Juana Somers
Appearances
Consider This from NPR
The long history of Russia's broken promises to Ukraine
Here's what White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt says about prospects for an end to the war in Ukraine.
Consider This from NPR
The long history of Russia's broken promises to Ukraine
Consider this. Ukraine says it won't trust a promise from Russia. It needs security guarantees. To understand why, you've got to go back to the birth of independent Ukraine. From NPR, I'm Juana Somers. It's Consider This from NPR. On August 24th, 1991, as the Soviet Union was crumbling, Ukraine declared its independence.
Consider This from NPR
The long history of Russia's broken promises to Ukraine
Kirill Stetsenko, a Ukrainian in Kyiv, spoke to NPR about it a few days later.
Consider This from NPR
The long history of Russia's broken promises to Ukraine
But almost immediately, Ukrainians worried about Russia trying to claim parts of their country. And their fear was justified.
Consider This from NPR
The long history of Russia's broken promises to Ukraine
I wanted to talk to him about the long history of broken agreements between Ukraine and Russia that haunts the current peace negotiations, about the reason Ukraine won't trust Russian promises. He says a lot of it goes back to an agreement from 1994 called the Budapest Memorandum.
Consider This from NPR
The long history of Russia's broken promises to Ukraine
Both sides are already accusing one another of violating the agreement. Meetings are scheduled for Monday in Saudi Arabia to work out the details. Here's State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on Wednesday.
Consider This from NPR
The long history of Russia's broken promises to Ukraine
And of course, we know that that agreement, the Budapest Memorandum, did not end up protecting Ukraine. In 2014, Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, part of Ukraine, which brings us to another Russia-Ukraine deal, the Minsk Agreements. Tell us what those laid out.
Consider This from NPR
The long history of Russia's broken promises to Ukraine
I want to play for you, if I can, another piece of tape. My colleague Eleanor Beardsley was in Donetsk in Ukraine just 10 days after Minsk won that first Minsk agreement. Let's listen.
Consider This from NPR
The long history of Russia's broken promises to Ukraine
What lessons do you think Ukraine takes away from this history of broken promises as they are potentially heading towards another agreement with Russia?
Consider This from NPR
The long history of Russia's broken promises to Ukraine
That's a metaphorical table in this case because Ukrainian and Russian officials will be in separate rooms with the U.S. acting as a go-between. All this for a partial one-month ceasefire. One of the biggest things working against an agreement to end the war is what happened after Ukraine's last agreement with Russia's President Vladimir Putin and the ones before that.
Consider This from NPR
The long history of Russia's broken promises to Ukraine
Ukraine is now in a position of negotiating with the same two countries that left it without its nuclear deterrent 30 years ago. I'm talking, of course, about the U.S. and Russia. We've talked so much about the geopolitics of the situation, but I want to ask you about the people. If you can say, how do people in Ukraine feel about being back in this position again decades later?
Consider This from NPR
The long history of Russia's broken promises to Ukraine
We have been speaking with Serhii Plahi. He's director of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. Thank you so much.
Consider This from NPR
The long history of Russia's broken promises to Ukraine
This episode was produced by Connor Donovan. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sammy Yannigan. Before we go, a word of thanks to our Consider This Plus listeners whose support makes this show possible. Supporters also hear every episode without messages from sponsors. If that's not you, it could be. To learn more, visit plus.npr.org. It's Consider This from NPR.
Consider This from NPR
The long history of Russia's broken promises to Ukraine
There is a long history of broken promises. In 2019, I signed with him the deal. Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, brought up that history in the Oval Office last month. It's what prompted the pushback from Vice President J.D. Vance and the argument that ultimately ended the meeting.
Consider This from NPR
The long history of Russia's broken promises to Ukraine
That may be true, but the current situation is still a very long way from a lasting peace. This week, the presidents of Ukraine and Russia agreed in separate phone calls with President Trump to a limited 30-day ceasefire. The exact details are in dispute, but it would at least cover attacks on energy infrastructure, like power plants.