the east of ukraine but northern east is also like the miscue region in terms of any provocation. so the rule of belarus here is just to be a platform which can easily be used by russia for the same goal. russia may not be interested to u

government, they are watching a possible flanking maneuver from belarus. this gives russian forces the ability to then do that. because they will have forces positioned on the ukrainian-belarusian border that they can move if they needed to so it ratchets up the threat. >> and now, to the troops that have been ordered to read that letter by putin which is russians and ukrainians are the same people. they have all been given this to read it and yet a third of russia troops are one-year conscripts. does this show any kind of weakness for putin when you combine a lot of people who are not there for a long time combined with the need he seemingly felt for them to have to read this letter because he didn't think they had just so deeply internalized it on their own? >> well, erin, i do think it means russian ground forces do have potential weaknesses and vulnerabilities. they have not fought a major ground war. the war that the russians fought in syria was largely air with some maritime-caliber cruise missiles that were -- that were shot from russian vessels. i

they have participated in this massive joint military exercise with belarus. the decision was made by both president putin and the leader of belarus, alexander lukashenko, that a significant portion of these troops will remain on western borders, on the borders with ukraine, in order to participate in this forthcoming second stage ofjoint military exercise. so what we see now is that russia is not only using those troops already at the border with ukraine, but it is also moving additional tactical units, contract base personnel, to belarus to participate in this exercise. what we don't know is whether all of this... but i'm wondering, the world is wondering, ukraine most of all, if it did come too big or small military counters, how would ukrainian armed forces fare against russia? well, certainly since 2014 at ukrainian armed forces have modernised heavily, and this is an absolutely different army to what ukraine had in 2014. we have to remember, when russia interfered in september and august 2014, when it actually sent troops on the ground to defend separati

nevertheless, belarus is managing to cause alarm across the west. and spreading disinformation is extremely easy because, again, our citizens are not aware of the negative role they are playing in spreading falsehoods, but also the positive role they could play to keep the country safe. and then, if we think of other forms of attack, i think the incentive for now, especially following what -- following belarus' relative success in keeping the world on pins and needles, is that other countries with authoritarian rulers, they may experiment, we are going to cook up a gray zone soup. what's the harm? it didn't cost very much. mr. ferrari: i think america has been spoiled for almost 250 years, since its founding, right? we have two oceans on the east and west and friendly nations to the north and south. until the 1960's there was no real threat that could attack the homeland. then in the 1950's forward it was the nuclear weapons of the soviet union, and more recently china. those were the threats. now any country, any person, any 12th grader sitting in

it's worth noting that belarus, the border with belarus, is just a three-hour drive from where i'm standing here in kyiv and there's very little in the way of ukrainian military presence over that way and to that effect, today, we heard from canada announced it was withdrawing effective today all non-essential embassy personnel from it embassy here in kyiv. that being said, referring to that tweet, we have heard from the ukrainian foreign minister calling on russia to withdraw these forces to avoid a quote new war saying dediplomacy is the answer here. >> thank you so much for that from kyiv and i'm joined by patrick tucker. patrick, welcome back to the show. let's get into this article that you wrote. i got to tell you, just the caption, the title at the top was pretty unnerving. it says every window will shoot. experts lay out potential ukraine scenarios. certainly caught my eye. so this potential conflict, how it unfolds. in your conversations, what have you discovered? what do you think is a likely scenario? >> we spoke to several military officials, combat veterans and u.s. military an

he gets on very well with alexader lucashenko in belarus — this is not somebody without friends in the region. so maybe sergey and carl can pick up on that. looking at post—soviet countries and conflicts there, are there some aspects to putin's policy where he actually acts as a stabilising force, as he has in kazakhstan? i would argue yes. in terms of kazakhstan — i personally think kazakhstan has been a hideous dictatorship, and — but, you know, they had chaos. the russians went in, when they went in, the international expert community exploded with commentaries to the effect that russia was annexing almost kazakhstan, and restoring the ussr. a few days later they seemed to be on the way out. so that shows that putin is not set on absolutely creating a great empire, he is trying to sustain friends and clients in central asia, he is certainly doing it with lukashenko in belarus, he knows his limitations, and the fact that the russians pulled out of kazakhstan quickly i think shows that. olha's question about instability in former post—soviet countries, we have seen russia been

a bit of news now out of belarus. the united states has charged 4 government officials from belarus with what they have called aircraft piracy. the charges were imposed after a passenger aircraft was diverted in order to arrest a journalist from belarus. the incident took place last may when an airplane traveling from greece to lithuania was forced to divert in minsk. now, tributes have been pouring in for the u.s. rockstar meat loaf who has died at the age of 74. in a career spanning six decades, he was known for his operatic voice and theatrical stage presence. he became a household name in 1977 with his album bat out of hell. even today, it remains one of the best-selling albums of all time. our correspondent david has been taking a look back at meat loaf 's music and his life. he sent us this repor ♪ >> meat loaf, bat out of hell, a sweat drenched rock 'n' roll album that turned the band into one of the biggest selling rock stars in the world. there have been many. among them, cher, bonnie tyler, and from "i wou

past week, this build-up of troops in belarus.— troops in belarus. natal's response has been to — troops in belarus. natal's response has been to send, _ troops in belarus. natal's response has been to send, to _ troops in belarus. natal's response has been to send, to deploy - troops in belarus. natal's responsel has been to send, to deploy military provisions to member nato states in eastern europe. adding to the build—up. is that the right thing to be doing? i build-up. is that the right thing to be doinu ? build-up. is that the right thing to bedoinu? , build-up. is that the right thing to bedoint? , , be doing? i saw the reports this mornin: be doing? i saw the reports this morning that — be doing? i saw the reports this morning that president - be doing? i saw the reports this morning that president biden i be doing? i saw the reports this morning that president biden is| morning that president biden is considering sending troops to nato member states in the eastern part of the alliance, but from the reports i have seen he is talking abou

fears have been raised after some russian forces moved to belarus, increasing its presence around ukraine where there's already around a hundred thousand troops on the border. the us says it wants to see if a diplomatic solution to the crisis is possible — russia says there are no plans to invade. here's our diplomatic editorjames landale. russian forces training near the border with ukraine, just some of,000 employed since the autumn, raising fears anything wet russia is planning an invasion stop fears that are dismissed but exacerbated by this, the arrival of russian forces this week in the larousse, north of ukraine. —— belarus. what they say is a joint military exercise. nato's secretary general says the risk of conflict is real. the secretary general says the risk of conflict is real.— of conflict is real. the main coal is of conflict is real. the main goal is to — of conflict is real. the main goal is to prevent - of conflict is real. the main goal is to prevent a - of conflict is real. the main j goal is to prevent a military attack on ukraine and that is exactly why we s

that nato has to respond to, because belarus shares a border with poland, latvia, and lithuania. those are nato countries. that's part of the reason why this new issue of contemplating putting u.s. and other nato forces in there. but more needs to be done. we need to get vladimir putin to back down and noord that, we need to show that ukraine defend itself. we to help ukraine with air defense, with maritime defense, with intelligence support. and also diplomatically at the united nations, because this is a global issue. >> i'm just wondering, and please give us a little bit more context on what you were saying about the belarus situation, because that was a step that was taken over the weekend. what is it that you are seeing that the russians are doing, that is prompting these reactions? >> well, putting more forces into belarus, obviously threatens ukraine, because they share a border with ukraine. and we know that russia is already threatening ukraine, you know, or almost all around its borders. but it also means that there's now greater contingent of russian forces and equipme

with russian troops in belarus, there are fears they could also target the capital from the north. but what is the west prepared to do to deter russia? would it abandon the pipeline from russia to germany that could leave energy prices soaring across europe? tay, germany's foreign minister was in moscow and says her country was ready to pay a high price and there could be consequences for the pipeline. the foreign minister of russia says that would be can a productive and rejected what he called speculation about russian aggression. >> we are not threatening anyone, but we hear threats directed at us. cannot accept demands related to military operations on our territory. >> the white house said the situation was externally dangerous. >> we are not estate -- we are now at a state where russia could at any point launch an attack on ukraine, more stark than we have been. >> u.s. is looking for a diplomatic solution with the secretary of state holding talks with his russian counterpart in geneva this week. and while, russian training continues. today the european defense minister told

, defense ministry, just a few days ago on the 28th or january, the president of the public. belarus. alexander kush anchor responding to questions they stated the way that was much more is only possible into could thank him stamps . asthma if there is an attack on beller as or if there is an attack on our ally, the russian federation responding to the different insinuations against miller roses. regarding any thing to do with a domestic ukrainian situation. we'd like to remind you that belarus is prepared to continue to provide all necessary assistance to settle the conflict in ukraine. this includes through setting up all necessary conditions for the work of the trilateral group and for negotiations in any possible formats and options. today, many people in the world are talking about the need to have a broad dialogue on issues of international security in an initiative holding this kind of dialogue under the conditional name, helsinki too, especially stupid put forward by the presence of l risk. alex, i'm going to show you some years ago now. and this idea unfortunately has not yet

russia releasing images of its anti—aircraft missiles moving into neighbouring belarus in advance of next month's military exercises and the pentagon saying that they had been fighting more troops massing along another border, so is russia readying for war despite its denials? let's cross to glasgow to join our guests, a research fellow and lecturer in central and eastern european studies at the university of glasgow. welcome.— european studies at the university - of glasgow. welcome._ you of glasgow. welcome. thank you. you have studied — of glasgow. welcome. thank you. you have studied very _ of glasgow. welcome. thank you. you have studied very closely _ of glasgow. welcome. thank you. you have studied very closely both - have studied very closely both russian and ukraine military formations. when you look at what russia has massed along the border now both in terms of troops and heavy weaponry, are they ready if they wanted to carry out a full frontal assault? they wanted to carry out a full frontalassault? in they wanted to carry out a full frontal assault?— frontal assaul

the troops in belarus are only a few hundred miles north of kiev and could link up to surround kiev. the russian buildup can be seen in satellite photos released this week. blinken warned we have seen plao undertake a variety of destabilizing actions, some of them short of the overuse of force, to destabilize ukraine, to topple the government. ♪ >> in response, the west is accelerating military aid. the u.s. fast-track tracked more javelin antitank missiles that senior u.s. official say are deployed to key transit points. for the first time, the u.s. authorize the transfer from baltic allies of surface to air stinger missiles to target russian helicopters and low flying jets. it was used famously to help the afghan resistance beat this sylvian military in the 1980's. ukraine has deployed drones from turkey that have targed russian tanks in previous conflicts. in eastern ukraine, ukrainian soldiers said the support supplies some solace. >> it shows that we are not alone, that we have support, and we can count on our forces and our allies' power. >> but the u.s. has rejected the idea

borders ukraine and there are american fears that russia could potentially use belarus as a route to invade ukraine. here again is the ukrainian defense minister, saying he doesn't believe the emlin has made a decision on whether to invade. >> there may be a major military offensive launched by moscow, involving the 100,000 and more troops and the massive arsenal that vladimir putin has put on the border next year country. do you believe that is coming soon? >> i believe that they didn't make the decision yet. i hope ill continue diplomatic and political negotiations with their neck on the line. i hope they will not come to our border. anchor: you can watch the full interview with the ufense minis, if you're watching in the u.k., or if you are outside of the u.k. and watching on bbc world news, you can catch it at a number of different times in the next few days. while one reporter is in washington, she is can forward to that summit. reporter: talks between the americans and russians, but also between russia and nato, everyone came away still sticking to their particular side. there

russian fighter jets and missiles arrived in neighboring belarus, where war games are citizen to begin. meanwhile nato naval exercises are taking place in the mediterranean, and 90 tons of military aid just arrived from the united states. president biden is monitoring the situation from camp david. late saturday, britain accused russia of a plot to install a pro-russian leader in ukraine as it considers some form of attack. secretary of state antony blinken is just back from consfromconsultations with sergi lavrov, and he joins us from the state department. good morning. these ll look like signs of escalation? >> well, there is a path of diplomacy, which is clearly the most responsible one to do. and there is path of russian aggression and massive consequences for russia if it engages in that direction. i tried to make clear both paths with my meeting with sergei lavrov this week, and we'll see if we can advance the diplomacy. even as we're that doing that, we're preparing that if russia chooses the other path. >> brennan: what exactly are you negotiating? because russia is creating th

they were trapped on the border between belarus and poland. the mother lost her unborn child . well in a polish asylum center boils whole class vote. they are still afraid, afraid of having to go back to their country. afraid of having to go back to poland . afraid that they won't be understood with their problems highly when there is so much fear. woman, it is very hard to start a therapy. nice as reference that up yet. e u los, as the family should apply for asylum and poland, the 1st member state they entered. but the family say they spent weeks enclosed asylum centers there, and lack of medical assistance caused the woman's miscarriage. they felt they had no choice, but to go to germany. we say that if you are reporting us back to poland, we will not go. you will have to will send us big, blunt, honest on but not fall in. because we have read a bed, a dime from the poland bay to read expediency. i lost my child. we had nothing to eat. we were, we were suffered a lot. oh, maria kashana jack is helping the family with their asylum case. she says the uncertainty is taking a me

belarus has not been neutral for some time. so this is not a new development. the movement of russian troops into belarus, to make russian troops present on all three borders of ukraine, north, east and south, makes it harder for the ukraine military to defend. that's more border that they have to defend against an attack. so this is more stress on the ukrainian military. but, andrea, as you well know, the ukrainian military has been fighting the russians for eight years. they know how to do this. they're as ready as they've ever been. they're more ready than they've ever been. and this will be again, unpredictable and challenging for the russians. >> and how ready is the u.s. in that president biden has not nominated anyone to be ambassador to ukraine? so there hasn't been an ambassador since you were there. >> actually, there hasn't been a confirmed ambassador since massi was there. and she's a charge -- >> and i'm confirming that ambassador was forced out by donald trump? >> absolutely right. i came in following ivanovic. she's been the charge since i left,