ah ah we can see it for yourself. the fireworks and cheering in dawn bass at the bottom. put it recognizes the independence of don yeske and new guns. republics sang also that measures are being taken to ensure peace in that region. un security council convenes an emergency session over this decision. the russians envoy stressing that moscow wants a diplomatic solution to the ukraine crisis, but will not allow a bloodbath in don bass with west coast on supposed to rushes of peacekeeping mission, saying it's in violation of international law. ah, well, good afternoon from moscow just after 2 pm here and

a 1 pm in eastern ukraine is where we are keeping our attention. title focus to take welcome to the program. but russia stay. duma has now ratified treaties of military and economic corporation with the don yeske and lucas republics. of course, that's off to vladimir putin signed a decree, ultimately recognizing them as sovereign states. now, here's how some of the don boss, residents, and refugees from the region and russia. great at that decision. ah ah oh, with a we are not dealing

with well, there are some important parts you to take note over according to the signed agreements, russia will help to ensure the defense of the 2 republics. now look at this. it includes ensuring to help protect the boarders, allowing also the participants to create and use military bases on each other's territory, but also recognize each other's official documents like passports. as we understand russia will provide support for financial and banking systems in the to republics. the treaties will last 10 years and can be prolonged automatically. and while coming to the aid of don bass or the russian president stressed that threats coming from nato are hindering the matter. for sure, the west has started to explore the territory of ukraine as a future theater of military action. joint exercises are aimed against russia last

year alone, more than $20000.00 troops, and more than a 1000 units of hardware to part. the treat has also been ratified by the parliament of both republics. so we took the streets of don, yes, to ask people there, how they feel about it all and, and what they can expect for the future. he is to real. i still, i'm certain we haven't been abandoned and that we have a future liada. i'm glad. first and foremost, because now our people won't be killed anymore and i feel sorry for our people. it is a long cold for events. i came to holland de nance watched the tv in expectation. yes, they were greeted the knees with tears. and we are happy, at least there will now be order. the bombings will stop and people will be able to lead normal lives, fortune dog. and he's been waiting for this for a long time. is the feeling that finally it's happened to us? it rushes, recognition of the republics comes amid fresh escalations and bon bass. a dozens of si fi bod. asians were reported overnight from both sides of the border. as we

understand a car bomb went off in the center of lucas. can i? what's been cold enough? an attempted assassination of a local official, while intermittent shelling has been ongoing for days and basically in the midst of it in our correspondence ortiz. but i guess d of in danielle. oh, situation here in the next could certainly much come of than it was yesterday as vladimir putin prepared to recognize the independence of lucon. thinking that the nip things squatted down somewhat off of the decree we heard from the russian president, but that's only here in them yet. as we've heard from our friends are contacts across the east and ukraine. these the conflict line, at least part of the country. we've heard about shelling, endless shelling with gloucester throughout the day, in areas just north of here in the bulk of in cost the cost of it. and there was also shelling in le gods. we have heard there pallet station was hit.

yesterday, there was a $122.00 millimeter artillery board to bear, which is bad, and by the means grievance, it shouldn't be here. but again, sci fi violations are being recorded and are being conducted by both sides of the conflict. that is the ukrainian military, as well as of the breakaway republics, now recognized by russia of the security situation here. while the haps here called that it was yesterday, remains critical, remains in a sense, in a state of escalation. nevertheless, it remains to be seen one of the hours the company now it will bring because obviously the situation is developing very quickly. the national community focus right now on what is happening here. so the reason a lot of pressure will sides good to be on their best behavior. your current

president says he's now considering suffering diplomatic ties with russia. now at the same time, latimer zalinski says he didn't think that be an all out war. although adding that in the event reality, he would have to impose martial law. now, in an earlier address, he stressed that ukraine one give anything to anybody. well, for its part, moscow says he doesn't want to sever relations at all. at this point, issuing a statement that is from the ministry of foreign affairs. also saying that calling the recognition of hob, a very necessary decision, this one that was based 1st and foremost on humanitarian grounds. now the foreign minister. so get laughter of said that since 2014, the ukrainian government has no longer represented all ukrainian people. let's take this further right now with count can i still author is foreign minister such a said they format for a minister of austria. thanks so much for joining us. doing what is essentially a pretty difficult time now and a lot of an awful lot of rhetoric going on around the world at this moment. were

you surprised by putin's announcement in the mid evening alice last night most go time? no, i'm not really surprised. i mean, we have had that they've made for the last 8 years and that's a new dynamic. karen, it's but it's, it's all right, so the russian president here forgive me for getting short on you here. but the russian president is saying he is doing all of this as a piece, making measure, present impudent as saying this is a piece making measure. he's sending peacekeepers to these now potentially autonomous republics. is this though being seen as a piece making measure by his western professional partners? no, certainly not. i mean, we have the rhetoric over the last 2 months about been immune and russian innovation. so that's what the narrative and now are. so the fact that these 2 separatist republic, this has been there a big factor on the ground for more than 8,

for about 8 years that they are recognized. and i mean, it's nothing you and history. i remember when, when i started to work as a junior diplomat in 1089, we had about 156 states. and 34 years later there were 35 more states. so the emergence of new states, the recognition of states. so this is something that has been happening in the ninety's nails nearly on a weekly basis. i wanted to ask you about the issue of sanctions if i may, they've been talked about now for many, many weeks, even before the russian presidents announcement last night is televised speech. now understanding here at asi, international, the certification of nord stream to the gas pipeline will now be stopped. the german ministry of economy has given appropriate instructions. that is, according to the german chancellor. oh, laugh sholtes. are you surprised by this next step? well, this is a tremendous guy. this has tremendous implications for germany,

not only when it comes to a security supply for it's for john households and companies that it also has indications for john and companies aren't large because who will in the future . still a major infrastructure bro. checks in germany with china companies is due to political intervention. these infrastructure bro checks are stopped. are abolished. so it's all about the trustworthiness, the credibility of the job business are such. now when it comes to an, a cheap prices and it is security to be more precise, the lowest trim to speaking, you have to suit and for you to, to existing. you have been in place for about 9 years and we will see what's there, what the russian companies in that case um we'll decide whether there will be

a flow continuing through north street one or what does it mean already on the market? prices will go up to have been going up and it said that the implications are really tremendous and they are very negative for, for germany, and as a place of investment. so at the end of the day that when it comes to over the past number of years when they're being various western entities, sort of try to stop the development and implementation of the north room to gas pipeline. it's been going back and forth now for quite some time. as you say, there are many international, many european companies are involved in this. it's not just russia here. and i know i've seen in some of the media outlets. they say, well, we want to cut off no stream to gas pipeline to stop all this money going into the coffers of russia at the end of the day. karen, it's the european citizen here who's getting caught between a rock and a hard place. i mean, i don't think sanctions like there's

a going to really affect the top one percent. all of this kind of stuff. it rolls downhill. definitely. and a gas prices have gone up since april 2021 by last 4 percent. the ever electricity bill, spanish, italian german household has gone up by 607080 percent. so implications also 40 ever since that citizen that's you mentioned are a heavy and i don't know. our government will be able to handle that because it remembers mismanagement in energy politics as such, it's at home grown prices and everything has been subscribed over the last 23 years . even before that under the title of climate change, climate policy. that's a little regardless, given to and security, and that is all about people have to have that supply in energy as an affordable

price current. let's, let's bring it back to our main focus here. that is a president putin's announcement last night is televised speech ultimately a recognizing the autonomy of these 2 eastern republics. lugens going on? yeah, it's going to easton ukraine. it's all about the minutes agreements at the end of the day. this is something the russian president has been asking for years now. we've got to implement the minsk agreements. now the kremlin says the key of has not been honoring the minced agreements. kia on the other hand says we do stand committed to the immense agreements. if i can just ask you quickly when it comes to putin's recognition of these republics, can he do this? is this legally is a legally empowered to do this? it, does it work even question i left included like that. i actually, according to the rather try to international law recognition, is it,

it's not really needed in order to make it state exist. what, what does it make it a territory and people and the control of this territory, the implementation of laws and ordinance. so the thomas is that program for optics has been there ever since 2014. they have been one of the extras lives in d. c. process estimates re met. so the fact that has been already a situation on the ground, you echo commissioned by president put in, asked of course if it's a, it's a, it has a legal element that is very important with this all the consequences that we are witnessing. but there has been a situation on the ground for 8 years,

but can also that with, with this decrease signed by the russian president. now there's an agreement now with these are so called, or potentially autonomous republics, that the russia can set up military base is now in these republics that they can help with humanitarian efforts that can help with the banking system too. i mean, essentially picking up the whole, the whole economy there, but, but russia will be allowed to have military base is now in these republics, that putin says it's for peace. do you think that the potential setting up of military base is in easton in these republics, i should say, is not going to affirm some of the western concerns that they've been saying? well, putin is getting ready for a war. he's getting ready for an invasion. now look, now he's trying to decree that enables himself to, to actually put this military hardware in these republics. you know, when it's not for time in the recent history that such a move is happening. i mean that the analogy that many people in a rush to draw on that has also been on my mind a lot is always been the cost of the proclamation of independence,

of february 2008. and we all want that also, and it's in terms of need to get a feel for you friday with elements that, that, that, that you include in the question, mr. got. and what does that now me in reality, in terms of a higher degree of tension. i a potential for the flex confrontation with the military presence, so close to the danger if they're out there to fully flash concord from facial dimension has definitely been accelerated turn in, in a lot of the media. and a lot of outlets are discussing the ukraine crisis. a lot of them say they talk about this russian potential russian invasion of ukraine. they talk about this war between russia and ukraine, but, but it wouldn't really be between russia and ukraine, would it?

it would be between russia, nato, and the united states in eastern europe and ukraine would be the battle field. is that accurate or not? what do you think? yeah, definitely. your crane is a proxy more like situation. like we know it from the middle east, but the never was real war between a war between different parties and this kind of proxy war situation. yes, it's there. and the whole, atlanta is one that is much more far reaching than just and it's an important complex question. the historical, the territorial dispute on all, what is great your brain, what they do. but what i see your 1st and foremost is that it could and mouths to as a horrible human drama. i think people are suffering in

easton ukraine along the lines of what we have seen with what can i station to break down? it was in 1991 when the war fish really started. it wasn't the preparation ever since. it is a emergency malicious and also the intrusion, of course, is what we have seen, a real fratricide or a real, a breakdown of, of what was once as a side teeth. when nobody off i use, or you ration or you whatever it, it had been suctioning for, for, for decades. but if something like that could now be triggered in your brain in terms of a war between ukrainians and russians, where there are so many human bonds. so many times that have been thinking people

together and that hasn't been broken over the last year and the destination so that you know that, that, that, that, that, that, that the total human total risks to be very high. and i hope it will not end up in such a scenario. the human told karen is something that, that my food refers to as well. he's, he's said that there's a genocide happening in houston. you cry, and he's just, he's described blood boss as well. and he says he stand again. peacekeepers. this is a peacekeeping mission now to bring stability and security to these republics that, do you think with russia stepping in like this, it would deter key? yeah. from perhaps reacting or is it potentially going to rile key of to a point of reaction this a close, who is free to say who is really the game within?

yes, i mean that president lensky is not in such a powerful position the way a lot of folks when he came into power that he could make certain things happen like it. and then the main speaker that you just mentioned. but he has not been able to deliver a wide range of reasons. so maybe things will also change within yes, i mean it's, it's, it's really difficult to assess who can do what and which criteria. because the the constraints are heavy on the governors town. i just wanted to ask you a bit of an angular question, who the, the speaker that just published or some archive document. so showing a german foreign minister a 1990 told the well, that nato is, is done. when it comes to members. where would i, would you,

how would you assess that state? but now, so many years later, looking back whether the company was gentler than german foreign minister. he said that as the archive documentary is only an illustration of what gasha as long as he was alive, he died 2 years ago, but he reminded the world to your mind that his interview please be aware. we have lived to russia. he said that explicitly like that we betrayed russia because we gave promised this, and that was not only he can show that james baker, u. s. colleague and others that there won't be any expansion going beyond the river . so if they did, i mean that document now fax it to, to, to, to only confirm what the russia done in the last 30 years now russia and,

and i can, i think we know that the have so many other problems, domestic problems, full of cock monopoly or force, but the thing stands changed and the, the whole may to is still, it's something that's pretty much, much more important to for now. then then in the year before karen at the moment in the eastern ukraine, we're witnessing over the past 24 plus hours. what is essentially being described as a mass exodus? there are people fleeing part of the world, many of them coming straight to russia. ladies report in the past 12 hours last night when i was working, was that what was afoot of a 1000000 people are seeking russian citizenship right now to get out of that area . you think about the russian demographic and that part of the well, the tangled history of russian heritage in that part of the world is it's a, it's a complicated situation there. but right now we have got

a humanitarian situation there in eastern ukraine. there's been an economic blockade implemented on those republics now for a long, long time people have been suffering for too long. now. western professional partners, really land bast, russia for it. so cool behavior here is russia alone. when it comes to the, the global stage, the global community, with the crisis in ukraine, it's russia alone, or does it have any other support out that well, lad, and to play a colleague and as far as i understood from some resumes for lincoln wanted to discuss you crane and his colleague minutes a referred more to the situation in the pacific us on there. so that the statement that we have seen on separate force, signed by president putin, at his time,

is counterpart presidency thinking that the title of this document is interesting. it says join statement on the light correctly. recall on the nature of international relations. it has a very strong commitment to international law. at the chinese delegation, the united nations also say that the united nations security council, it's all about international law. so i believe that or so, given these, these corporation on a level, russia is not isolated, russia channels in the case of additional sections for her and other outlets, all technology. and by the way, china, it hasn't become a technology, it's not anymore, not anymore. western european countries,

so they claim that russia is isolated by itself is not correct. karen, what about putin's arguments here? he's talked about red lines now repeatedly he's, he said a red line is ukraine joining nato. we said a red line of these missile silos that are being set up a new nato member, blogs in eastern european countries, a missile silos set up along the borders with russia. this is something that puts in complaints about an awful lot. these red lines. does he at all, karen? does he have a point? yes, i mean again, that has been a stay made, has been in this situation on the ground all what you have described that the disasters, economic and social situation off the people living down. we have constant challenge, there was no moment a life and people and it i see

as a, as a new dynamic. that is there, we will see what direction it has a need to is ready to drill a fully fledged war because of the recognition of these 2 republics and all of it, it is for randall. i'm so yes they, i mean that i would say that patients have come to now when it comes to the ukranian president zelinski, clearly he's in a very, very tough position that he's trying to appease his professional partners. on the western side. he's trying to find some sort of appeasement and peaceful process on the eastern side. but president zelinski, as most people know, as a former tv actor, he's a former comedian. he's recently said he's, he's mulling cutting off diplomatic relations with russia. do you think that would be why the theories are he's just, he's just joking. know, i mean, i will make feel that they really do is maybe even under pressure by the us. but

let us bear in mind that it's not only about political relations here, it's when you speak about the cutting metric relations, it means all cutting off constant relations with speaking of millions of ukrainians who into this work debate within the russian federation. oh, who have documented to renew who has transferred to make we are speaking of russia within ukraine. so we were not in a situation, iran versus the united states, and i bought a cup of diplomatic relations and the mobile, perfect them that aligned to my we are speaking about 2 neighboring countries with huge. yes for us on both sides. and so with the, with, with very then network of human and come on the relations

car. and what about the issue of peacekeepers? if we can, let's focus on this term peacekeepers that the us ambassador to the un as called a russian peacekeepers in ukraine as quote nonsense. why would you, why would you think that she said that when when we did the thorough piece when, when, when i think of it gets you thinking of wellness or my nations do it because resolutions and so on it's, it's more that we have peacekeepers a kind of might dimensional 4th coming for some felt as if it usually can't be regional want, it can be un, in that case it's the neighboring countries army that with that sure. and it raises the overall to delete

any yes. can i wanted to ask you about the french president, your manual macro, and he's really been serving as quite a broker jury during old. it's a bit of a mediator for who not, on professional partners in the west where you know, regarding biden and zalinski and others as well. micron her has been, has been quite front and center and trying to help negotiate something, you know, i know he's got a presidential election around the corner and it's obviously perhaps, you know, potentially good thing to do right now. but he seemed really rather annoyed even angry off the newton's announcement in the late evening. moscow hours last night he had a mutually cold. i think it was for, for an emergency security council meeting. how do you view microns position right now? he looks frustrated. yeah, that's why i didn't the reason because we woke up on monday morning with the news that in principle, president bush or isn't it? i don't have accepted that proposal by present not all to meet paris and to

discuss it into a for the diplomatic. the escalation, so my call started yesterday a week with this kind of wild as a fresh spirit. and we, we, the french can, can do something that even look different. so for from a personal point of view, i understand this kind of frustration and disappointment that you have just mentioned. you know, that the situation is that my goal was actually the only one who really went in to this problematic situation with intention to mediate. there was not misses on the line, there was no mesh, no other your official. it was the french president. also, given the fact that the french have always had

a much easier relation with russia from the 4 young than many other european countries. but what the east of france, but then this disappointment is evident as luckily we might see, it is still some sort of bilateral channeling between moscow and washing. that's what it is all about. moscow and natal with broken that best thing is to do it in a direct line that way and not go through other in between maybe can i really appreciate your time and having you one of the program here, what are you into national i promise to let you go very soon, but i just have one more question. if i may, regarding your experience.