Obama: Russia Encouraging Tension in Ukraine
OBAMA: Russia has not lifted a finger to help. In fact, there's strong evidence that they have encouraging the kinds of activities that have been taking place.</s>BLACKWELL: That's President Obama, his comments from Malaysia overnight. The president said the world is united against Russia in its actions there in Ukraine. The tension between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, this is heating up. Russian state news is claiming Kiev mobilized 15,000 troops in the suburbs of Slaviansk to, quote, "wipe out the city and its residents."</s>PAUL: Frightening. On Russia's side of the border, there are 40,000 troops conducting military exercises. This is according to Moscow. Now, meanwhile, a group of European observers are in the hands of pro-Russian gunmen. I want to bring in retired U.S. Army General James "Spider" Marks. Thank you for being with us. GEN. JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS</s>CNN MILITARY ANALYST: My pleasure.</s>PAUL: In this situation, do you see any way to avoid some sort of military confrontation?</s>MARKS: Well, Christi, the military confrontation is already taking place. Kiev has an obligation to maintain peace, order, control, in all of its sovereign territory and Slaviansk and Donetsk, and eastern Ukraine certainly is a part of it. That's not challenged internationally. Russia is instigating this. And the president is absolutely correct. I challenge him at one point. Putin is raising a finger and he's raising a finger to instigate the violence and the chaos that you see in east Ukraine. Clearly, Putin and the government in Kiev, Moscow and Kiev should be able to talk, because it appears right now that they have a coalescing of the same objective, both want some form of stability. Putin doesn't want to see this thing spin out of control. His concern is for Russian, ethnic Russians in east Ukraine. And the Kiev government certainly wants to maintain order in its country and within its borders. So you'd think there might be some degree of an agreement. Clearly, that's not the case right now.</s>BLACKWELL: General, you said that this already, military confrontation. My question pulls the string of with whom and which country? If we take into context the buzzing of U.S. ships, the flying Russian jets flying into U.S. air space. Is Putin looking specifically for a military confrontation with the U.S., not just Ukraine?</s>MARKS: Well, the Russians didn't do anything about U.S. air space. What they did is overflied a naval. They have penetrated Ukrainian air space, Victor. So, it is very provocative, absolutely. These are clear indications of tension being ratcheted up. But again, Russia has already invaded Ukraine, they annexed Crimea, which is a part of Ukraine. So we've got to take that discussion of trying to find our way around the edges on this thing and tighten it up and say, look, the Russians have invaded Ukraine, they've annexed Crimea. There is instigation that's taking place in east Ukraine, and clearly Putin doesn't gain if this thing completely spins out of control and he has the responsibility to try to clean up the mess in east Ukraine. I would anticipate that the forces that are north of Ukraine, the Russian forces that are north of Ukraine right now really is the strategic provocative action that's taking place right now. Clearly, Putin has the authority to exercise his own forces in his own country, but the message that he's sending Ukraine and the rest of the world is, look, I mean business here. But I tell you, Russian history tells you that they like instability on their borders, as long as they can control that instability and know what the outcome is. Makes it more difficult to threaten Russia and Moscow. In this case, Putin's concerned that he can't control what's taking place in Ukraine, so he's keeping the forces there to ensure that if it spins out of control to, in his view, he can react.</s>BLACKWELL: All right. General Spider Marks, thank you so much.</s>MARKS: Thank you, folks.</s>PAUL: Thank you. So, new this morning, listen to this, after all of the criticisms of the Malaysian government over the handling of flight 370, President Obama is defending them.</s>BLACKWELL: Earlier today at a joint news conference, Mr. Obama said he believes the Malaysian government has been forthcoming with information to the U.S. he also vowed to provide more assistance and support to the search.</s>PAUL: Meanwhile the high-tech underwater robot the Bluefin-21 scouring the ocean floor right now. We've learned it's the robot's 15th mission. So far not a single piece of debris has been found.</s>BLACKWELL: Above the surface, the sea and air search have been suspended because of bad weather in the area.</s>PAUL: All right. We want to take you to an unprecedented event in Vatican City today. Two new saints welcomed into the church by two living popes. This is history.</s>BLACKWELL: It is indeed. We're going to take you live to Vatican City as millions gather to celebrate this historic canonization.