Former UK Nat Security Adviser Sir Mark Lyall Grant told me after @BBCNewsnight he thought cultural sanctions would be highly effective in communicating directly to Russian people their isolation caused by Putin invasion.
Especially throwing Russia out of World Cup qualification
Especially throwing Russia out of World Cup qualification
https://twitter.com/HollyHNews/status/1497499390029750274
Glad to see our guest from last night the Ukrainian MP @kiraincongress is safe this morning after having to cut short @bbcNewsnight interview due to air raid sirens and Russian attacks on Kiev - she showed us the Kalashnikov she has received to defend Ukraine
And Latvian deputy PM and defence min @Pabriks
“No matter how hard sanctions..will not stop Russians marching on Kyiv or Mariupol. But we can send Stingers, Javelins, vests. our moral duty.don't need only to watch the screens and see how these people are dying defending Europe”
“No matter how hard sanctions..will not stop Russians marching on Kyiv or Mariupol. But we can send Stingers, Javelins, vests. our moral duty.don't need only to watch the screens and see how these people are dying defending Europe”
On #bbcnewsnight @pabriks, Latvian Defence minister
“If Europe will just watch like we're doing now, we will not engage fully in supporting the Ukrainians. If Ukraine falls, believe me, the strategic situation of Europe and transatlantic alliance will be totally differently..”
“If Europe will just watch like we're doing now, we will not engage fully in supporting the Ukrainians. If Ukraine falls, believe me, the strategic situation of Europe and transatlantic alliance will be totally differently..”
• @Pabriks “because when we in Baltics & Poland, warned Western leaders about Georgia in 2008 we were right. In 2014 we warned about Ukraine & Crimea. We were right. When we warned Belarus would be invaded & swallows by Russia we were right. Please believe us today, & act now." 
Former Swedish PM @carlbildt tells me that by far the biggest sanctions are the US dollar sanctions on Russias biggest bank Sberbank and that will be “more damaging” than kicking Russia out of Swift… @BBCNewsnight
judgements from Sir Mark and @carlbildt about what Putin trying to achieve - agree he wants a “puppet Govt” in Kyiv, but Sir Mark thinks he may be trying to split country in two but even 200k troops can’t occupy 44m strong country. Bildt thinks VVP might want whole Ukr
Lastly very interesting reflection from @carlbildt when I suggest the west missed multiple opportunities to stop Putin… he says Putin “changed” post 2012 Medvedev interlude… and became obsessed with history and being “on a delusional journey to recreate an imperial past”
And this is our opening montage from last night… @BBCNewsnight
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