Sunday, February 27, 2022

U.S. ambassador to U.N. says "every possible lever" will be used to expose Putin

Plus, Representative Liz Cheney says sanctions against Russia "ought to go further"

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"President Putin is continuing to escalate this war in a manner that is totally unacceptable, and we have to continue to condemn his actions in the strongest possible way."

- U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to order the country's nuclear deterrent forces on alert.

Welcome to the "Face the Nation" Five at Five newsletter. Scroll down for your five takeaways from today's broadcast of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on CBS.

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1. Thomas-Greenfield.: Every "possible lever" must be used to expose Putin

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U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield joined Margaret Brennan to discuss Moscow's continued full-scale assault on Ukraine.

What we asked: "Vladimir Putin has been speaking on state TV with his top officials and said he was ordering Russia's nuclear deterrent forces to be on alert for a special regime of combat duty. Can you tell us what that means?"

What Thomas-Greenfield said: "It means that President Putin is continuing to escalate this war in a manner that is totally unacceptable, and we have to continue to condemn his actions in the strongest possible way. Our voices have been unified with the Europeans and with the world that he needs to cease his aggressive actions toward Ukraine. And we will continue here at the United Nations and around the world to use every possible lever we have at our disposal to expose his actions."

Why it matters: In televised comments during a meeting with top officials, Putin directed his military leaders to put the Russian nuclear deterrent forces in a "special regime of combat duty," citing what he called "aggressive statements" from NATO members and sweeping financial sanctions from the U.S. and Western leaders imposed on him and Russian financial institutions.

2. Cheney: Sanctions against Russia "ought to go further"

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Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney said Sunday that sanctions intended to impose severe costs on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine should go further and target Russia's oil sector, as well as the families of Putin and those in his inner circle.

What we asked: "Have we reached the limit of what is possible to do here with sanctions? Or is there something more you think would make a difference?"

What Cheney said: "We certainly haven't reached the limit, I think that we have seen impressive progress. I think the fact that we've had European countries and NATO united with the United States as we go forward is a very positive thing. I do think we need to do more. I would like to see us move with respect to the Russian central bank completely. I'd like to see SWIFT sanctions that don't leave any carveouts. I'd like to see the oil industry affected. I'd like to see very clear that the United States ought to be looking at ourselves, frankly, as an arsenal of energy for the world in a way that in World War II, we were an arsenal of democracy. We ought to be an arsenal of energy, so we ought to be unleashing our own energy resources, our own energy production. We ought to stop the imports of Russian oil to the United States. So there's certainly more we can do. We ought to be sanctioning not just Putin, not just Lavrov, not just the oligarchs, but all of their families, that this behavior, this aggression against Ukraine is something that the world simply cannot tolerate. So the sanctions ought to go further. As I said, we've made good progress so far. "

Why it matters: The United States and European partners have hit Russia with a series of sanctions in response to Putin's war against Ukraine, and financial penalties ramped up over the past two days. On Friday, the White House announced sanctions on Putin, Foreign Minister Lavrov and members of the Russian national security team. On Saturday, the U.S., European Union and the United Kingdom placed restrictions on Russia's central bank and agreed to cut "selected" Russian banks from SWIFT.

3. McMaster: Putin is not a "rational actor"

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Former national security adviser H.R. McMaster discussed what may be "driving" Putin's attack into neighboring Ukraine.

What we asked: "We have seen what Vladimir Putin is willing to do in Syria. He backs a war criminal who used chemical weapons. You heard the U.N. ambassador say that's not off the table. He's threatening to potentially lean into nuclear by saying he's raising his threat level. Is Vladimir Putin a rational actor at this point?"

What McMaster said: "I don't think he's a rational actor because he's fearful, right? What he wants to do more than anything is restore Russia to national greatness. He's driven by that. He's also driven by a desire to remain in power to at least 2036. And so I think now he knows that all of that is at risk, right? That Russia, the Russian military, doesn't look very good right now. He doesn't look very powerful. And this is going to jeopardize his ability to stay in power."

Why it matters: Putin's full-scale assault on Ukraine last week is the largest military action in Europe since the end of World War II, and it is causing a crisis for both the world economy and instigating a new refugee crisis.

4. Malpass: World Bank is doing "everything" it can to support Ukraine

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World Bank president David Malpass discussed the economic impact of Russia's full-scale assault on Ukraine.

What we asked: "Is one of the decisions to be made after the government falls? What will happen if this is a government in exile or this is an insurgency? Does help to Ukrainian people continue?"

What Malpass said: "I'm not at all at that point. So we were not trying to look at hypotheticals or contingencies. It's that we are doing everything we can to support the people of Ukraine, the people of the region and also thinking about this tragedy for the Russian people that they didn't choose war. You know, the phrase in Russia is 'net voyne,' which is 'no to war.' And so it's not clear how this is all going to play out. One thing is, the arc of history is for Russia to be closer to Europe - there's all this talk about China, but that's not a natural alliance. In 1989, I was on the border of China and Russia, and people were wondering, are they going to get together and work together? No sign of that for the long run - Russia wants to use China, they have the SWIFT - they have a mere system that can connect payments with China. I'm not sure this will go very far."

Why it matters: Russia's invasion of its neighbor not only has caused a refugee crisis but has thrown both the fuel markets into flux but has also furthered disrupted an existing supply chain

5. Clyburn: Ketanji Brown Jackson SCOTUS nod "beyond politics"

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House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn called for "strong bipartisan support" for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Supreme Court nomination on Sunday, saying it would demonstrate that the United States continues its pursuit of a more perfect union.

What we asked: "How important is it for President Biden to have this vote for this particular historic choice be bipartisan?

What Clyburn said: "This is beyond politics. This is about the country, our pursuit of a more perfect union, and this is demonstrative of another step in that pursuit. And I would hope that all my Republican friends will look upon it that way. Let's have a debate. Let's talk to her about her rulings and about her philosophy. But in the final analysis, let's have strong bipartisan support to demonstrate that both parties are still in pursuit of perfection."

Why it matters: With his selection of Jackson, President Biden fulfilled a promise he made on the campaign trail two years ago to name the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, a pledge that was secured by Clyburn.

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