Corporate funding is provided by mutual of america designing customized individual and Group Retirement products. Thats why we are your retirement company. Additional support is provided by and by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. From the tisch wnet studios in Lincoln Center in new york, hari sreenivasan. Sreenivasan good evening. Thanks for joining us. With thousands of Russian Troops now reportedly fighting Ukrainian Government forces in eastern ukraine, ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko appealed today for help from the west. And during a meeting with European Union leaders in brussels, he warned that the crisis puts at high risk not only peace and stability in ukraine but throughout europe. I think we are very close to the point of no return. Point of no return is fullscale war, which already happened in the territory controlled by separatists. Sreenivasan the western leaders are debating whether to impose a third round of more stringent sanctions against russia following its takeover of crimea and its more recent intervention. For more about the fighting in ukraine, we are joined now by Alan Cullison of the wall street journal. He joins me via skype from kiev. Alan, what can you tell us . Whats the latest there this morning . The whole week weve been reporting on new incursions or invasions however you want to call them by Russian Troops to different part of ukraine. There are more details of more armor being poured in. The latest allegation is that an armored column that came in from russia flattened the town here at the border, ukrainian town. Its nothing that any of us can confirm since getting into that part of the battle zone is extremely dangerous. But basically, its just a gradual escalation and overwhelming they say that the ukrainian troops are just facing overwhelming odds and so are being encircled or pushed back. Sreenivasan are there specific villages . Are there specific areas right along the border who are feeling it more, who basically have no choice now . Yes, there were basically, there are two battle fronts near the ukrainian border. One was one was near the ukrainian city of huhansk. The other was near donetsk. What happened this weeks was an armored column broke into ukraine in an area where there wasnt any rebel activity before which was clearly evidence there were Russian Forces doing this. Thats the thats been the most catastrophic part of the week for the ukrainians. This new front that opened up in the south along the sea of azov, because the Russian Forces are moving along the coast and may be taking the town the port city of mariupol. Sreenivasan are there case wheres ukrainians are retreating, either tactically or otherwise . Yeah, theyve been in retreat for about a week now. But more problematic for the ukrainians is that several of their groups have been surrounded and, of course, getting outlive, that is a consideration. There have been efforts to negotiate a deal, i believe, a trade for prisoners, and if the ukrainians would give up some prisoners, then the russians might let them out of encirclement and back do into their own territory. But, yeah, the ukrainians are taking a beating at this point. Sreenivasan how effective are some of the videos weve seen out of there of especially on the ukrainian Independence Day in the last week and a half or so, we saw that there were actually the separatist forces were parading ukrainian soldiers through the streets. Is that kind of a message getting out to wider ukraine, that this is an active war, that there are prisoners of war . Well, i think, at least in ukraine, its been clear that theyve been at war for quite a while. Theyve been trying to send that message to people. I think that the effect of the prisoner parade on ukraine was that it polarized people even more. I mean, some want to fight harder. Others are also its just arousing enormous animosity towards those in the east who are fighting against them, and its going to make peacemaking a lot more difficult. Although, there are those ukrainians who, if the fatigue sets in, and if they are if this war continues for a long time, they might develop a attitude that theyre just a different people over there who are so hostile, that they just dont want them to be part of ukraine. Sreenivasan what about the idea that ukraine is essentially called out a draft and wants men to enter into military service . Well, i think mobilization is what most people expect. Theyve actually quite a few people have been asking why it haunhasnt happened yet. Its something that the leadership has been eye dont know exactly its hard to say why theyve held off on it. I think that they were hoping that there would be a negotiated solution, and they were actually quite optimistic about defeating the rebels up until about a week, week and a half agoing, when they said that a lot of troops and armor started moving into the country. Sreenivasan all right Alan Cullison of the wall street journal, thanks so much. Thank you. Sreenivasan former undersecretary of state Nicholas Burns will join us to discuss american options in ukraine right after the news summary. Near the golan heights, along the border between israel and syria, 32 United Nations peacekeepers from the philippines came under fire from islamic militants before being brought to safety. Later in the day, u. N. Armored vehicles were observed returning to their base in israeli controlled territory. More than 40 other peacekeepers from fiji are still surrounded by islamists in syria and are reported to be under mortar and heavy machine gunfire. The king of saudi arabia is warning of terror attacks in europe and the United States before the end of the year unless the International Community moves swiftly to confront the Islamic State. In comments to foreign ambassadors yesterday, King Abdullah said, quoting now, i am certain that after a month they will reach europe, and, after another month, america. Yesterday, britain raised its Terror Threat level to severe, meaning it considers an attack highly likely but not imminent. From monrovia, the capital of the west african country of liberia, word that a quarantine put into place 11 days ago to try to contain the outbreak of ebola has been lifted. Residents living in the affected area had feared running out of food and water. Ebola has killed more than 1,500 people so far, and, the World Health Organization said the number of cases rose last week at the fastest pace since the outbreak began five months ago. Promising medical news tonight. An experimental drug made by novartis lowers the chance of death or hospitalization from Heart Failure by 20 . The drug works in part by dilating blood vessels, enabling the heart to pump more effectively. The company will seek approval of the still unnamed drug by the end of the year in this country. The results, published today in the new england journal of medicine, were obtained during a study involving more than 8,500 people in 47 countries. The study was cut short by several months because the results were so promising. California lawmakers have passed a bill that would make the state the first in the nation to prohibit supermarkets, liquor stores, pharmacies and other businesses from using plastic bags. Environmentalists say plastic bags are rarely recycled and often end up in the ocean, harming sea life. Governor jerry brown must still sign the bill into law. In another matter, browns administration is appealing junes court ruling which effectively banned tenure for teachers in that state. The court had ruled that the states tenure system violated the states constitution by denying some of californias six Million Students a quality education. Republican leaders criticized the brown administrations decision to appeal. The state says the judge had failed to spell out adequate legal grounds for his decision. A federal court in texas has struck down major parts of a law that would have restricted abortions in that state. The law, which was to have gone into effect monday, would have required abortion clinics to meet Hospital Building standards, like widening hallways, before conducting additional procedures. The judge said the law would have placed an undue burden on women in part because some women would have had to travel 500 miles to get an abortion. And the rare intact skeletal remains of a man thought to have lived more than 6,000 years ago have gone on display at the penn museum in philadelphia. The remains were first discovered in 1930 in what is now southern iraq, but sat in storage in the museums basement ever since. They were found in an unmarked box only after the museum started digitizing its collection and couldnt account for the item. Sreenivasan returning now to the crisis in ukraine. For more perspective about what options the United States and its western allies have to deal with the Russian Military intervention there, we are joined now via skype from westport, massachusetts, by Nicholas Burns. He is a former undersecretary of state and now a professor at the Harvard Kennedy school of government. Thanks for joining us. So what should the wests role be here . Whats the appropriate balance between diplomacy and military action . Well, hari, this is a major turning point in the crise because president putin has now put russian soldiers, russian mechanized equipment over the border into ukraine. Theyve encircled the Ukrainian Military and turned the tide of this law in an outright violation of International Law. I think the west has three options ahead of it and it laib very importantinateol summit meeting next week in wales to consider this. Number one stronger sanctions against the russian government and the russian economy. And this will mean very severe financial sanctions, the kind of sanctions that will really drive up the cost to president putin for what he has done. Second, the Ukrainian Government is asking for sophisticated arms transfertransfers from europe ae United States, and intelligence support so they can fight back and control their own territory. I think president obamas been very clear, and rightly so, the United States is not going to go to war with russia over ukraine, but certainly we have an interest in helping the ukrainians to defend themselves and defend their territory, and, third, continued economic support, and here the europeans should take the lead, led by germany, because the ukrainian economy, as you know, is faltering and it needs a dramatic infusion of western capital. Sreenivasan is there any reason to believe these sanctions will work . Weve imposed some sanctions on russia and so have the europeans. It just seems theyve escalated now into a sanctions war. Its really the only Pressure Point that the west has right now because, again, weve rightly given up the alternative of war. It doesnt make sense legally or politically for us to tangle with the russian government. Were two Nuclear Weapons countries. So its really the russian economy thats vulnerable. The russian economy is very much integrated, particularly with the european economy. It it depends on infusions of international capital. It depend on manufactured imports from europe, especially, and if europeans will agree to substantial financial sanctions, much stronger than the first two rounds of sanctions over the last five months, that will be the best way to get putins attention and to show him, demonstrate to him, that theres a real cost for what hes done in violating International Law in the way hes done so. Sreenivasan if we begin arps transfers, are we essentially engaging in the equivalent of a proxy war against russia . No, were simply helping a friendly country. And ukraine, for the last 15 years, has been a friendly country to the nato allies, including the United States. Were helping that country defend itself, protect its periods, police its streets, take back two big cities, donetsk, and luhansk, critical for the survival of an integrated ukraine. And i think the reason to do so, hari, the principle at stake here is so important. At the end of the cold war, we achieved a democratic piece with europe, something europe had not been for centuries. Thats now all at risk because putin very cynically is using force to divide countries and draw new dividing lines in europe. Its that important that the United States and the west europeans get engaged here, and next weeks going to be an important week. Well know the answer. Sreenivasan so how consequential is ukraines attempt to join nato, and how long would that process take . You know, ukraine has been a partner of nato since the late 1990s. Its not at all realistic that ukraine will become a member of nato. Can hope to be a part america continue to be a part never nato to work with it but i think what the ukraines need and want most, hari is not nato mean. They want to trade relationship with a European Union. They wont be a member of the European Union any time soon as well. But they need the trade. They need the capital investment. They need the economic assistance that some kind of association, a partnership of association with the European Union would have. And remember, president putins invasion of crimea, and everything hes done was precipitated by the fact that the ukrainians were threatening a trade agreement with the European Union. He is that paranoid about states along his periphery, looking west as opposed to east. Sreenivasan what about this idea of novo russia, something the russians have said, sure, well stop all of this if we can just go ahead and annex this portion of ukraine back. It seems whether we like it or not theyve already sent the trooppedz in and are in fact taking over that part of ukraine. Its a very unsettling and destabilizing concept that you say we have a right as russians to unite all the russians outside the borders of russia. There are significant russian populations, of course, in ukraine. But also in moldavia, belarus, kazakhstan and u. S. Beck stan. Should we support the russian governmentee right to march into those countries, take over portions of those countries simply because ethnic russians are living there . This is an inexact comparison, of course. But that was essentially the philosophy of the nazi paert in germany in the 1930, that they would unite the germans. Its a very dangerous, destabilizing concept. We vowed after the Second World War we would not allow that kind of action in europe, and here it is with president piewt win his new russia concept, which is dangerous, and it deserves it. It needs to be opposed by the United States and the west europeans. Sreenivasan all right, Nicholas Burns, thanks very much for your time. Thank you. Keep up with the days news in real time. Read newshours rundown blog at newshour. Pbs. Org. Sreenivasan the Islamic State has entered our consciousness for multiple reasons. Partly for the savagery theyre willing to commit, and also because of the savvy they display in spreading their message. For some analysis, yesterday i spoke with shadi hamid of the Brookings Institution and author of temptations of power islamists and illiberal democracy in a new middle east, and Philip Smythe a researcher at the university of maryland and blogger at hizballah cavalcade who studies islamic extremism. Shadi hamid, compare these guys to al qaeda. It seems that we were almost better off getting these grainy videotapes from Osama Bin Laden out of a cave, compared to what were seeing today. So, isis are quite advanced in their market, and media strategy. Theyve been very active on twitter. And for those of us on the outside trying to follow them, you can actually engage with some of these people on twitter and theyre actively tweeting about somewhat mundane things. There was actually a twitter meme where yi fighters were eating up jars of nutella. On the other hand you see very savage things like beheadings. There is a strange duality, a schizophrenia that theyre showing this dark, brutal side, but theyre also trying to show, at least as they might see it, a more humane side to western audiences. Were not going to buy that as americans, but for people who are potentially sympathetic or fencesitters, seeing those images can actually be appeal. Sreenivasan philip smyth, it seems in the past it was guys holding machine guns in the backdrop of a video. This is how tough i am. It seems now the bar sihave to be holding a human head in an instagram. Weve seen stuff like this before. Its not really that new. Its the platforms being utilizeed. Twitter, instagram, facebook. There is direct outreach to the people they wish to recruit and the people they wish to influence. Sreenivasan why is this escalation . Is it an escalation of the savagery . Do the groups peel like theres no other alternative . Why go to these treme exrooems nou . One thing yi wants to do is instill terror in the heartses of their opens. Say the iraqi army or syrian army see images of beheadings and mass executions, the