The AP Interview: Fiona Hill says Putin has host of options

By TRACY BROWN and LYNN BERRY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fiona Hill, a Russia scholar who has served in the past three U.S. administrations, is offering a sober assessment of the Ukraine crisis. She says even if the U.S. succeeds in deterring Russian President Vladimir Putin from ordering a full-scale invasion, he will remain determined to bring Ukraine to heel and has “a whole host of options of things that he can do.” She says Russia could hit Ukraine with paralyzing cyberattacks, hobble its economy or even poison the Ukrainian president. Hill spoke in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday. President Joe Biden is warning that Russia could invade Ukraine within days.