polls show mr. putinstill very popular but his popularity is a lot lest than it was a few weeks ago. if body bags come home, his popularity will go through the floor. i'm not saying that's what's going to happen to him but this is a danger for him that's why he hides the bodies. there is another point that is more important. mr. putin has a revisionist course. if you listen to what he said over the past seven eight or even ten years he has a right he says to intervene wherever, he believes the rules of the post-cold war world has to be rewritten. he has committed provocations against the baltic saits. he sees anest an estonian counter-- >> let me put that to fredericka bindi. stop saying this can't go on in ukraine. >> actually you are cricking yourself as you say sanction he combined with the falling price of oil is severely affecting him and people are becoming unhappy why do you want to escalate a war? if this is working lets make sanctions and gas oil prices do their work. i mean -- >> may i answer yo

mr. putinas a vulnerability. the russian people do not approve of russian soldiers fighting in ukraine. he tells his people russia is not fighting in ukraine, but he is lying. polls have shown that the russian people do not want russian soldiers fighting. mr. putin is hiding his casualties. if we provide arms to ukraine mr. putin has a deterrence. this may deter mr. putin because he is afraid of dead russian soldiers returning to his country. he wants to bury them in secret. host: "on capitol hill, there is a new sense of urgency as top ranking democrats -- present the bill that would give the ukrainian government the weapons they need." quoted take for the president to take that next step -- what would it take for the president to take that next step? guest: there is strong feeling in favor of this. ash carter, when he testified before congress, he said he is in favor of this. host: let me ask you about the role of the french president and the german chancellor. those with a to point people wh

what mr. putinants. >> it's interesting that you say that because i'd be interested mr. gould, on what you think the end game is for mr. putin? >> well there is no end game for mr. putin. why all this story with eastern ukraine began, only because mr. putin accepted everything that happened in ukraine as the result of western call. so what we have in donestk and hue hank luhansk is a counter revolution if you like. what mr. putin wants, to have excellent example for any ration citizen, not ukrainian, but russian citizen, you want revolution every revolution is ended with war. at the end of the day, he got what he wanted. >> thank you for your analysis and interesting day ins moscow. we will keep you bringing you more details of the talks as they develop. >>> well let's turn our attention to australia. he came to power, can you guess who this is, less than a year and a half ago, promising stability, mr. tony abbott is facing a leadership challenge. mp from his governing party has called for a vote ne

poroshenko can get a deal with mr. putin, then the united states would be happy, nato would be happy, as long as mr. putin pulls his military troops. he has soldiers he has army formations in eastern europe. pulls them out and allows the ukrainians to seal that border, nato will be happy the americans will be happy and europe will be more secure. lou: while that is obviously a lofty and hopeful goals, what is -- is there any reason to expect that merkel and hollande and poroshenko will be successful with putin? he seems to be absolutely in control of all of the levers here. >> i'm not sure he is. i'm not sure he's totally in control. i think in the medium term he is in trouble, his economy is in very bad shape. sanctions that the europeans and the americans have put on him are biting badly. the oil price on which he depends for all of his revenue virtually is dropping precipitously, as we know. those two things don't look to get better. furthermore, the americans are considering providing sophisticated weapons to the ukraini

mr. putin's head. but what is pretty clear from what we have seen in georgia, in assessment of exactly what his objectives are? >> so the unsatisfying start is the same as i've said several times. we can't know what is going on in mr. putin's head. but what is pretty clear from what we have seen in georgia, in moldova, and now in ukraine, that to coin a phrase about ukraine, we believe that his objective is that it is to keep ukraine out of the west and to keep the west out of ukraine. and allow ukraine to stay in the orbit of russian influence. and so again we don't know what's in his head. but what we have seen is a series of these what you have heard called frozen conflicts which amount to a veto of a nation moving assessment of in a western orbit because of a fear of this frozen conflict inside of their wrear. so i cannot claim any special knowledge but what i see is that mr. putin is exerting his influence in the eastern part of ukraine in order to change the decision space in kiev about whether t

mr. putin's mind about an agreement at minsk. so it is not impossible. >> boy i've got a couple of things i want to follow with based on that answer. you talk about the economic pressure on president putin. how much pressure is on president obama to do something more aggressive now in ukraine? >> well, certainly he has the congress. >> yes. >> having passed the ukraine support act freedom support act. and that passed overwhelmingly. the reports are that his administration both on the state department side and the defense department as well as other agencies are also in support of the idea of putting more pressure on mr. putin and certainly on the exec side but also thereeconomic sidebut certainly more pressure to him at the table. >> does that sound like a good cop bad cop scenario is being set up here where angela merkel says maybe a little more patience is needed and pd president and members of congress are saying this is the time to act? maybe this is something necessary in diplomacy but it seems like a good cop bad cop scenar

i would say mr. putin has already set the bar and ante very high as far as his interaction in eastern ukraine. we have to be absolutely straightforward to say that none of us knows what mr. putin will decide. if we take action -- he might take another decision. i think it's appropriate that we judge and find another way forward. it is getting worse every day. >> well to quickly follow up on that -- if the u.s. is to continue on without giving them the javelins or small arms or whatever else could, would we expect the russians would continue to escalate. >> you really asked two questions. could we and would he? but so -- again, we cannot know what mr. putin will decide. i like to talk about looking at the capabilities and capacities that he puts in the field what options does that give him? and from those options, then we derive what he could do. we'll never probably truly be able to predict with clarity what he will do. and so could this escalate in the absence of any change. that is what's happening now.

and since mr. putinis decision around crimea, and ukraine, not because of some grand strategy but essentially because he was caught off balance by the protests then yanukovych fleeing after we'd brokered a deal since that time this improvisation that he's been doing has gotten him deeper and deeper into a situation that is a violation of international law, that violates the integrity -- territorial integrity and sovereignty of ukraine, has isolated russia diplomatically, has made europe wary of doing business with russia, has allowed the imposition of sanctions that are crippling russia's economy at a time when their oil revenues are dropping. there's no formula in which this ends up being good for russia. the annexation of crimea is a cost not a benefit, to russia. the days in which conquests of land somehow was a formula for great nation status is over. the power of countries today is measured by your knowledge, your skills, your ability to export goods to invent new products and new services your infl

and on mr. putin. sanctions have had some impact, in combined with steep incline in the value of the ruble. >> for your average russian that being the case, putin's popularity remains very high, and putin has played the nationalist card very carefully. one of the real bases for support for putin he pays the pension. if russia sunlt finds itself not able to pay pensions, then it is at a tipping point and the ex curses in eastern ukraine will no longer be financially possible. >> reporter: how far out are we? >> we are quite a good distance out. >> the likely outcome in minsk very much dependent on what vladimir putin wants. "america tonight's" sheila macvicar with us. sheila it seems just a few months ago congress took up this issue of arming the ukrainians, right? >> they did. in december congress took up a resolution of arming the ukrainians with lethal weapons. it might be useful to find how long congress got to get ukrainians night vision goggles. it took months. and many weapons are not in stock. t

so this is a cynical statement by mr. putin. >> but -- and there is a certain amount of bluster coming out of unioneurope and russia as well about the cost that is to be paid if the ceasefire doesn't hold. even if there is follow through will it make a difference because putin certainly doesn't seem concerned. >> he doesn't seem concerned yet although aol we know that there are great concerns in the kremlin. there are great kings about two things two domestic political things that the people in the kremlin probably even mr. putin are concerned about. the increasing bite by the sanctions, the ruble falling through the floor the russian economy is in terrible shape the economic problem. the political problem is that russian soldiers continue to die in ukraine in a war that mr. putin tells his people is not happening. the russian mothers know that it's happening because their sons have died. those two problems continue to mount for mr. putin. >> quick final question ambassador. is the ukrainian government of petro poroshenko threa

obama to mr. putin, that the pressure can only get worse if mr. putin does not take this last chance to move back. >> a white house statement warns that if russia does not sign this deal there will be consequences increased sanctions, perhaps against russia. but no mention of potential arming of the ukrainian forces that the u.s. president is considering. >> the united states is considering providing lethal weapons to the ukrainians. this would give the ukrainians the ability to push back and defend themselves from the invasion from the russians. this is another factor for mr. putt on it consider. again, when russian soldiers die and more will die if he continues this adventure this, invasion if the ukrainian military has more advanced weapons, that's the result. >> now president obama is at pressure at home. he said he's still undecide. the conflict continues to escalate. what are your thoughts. >> if the russians escalate the conflict, they are very clear that they're invading. the russians continue to deny that they're in eastern ukraine when th

we have reviewed mr. putin and myself the joint conditions and issues between the two countries and we have supported the strategic relations between two countries, and to continue the high levels between two countries and to exchange our viewpoints with joint relations international relations and the cause we both are interested in. >> support to egypt in the most difficult times for our country. we feel an experience respect to the president of the feet reaction and people of russia for this report and want once again to confirm that the russian federation and egypt of united by similar positions on the case of international agenda be it fighting terrorism or other burning issues -- corporation, as well as -- relations. >> gnarl domains in order to support our position towards different issues. president putin -- continuing our military cooperation between two countries at this particular time. >> i want to stress the military cooperation. >> between two countries and we have agreed for more exchange of comme

i think mr. putin is fak toring that in. we'll have to keep on trying different things to see if we can get a better outcome. what i do know is that we will not be able to succeed unless we maintain the strong trans atlantic solidarity that's been the hall mark of our national security throughout the last 70 years. and i'm confident that i've got a great partner in angela in maintaining that. thank you very much, everybody. >> and with that the conference concludes. kelly ai don't thinkyotaayotte has been watching with us. what you heard is a very cautious barack obama, backing off of any conversation about the pluses of arming ukraine and in answer to the last question acknowledging the minuses, which is that the arms could get into the wrong hands and used too aggressively by ukraine. what's your response to that? >> my response is first of all, i think we have a clear partner on the ground. let me use the anl gi of all of the debate about arming syria and mod rats. this is a situation where there's a broad bipartisan cons

mr. putin's prefer option is for a diplomatic resolution. i won't prejudge whether or not they will be successful. if they are successful, it will be in part because of the extraordinary patience and effort of chancellor merkel and her team. if they are not then we will continue to raise those costs. and we will not relent in that. one of the things that i'm very encouraged about is the degree to which we've been able to maintain u.s.-european unity on this issue. now, it is true that if, in fact diplomacy fails what i've asked my team to do is look at all options. what other means can we put in place to change mr. putin's calculous. and the possibility of lethal weapons is an option being examined. i have not made a decision on that yet. i've consulted, not just with angela but i'll be consulting with other allies on this issue. it is not based on the idea that ukraine could defeat a russian army that was determined. it is rather to see whether or not there are additional things we can do to help ukraine bolster its defenses in the face of

mr. putin's calculus? and the possibility of legal defense weapons is one of those options being examined. i've not made a decision about that yet. i've consulted, not just with angela, but we will be consulting with other allies about this issue. it is not based on the idea that ukraine could defeat a russian army. it is rather to see whether or not there are additional things that we can do to help ukraine will start its defenses in the face of separatist but russian. -- separatist aggression. i want to emphasize that decision has not been made. one of the bigger issues is making sure that the ukrainian economy is functioning and that the president and prime minister can continue with the reform efforts that they have made. i'm clyde to see that because of our cooperation and our efforts that we are starting to see a package come together with the imf and with the european union and others i can help bolster the european economies so that they have the space to continue and execute some the reforms of an

mr. putin's calculous. and the possibility of lethal defense is one of those options that's being examine pd. but i have not made a decision about that yet. i've consulted with not just angela but will be consulting with other allies about this issue. it's not based on the idea that ukraine could defeat a russian army that was determined. it is rather to see whether or not there are additional things we can do to help ukraine bolster its defenses in the face of separatists aggression. but i want to emphasize a decision has not yet been made. one of the bigger issues that we're also -- and the prime minister can continue with the reform efforts that they've made. and i'm glad to see that because of our cooperation and our efforts we're starting to see a package come together with the imf, with the european union and others that can help bolster the european economy so that they have the space to continue to execute some of the reforms and anti-corruption measures that they've made. one of the most important

the german case is that mr. putin is in a better position to escalate. he's right on the border. secondly you are not quite sure what arms you give to the ukrainians. third it's not clear they'd know how to use them and fourth, it's not clear how soon they could be effective anyway. so the germans would prefer to carry on with sanctions. as the economy goes south the russian economy is in really really deep trouble. >> sir thanks for speaking to us. robert hunter, former u.s. ambassador to nato. >> thank you. >> in egypt an investigation has been launched into a deadly stampede at a football match on sunday. at least 40 people died outside a stadium in cairo. funerals have been held for some of the fans killed. as osama been javid reports the blame game has become political. >> reporter: this is funeral of abu a 23-year-old football fan who died at the air defense stadium in cairo. his family is among those mourning the people who left to watch a football match but came back in body bags. football fans tried to enter a premier match between local club zamalik and mp. but some did

this visit is seen as very symbolic for mr. putin.e's coming to hungry a member of the european and nato. he is being received here. now, as you said he can't turn his back on his country's main supplier of gas, but there is a sense of ambiguity here. last night, 2,000 people went out in protest of mr. putin's visit. they are very concerned about this. others feel that they should perhaps, stick closer to russia which is the supplier of gas and seen as being a rather more politically followed known factor where the eu relationship. >> there are specifics both sides want from these talks today. >> well gas is at the heart of it. hungary's current contract with gas ends at the end of the year. they have to negotiate either an extension of that or try to re-negotiate a new deal. that's on the table. things here it's an interesting one in terms of him. he has supported the eu sanctions on russia but been vocal about the negative impact and hungary's economy suffered because of those sanctions as well. it's an interesting one and one peopl

merkel has taken a tough line in public, she has told mr. putin privately that she won't oppose the was line if mr. obama opts to send weapons to ukraine. vice president joe biden said he supported arming ukraine. mr. obama has yet to make a decision, according to officials, and plans to wait to talk to ms. merkel." that happening this morning in washington. they will go before the cameras at 11:40 a.m. eastern time and we will have live coverage on c-span so tune in. darrell, missouri, democratic caller. caller: yeah, i'm totally against arming the ukraine. we've got to understand that we spent $5 billion to destabilize ukraine and get rid of the elected government to put this guy that is in there now in their. we did that. this is our thing. i don't how we can sit up here in the media can listen to us blaming russia for something that we went in there and did. now we want to arm them? come on, how many more countries are we going to bomb? host: all right, dental. tom in minnesota, democratic caller. caller: yes, good morning. i'm very much oppos

union ratcheting up economic sanctions as well as the united states in order to increase the cost to mr. putinit may well be that it is that threat, the threat of defense of arms, the threat of military assistance and sanctions that have led mr. putin now to sign an agreement that at least for now he says he is interested in implementing. >> thank you very much for joining me. >> my pleasure. >> the three muslim students shot dead in the u.s. state of north carolina were buried today. it has been suggested their religion may have played a role in their death. investigators are still looking into that, but there was also a dispute over parking spaces. we go to raleigh where the funeral took place. >> hundreds of people have gathered in raleigh, north carolina, to pay their last respects to the three muslim students who were shot earlier this week. we have been hearing from some of the family members, the father of two of the victims addressed the crowd. he said the pain that the family is feeling is indescribable. he said that his children lost their lives in an execution style murder and maint

. >> none of us knows what mr. putin will decide. if we take action and he believes he'll accelerate. if he takes action, it might raise the cost to him and he might take another decision. it's important we judge what we might think happens and move forward. what is clear it is not getting better, it is getting worse every day. lou: our next guest was present for breedlove's testimony. joining us congressman brad wenstrup, a member of the armed services and veterans affairs committee and serves on the president's select committee on intelligence and combat surgeon in iraq. breedlove was early in sounding the alarm on putin's ambitions and capabilities. he sounds more concerned today than when it all began. >> well he does sound more concerned than when it all began and should be. the president spoke out very vociferously when this all began and said we would be supportive of ukraine. i don't think that's what the ukrainians are feeling, nor is the president. when he spoke to congress he said we need more than mre's and blankets we ne

. >> none of us know what mr. putin will decide. if we take action many believe he will accelerate. if we take action others believe it may raise the toss to him and he may take another decision. i think it's appropriate that we judge what we think will happen and find a way forward. what is clear is that right now, it is not getting better. it is getting worse every day. >> our next guest was present for breedlove's testimony. joining us now, congressman brad winstrop, member of both the armed services and veterans affairs committee. he also serves on the permanent select committee on intelligence want and was a combat surgeon in iraq. good to have you with us. breedlove was early in sounding the alarm on putin's ambitions and capabilities. he sounds, if anything, more concerned today than when it all began. >> well, he does sound more concerned than when it all began, and he should be. the president spoke out very vociferously when this call began and said we will be supportive of ukraine but i don't think that's what the ukrainians are feeling right now, nor is the president. whe

it has not yet dissuaded mr. putin from following the course that he is on but it has, created a measureable negative impact on the russian economy and that will continue. my hope is that through these diplomatic efforts those costs have become high enough that mr. putin's preferred option is for a diplomatic resolution. and i won't prejudge whether or not they will be successful. if they are successful, it will be in part because of the extraordinary patience and effort of chancellor merkel and her team. if they are not, then we will continue to raise those costs and we will not relent in that and one of the things i'm very encouraged about is the degree to which we've been able to maintain u.s., european unity on this issue. now, it is true that if in fact diplomacy fails what i've asked my team to do is look at all options. what other means can we put in place to change mr. putin's calculus and the possibility of lethal defensive weapons is one of those options being examined. i have not made a decision about that y

mr. putinrly in charge. and he's almost solely thisin charge. this is frankly more dangerous than the cold war. >> reporter: history never quite repeats itself. economic sanctions are part of this new confrontation. mr. putin regards them as a form of aggression. and his officials argue europe is following an american lead. >> i see it as a big mistake, on the part of the european union, perhaps a deliberate mistake following in the footpaths of another country, which never has extensive economic links with russia as the eu has. if you look back at the volume of freight within russia and the european union and compare it to the level of trade between russia and the united states, our trade with the eu as always been 11 to 12 times as big. >> reporter: proxy wars were another hallmark of the cold war, made necessary because open confrontation between two nuclear superpowers was just too dangerous. so that's what ukraine is isn't it? the kremlin blames the west for overthrowing the old government

mr. putin's calculus? and the possibility of lethal defensive weapons is one of those options that's being examined. lou: all options in obamiyan language, that's tough talk, too tough for the president himself, here he is ten minutes later making it categorically clear, he did not intend in a categorically clear way to threaten mr. putin or russia. >> so there's not going to be any specific point at which i say, ah clearly lethal defensive weapons would be appropriate here. it is our ongoing analysis of what can we do to dissuade russia from encroaching further and further on ukrainian territory. lou: we'll take this up with k.t. mcfarland in a moment. also, the white house claiming they rejected prime minister netanyahu's address to congress because of an upcoming israeli election. the white house actions don't match up with that claim. former israeli ambassador to the united states daniel ayalon among our guests tonight. >>> while his department of homeland security was warning all of america about isla

mr. putin's calculus? and the possibility of lethal defensive weapons is one of those options that's being examined. but i have not made a decision about that yet. i have consulted with not just angela, but will be consulting with other allies about this issue. it's not based on the idea that ukraine could defeat a russian army that was determined. it is rather to see whether or not there are additional things we can do to help ukraine bolster its defenses in the face of separatist aggression. but i want to emphasize that a decision has not yet been made. one of the bigger issues that we're also concerned with, though, is making sure the ukrainian economy is functioning and that president poroshenko and the prime minister can continue with the reform efforts that they've made. and i'm glad to see that because of our cooperation and our efforts, we're starting to see a package come together with the imf, with the european union, and others, that can help bolster the european economy so that they have the sp

mr. putin's calculus? and the possibility of lethal weapons is one of those being optioned.'ve not made a decision. i have consulted with not just angela but will be consulting with other allies about this issue. it is not based on the idea that ukraine could defeat a russian army that was determined, it is, rather, to see whether or not there are additional things we can do to help ukraine bolster its defenses in the face of separatist aggression. but i want to emphasize, a decision has not yet been made. >> german chancellor merkel reiterated her opposition to arming ukraine saying the conflict could not be resolved militarily. >> we continue to pursue a diplomatic solution, even though we have suffered a lot of setbacks. these days, we will see whether all sides are ready and willing to come to a negotiad settlement. i've always said i don't see a military solution to this conflict, but we have to put all our efforts into bringing about a diplomatic solution. >> on wednesday, angela merkel will travel to the belarus capital of minsk for talks with the leaders of russia, u

what other means can we used to change mr. putin path oculus? and the possibility of -- mr. putin's calculus? and we have not made a decision. chancellor merkel: you may rest assured that no matter what we decide, the alliance between the united states and europe will continue to stand, will continue to be followed. peter: again, displaying the united front. the president said they could have tactical differences going forward. that unity, mark, both of them saying a critical component in the push against vladimir putin. mark: if not more weapons for ukraine, then what? peter: they have talked about keeping sanctions on the table and further ratcheting of sanctions against russia. the president said they had a measurable impact on the russian economy and there could be more pain to come, more cost for vladimir putin down the road. and just the merkel said the same thing. if anything, the germans would like to go that route before the talk of weapons comes back onto the table. the question is whether the president will wait that long and how much time he will give angela merke

. >> mr. putin has stated that he wants to reinstate the roles in europe to the cold war rules or there will be no rules. he read your the borders of georgia by military force. he is doing the same to ukraine. he sees the counter intelligence office. he is threatens because you get them -- he has threatened can't extend -- people argue that our providing weapons to ukraine would only get mr. putin to escalate. we hope it would deter him. he has a problem at home with russian casualties in ukraine. if he escalates and takes more casualties, he will have less military force. we have to demonstrate to him by sanctions and by providing arms to ukraine that there is a heavy price to pay. >> we will take that extra minute. >> we are going to be very efficient this morning. >> we will work on it. >> we share your angst and frustration. in our view, two wrongs don't make a right. there are three fundamental flaws. one, let's make no mistake. what you are arguing for is a war against russia. we are confident

he still has some weight of some level and mr. putin can show that he is getting closer to an eu member, so he is showing hey i still have some influence here. i can be hosted even by an eu member even by an ally of ms. mecialtion merkel. >> does the u.s. have any strategic interest? >> in terms of strategic interest because hungary is a member of eu anything that hungary does, we saw that in greece a relatively small player in eu, a small country with a small economy can still have a massive effect on the eu. could destabilize the uefa and eventually americans can feel that. some people call hungary the greece of eu politics. and if hungary can assess the eu in that way as i've spoken to members of the european parliament that hungary can have that type of effect of helping destabilize the eu of undermining its basic political stabilization that can help to disintegrate the eu and certainly that would assess the u.s. >> okay, christina jevanofski, thank you for joining us from kiev. >> thank you. >> colleen bell took the post, as ambas

mr. putin's calculus. >> a vow to destroy boko haram. nigeria says it will take out the rebel group in six weeks after refusing to cancel municipal elections for now other countries are joining the fight. a creative battle with i.s.i.l. iraqi state tv is using parody videos, and a test of human will undermine extreme conditions. athletes in canada racing their way in hundreds of miles of frozen tundra in temperatures as low as 50 below. good evening and welcome to al jazeera america i'm stephanie sy. >> and i'm antonio mora. today we begin with the growing concerns in eastern europe. >> german chancellor angela merkel was in the white house today. >> she aand the president promised to stand together against russia. but she refused to give weapons to kiev. she says that would make the fighting worse. >> and putin continues to blame the u.s. for making the cries worst. >> the two leaders say there's no gap in their approach to russia. people moved from towns along the border. angela merkel believes the peace plan joined with the french, al

but the issue is mr. putin. the issue is what does mr. putin do in the face of increasing economic pressure and now some military pressure? no one thinks that the ukrainian military is going to be able to defeat russian military. that's not the issue. the question is mr. putin's calculation, can he continue to provide the weapons to his proxys in eastern ukraine or will he look for a negotiated solution? >> former u.s. ambassador to the ukraine, william taylor. thanks for all the expertise this morning. let's go over to mikaela. >> all right. alisyn the u.s.-led coalition pounds positions in iraq and syria. in iraq air attacks are largely focused on the city of mosul, which is currently under isis control. cnn's phil black spoke with peshmurga fighters about the plan to retake that q3 city. he is live outside mosul. what did they tell you, phil? >> reporter: mick what, wela,ee owe mikaela, on a clear day you can see right into it. it's a wide expanse of territory, town village, all of it still very much isis-controlled territory. just behi

i think mr. putinctoring that in but understandably until the situation is entirely resolved, we're going to have to try different things to see if we can get a better outcome. what i do sudden we will not be able to succeed unless we maintain the strong transatlantic solidarity that's the hallmark of our national security throughout the last 70 years, and i'm confident that i've got a great partner in angela in maintaining that. thank you very much, everybody. stuart: you have been watching german's chancellor angela merkel and president obama discuss complex issues. mark lannier is with us a top lawyer. they have a way of boiling down complexity in a way that understand isable to all of us. boil it down. >> on the ukraine issue they're speaking to russia, and they want russia to hear this message. we are going to continue on this course through this next round of negotiations but if the rounds of negotiations do not work then america is going to be pressing its allies to try and do something more. th

partly because the one thing that's been very successful for mr. putin is, his politics. >> now one white house official is quoted today as saying white house believes that tougher sanctions would change the calculus with president putin. both increased military aid and sanctions are being considered by the president but that no decision has yet been made. tony. >> jamie mcintyre, thank you. trying to capture the key town of dabalseva. charles stratford reports from donetsk. >> reporter: there has been an increase of shelling both in and out of donetsk. i'm here in a residential area a compound where there are apartments. there is a shell that land he here you can see obviously this car was damaged. i'll just walk you through. we have a playground here obviously a place where parents would bring their children to play explosive artillery mortar, it's difficult to see at this stage. one thing for sure since those peace talks collapsed there's been a lot of rhetoric from both the separatist leader and ukraine. we hear today that alexander zakashenko has ca

mr. putin's calculus. the possibility of lethal defensive weapons is one of the options examined. i have not made a decision about that yet. >> reporter: chancellor merkel is expected to sit down with putin on wednesday to hammer out a peace deal but past attempts have had little effect on putin. in a sign of the internal debate within the administration the president downplayed the help of ukraine to defend itself. asked if he had a red line he had no red line for when russia might go too far. >> big meeting in belarus. russia, ukraine and france and germany leaders meet tomorrow. the presidents of four countries have been talking for days. can they agree on a real deal to end the bloodshed in eastern ukraine? i want to bring in erin mclaughlin live for us this morning. could a deal happen? >> reporter: john that remains to be seen. all signs are saying they see no alternative to a peaceful resolution to this conflict. however, as we heard from chancellor merkel yesterday, success in the talks are anything but guaranteed. the russian defense minister would allow ukraine military e

mr. putin's calculus? i have not made a decision yet. i have consulted with angela and will be consulting with other allies about this issue. it is not based on the idea ukraine could defeat a russian army determined. it is rather to see whether or not there are additional things we could do to help ukraine bolster its defenses in the face of separatist aggression. but i want to emphasize the decision has not yet been made. one of the bigger issues we are also concerned with is making sure the ukrainian economy is functioning and president poroshenko and the prime minister can continue with the reform efforts they have made. i'm glad to see because of our cooperation and efforts, we are starting to see a package come together with the i.m.f., with the european union, and others that can help bolster the european economy so they have the space to continue to execute reforms and anticorruption measures they have made. one of the most important things we can do for ukraine is help them succeed economically because that is how people on the

mr. putin is still playing a game with his own people at home.enying that russian troops are even there we have clear evidence of that. they died by the hundreds. he covered up their funerals and so forth. so this is still for him deniable. and if he is given a sharp wrap on the nose by the ukrainian military i think he would seek a diplomatic way out of the conflict. but if we let it fester and succeed and if we let ukraine crumble, the problem is magnified and russia grows stronger. this is the time for the administration to reassess their policy and provide substantial military training and assistance to ukraine. >> we are led to believe that debate is on now. general wesley clark, thank you. >> thank you. >>> here at home the white house and center for disease control prevention made a new pitch for americans to please get your measles vaccinations as the outbreak spreads further. science. science deniers. that is what you are. you are science deniers. that is it. health officials say it started at disney parks in california in december and h

mr. putin's calculus. >> a vow to destroy boko

. >>> despite the overwhelming approval there is not universal love when it comes to mr. putin. ism of putin is underground or subversive as in the case of the feminist punk band pussy riot. they made i can't breathe. band members talked with me from moscow. . >> reporter: back in december nadi a&m asha witnessed tens of thousands of protesters marching through new york city. >> i can't breathe. >> you can't breathe. >> if i can't breathe. >> you can't breathe. >> reporter: the words in eric gardner's death at the hands of the police moved them to make a music video. ♪ ♪ >> it's very touching moment for us and we really felt these words was our own recitation. >> reporter: the video is a statement against what they call state terror around the world. it seeks to capture garner's feeling of helplessness and their own feelings of helplessness living in a country that punishes free expression. both served time for performing in a moscow church. the charge hooliganism. as mr. putin put it undermining the moral foundation of the nation. they did not give up. during the 2014 sochi olym