GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The former director of the National Security Council was in Grand Rapids Monday to share her insight into the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Fiona Hill talked about the challenges Russia presents to the U.S. and Europe. She focused on Vladimir Putin's 22 years in charge of Russia and his view that Ukraine is part of Russia, not a sovereign country.
“Putin is saying, ‘I don't want Ukrainians to run themselves,’” Hill said. “I mean, this is totally against other people's freedom of choice, and their desires to just, you know, live like they want to live and put into saying, ‘No, I don't accept that, I don't accept the Ukrainians have the right to make choices.'”
Hill added that both sides are engaging in a propaganda war, emphasizing that people need to research and verify where the information is coming from.
Hill is currently a senior fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings. She served on the National Security Council from 2017-2019, where she worked as both the senior director and deputy assistant to the president for European and Russian affairs.
Hill has also served as a national intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia at the National Intelligence Council.
Watch the full interview with Hill below:
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