CNN's Clarissa Ward tells Stephen Colbert why Ukrainians aren't panicking about Russia, what Putin wants

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that the U.S. and its NATO allies ignored his three key security demands in their written response to his concerns about Ukraine, but suggested he is willing to continue discussions to ease tensions sparked by his buildup of at least 100,000 troops along Ukraine's borders.
"Yes, you must address his three key requirements: Give. Me. Ukraine," Stephen Colbert joked on Tuesday's Late Show. "Things are tense," and Russia claims "the U.S. is exaggerating the threat. But look how many troops Russia has all around Ukraine. That's a lot of red! If this were an ad for T-Mobile, I'd consider switching carriers."
Oddly, Ukrainians don't seem all "that concerned about Ukrainian sovereignty being crushed to dust under the iron heel of Vladimir Putin," Colbert said. "Throughout this crisis, their president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has been strangely relaxed, and according to CNN's Clarissa Ward, his people are following suit." So, he asked, "are we on the brink of a major Russian invasion of its western neighbor, plunging the world into the most dangerous standoff since the Cold War? Or is the U.S. making a mountain out of a molehill that Vladimir Putin has surrounded with 100,000 troops? When we return, we'll ask CNN's Clarissa Ward via satellite from Ukraine."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"You've talked to the Ukrainians — how are they feeling about all this?" Colbert asked Ward. "You would expect there to be an all-out panic, right?" she said. "But what's interesting in Ukraine is that people have been living with the threat of Russian aggression for eight years" and "I think that until there are actually bombs falling or shots being fired," Ukrainians will view this as a war of political rhetoric.
Ward said if Putin does invade, "the most likely scenario" is he'll justify it with a "false flag" Russian attack on Russian-passport-carrying Ukrainians. Colbert asked if Ward thought Putin was testing Biden, like Soviet leaders used to do with new presidents, and she said that's a possibility, because "Putin is always trying to push buttons like that, and especially with each president." She had some other theories, but "at the end of the day, you always end up coming back to the same thing, which is: What is President Vladimir Putin thinking right now?" Ward explained what Putin thinks about Ukraine and why he won't let it go.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
A Spinal Tap reunion, Thomas Pynchon by way of Paul Thomas Anderson and a harrowing Stephen King adaptation in September movies
the week recommends This month's new releases include 'Spinal Tap II,' 'One Battle After Another' and 'The Long Walk'
-
'Vampire energy' could be causing your electric bill to rise
Under the Radar Wasted energy could account for up to 10% of home use
-
Crossword: September 10, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
How global conflicts are reshaping flight paths
Under the Radar Airlines are having to take longer and convoluted routes to avoid conflict zones
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle