Why Is Putin Escalating the War in Ukraine? | Foreign Affairs Interview Podcast

Foreign Affairs invites you to listen to its podcast, the Foreign Affairs Interview. This episode with Fiona Hill was originally published on September 22, 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking a number of steps to up the ante in Ukraine. This week, Kremlin-backed leaders in Russian-occupied areas in eastern and southern Ukraine announced plans to hold referendums on whether to join Russia. These sham votes would pave the way for Putin to quickly annex the territory, just as he did in Crimea in 2014-meaning that any attack on these lands by Ukrainian forces could be used as a pretext for Putin to escalate actions against Ukraine and the West.
In a televised speech on September 21, Putin indicated that’s exactly where he’s headed, announcing a partial mobilization of Russian troops and reminding the world about the country’s nuclear arsenal. Why is Putin making these moves now? Is Russia’s leader running out of options? And where does his vision of a new Russian empire end?
Fiona Hill, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, has been studying Putin for a long time. During the Trump administration, she served as senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council. And from 2006 to 2009, she served as national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at the National Intelligence Council.
We discuss Putin’s escalation, what to make of his nuclear threats, and what Washington’s options are during this risky and volatile period.
SOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE
“The World Putin Wants” by Fiona Hill and Angela Stent
www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-...
“The Kremlin’s Strange Victory” by Fiona Hill
www.foreignaffairs.com/guest-...
Read More by Fiona Hill:
www.foreignaffairs.com/author...

[@stevenpeaketrainsandstuff3682]

Excellent interview. Ms Hill lays out what is at stake so concisely.

[@kevinsummers1055]

Fiona is brilliant

[@miroheurea3639]

Thank you..very informative..Bless Fiona Hill🙌🫶🙌

[@considerthis7712]

I always listen to Fiona.

[@bobmathieson987]

A most admirable woman.

[@michaelbray109]

Fiona Hill is a voice that needs to be heard. I always feel I know more after I listen to her analysis.

[@johnf8064]

We are so fortunate to have people like Fiona too speak truth to madness.

[@W_Bin]

Brilliant and insightful as Ms Hill always is.
I liked the comments on politicisation of the public service and the lack of continuity it causes. A pity.

[@mrgyani]

Fiona Hill is one of the foremost experts on Putin and Russia. Nobody reads Putin like her.

[@jtodd36]

Excellent

[@kevinsummers1055]

Putin is a legend in his own mind.

[@richardsimms251]

Great lady
Great academic
Practical too
RS. Canada

[@Pdotta1]

What a smart lady and a patriot

[@suzanneshepherd3341]

Brilliant so good

[@75west]

key point "originally published on September 22, 2022"

[@mikestirewalt5193]

We need to give the Ukrainians some more effective technology. Putin is outnumbering them by throwing sheer numbers of bodies at the problem. An intelligent response would be to out-think them. I think a few A-10's combined with some top notch electronic battlefield management could end this current stalemate over Bakhout effectively. We seem to be going about this Ukraine situation sort of half-heartedly, despite the help we've given so far.

[@charlesconlon5865]

Act of War?

[@politicalfoolsandhorses]

You are so right !

[@carrollclark1874]

I agree but you have to train pilots and maintainers and create a supply chain for parts and repairs. It would probably take more than a year to have a squadron of A-10s up and running

[@Nemo59646]

Hi Fiona from county Durham.

[@revbenf6870]

Escalating the war? When was that? I seem to have missed that somehow...

[@mistasomen]

When was this interview done?

[@neelakan678]

Why are we...escalating it from the other side? From outer space, looking down, who is escalating if a Martian looked down objectively? All the humans.

[@dildswagginz3408]

Fiona is a wonderful insight and I appreciate her perspective, but I couldn't shake the nagging question of what her accent reminded me of. At the risk of exposing my pedestrian sense of humour and perhaps my poor ability to discern between accents, she reminds me of [Philomena] Cunk on Earth(Diane Morgan).

[@fronabulax63]

has the us ever come to terms what they have done in iraq, afghanistan, lybia etc.

[@A13X_H_22]

Why is he escalating? He always escalates. Putins playbook is to make a problem then fix the problem making it seem like he accomplished something

[@sidecar7714]

Because he’s not winning

[@anothersucker-Youcantfixstupid]

Russia is a paper tiger.