Welcome to Beg to Bue to Differ.

The Bullworks Weekly Roundtable discussion featuring civil conversation across the political spectrum.

We range from center left to center right. I'm Mona Charon, indicated columnist and

policy editor at the Bullwork, and I'm joined by our regulars Bill Galston at the Brookings Institution

and the Wall Street Journal, Linda Chavez of the Niskannon Center, and Damon Linker

who writes the Sub-St newsletter, Eyes on the Right.

Our special guest this week is Corey Schake, Director of Foreign and Defense Policy at the

American Enterprise Institute.

Welcome, one and all.

Lots to discuss this week and however much bad luck you may feel that you had,

please reflect that you probably did not have as bad a week as the Prime Minister

of Great Britain.

But let's turn to a different part of the world for our first topic because I would like to discuss

Putin and Ukraine and martial law, he has declared martial law in the provinces that he illegally annexed just a few weeks ago.

Corey, since the last time you joined us on Begg to Differ,

you have actually visited Ukraine and met with Vladimir Zelensky so we would love to get the benefit of your views.

I'd like you to explain to us if you could what this means about Putin declaring

martial law in these provinces. Why is he doing that? What's the purpose? What does it

signify? I actually think it's a pretty worrisome sign because he's not in

control of most of the territory of the four regions of Ukraine that Russia purportedly annexed.

And if people are being governed, you don't have to declare martial law, right?

So Putin's theory of the war that Ukraine isn't a separate nation and that it's part of Russia and therefore Russia needs to control it.

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