U.S. ambassador to Poland on the end to war in Ukraine: ‘The pressure being put on those closest to Putin could work’

Mark Brzezinski, the U.S. ambassador to Poland, joins Yahoo News’ “Skullduggery” podcast to discuss the possible diplomatic “off-ramps” to the war in Ukraine. Brzezinski says, “What may result in that off-ramp is the pressure put on Putin by those close to [him] by devastating sanctions — from diplomatic isolation and other measures that are painful for those that can get to him and say, ‘Would you stop this?’”

Video transcript

MARK BRZEZINSKI: My read of Putin, having watched his ascension from the late 1990s to where he is, is that he is a thug who has a revanchist notion of Russia's, of Russia's footprint in Eurasia, and that, for him, Kyiv and Odessa were central focal points of what a revived or renewed Soviet bloc would be. And I think that that is his driving motivation behind all of this.

MICHAEL ISIKOFF: If Putin is, in fact, a thug who's determined to expand Russian power and influence, is there any diplomatic off-ramp at this point? And if so, what is it?

MARK BRZEZINSKI: It's a great question, Michael. And I think that Secretary of State Blinken and National Security Advisor Sullivan have offered the folks around Putin continuously off-ramps, and quite appropriately, because we want the bloodshed to end and for this to stop.

MICHAEL ISIKOFF: But what is that-- what is that off-ramp? Is it accepting Russian control of Eastern Ukraine and accepting the annexation of Crimea? Is that the diplomatic solution here?

MARK BRZEZINSKI: I think what will result, what may result in the use of that off-ramp-- of that off-ramp is the pressure put on Putin by those close to him from devastating sanctions, from diplomatic isolation and other measures that are painful to those who can get to him and say, would you stop this? This is insanity. And so I'm glad that those diplomatic off-ramps are being offered, despite the fact that we're, you know, having to prepare for every contingency.

MICHAEL ISIKOFF: So just to be clear, the US could accept Russian control of Eastern Ukraine and Crimea in exchange for a withdrawal of Russian military forces--

MARK BRZEZINSKI: I'm not going to--

MICHAEL ISIKOFF: --from the rest of the country.

MARK BRZEZINSKI: Yeah, I'm not in a position in which I can say that. I'm here to put eyes on the synchronicity between the Polish military, the NATO footprint here, and the American military here, and then to develop contingencies regarding this humanitarian mass that is crossing over our border. But I can tell you I am honored to work for a Secretary who is working assiduously to try to make the diplomatic off-ramp work, because the pressure being put on those closest to Putin could work. And I think the severity of it will drive them to do something. And I'm prayerful-- I'm prayerful that it will work.