Bruno Lete on the Tense Situation in Eastern Ukraine

Bruno Lete joined Euronews’ “Good Morning Europe” to discuss the tense situation in Eastern Ukraine, where a Russian military build-up at the border and increased hostilities have left more than two dozen Ukrainian service members dead in recent weeks. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg today called on Russia to de-escalate immediately.

According to Lete, Moscow’s actions can be seen as a tactic by Vladimir Putin to both distract from domestic political challenges and to demonstrate Russia’s strength to the U.S. and Europe—which have both recently levied fresh sanctions on Moscow for the poisoning of opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

The increased tensions serve as a backdrop for NATO talks in Brussels today, attended by the U.S. secretaries of state and defense. Lete explains that diplomacy will be key for ultimately de-escalating the situation in Ukraine, but that the U.S. and Europe must back its words up with actions.