Former US Ambassador Michael McFaul spoke to Ekaterina Kotrikadze at the Munich Security Conference. They discussed the presence of Russian opposition voices at the conference, the possible disconnect between Ukraine and the West on the timeline and resources required for the war, the current Western attitude towards Russia, and the possible scenarios that might lead to the end of the conflict.
Michael McFaul: Trip to Ukraine is a 'brilliant move' by Biden
For twenty years, the Russian autocrat enjoyed a string of good fortune in coming to power and cementing his rule. He had raised Russia’s standing in the world. Then he invaded Ukraine.
Nearly a year after he invaded Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has failed to achieve any of his major objectives. He has not unified the alleged single Slavic nation, he has not “denazified” or “demilitarized” Ukraine, and he has not stopped NATO expansion. Instead, the Ukrainian military kept Russian troops out of Kyiv, defended Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, and launched successful counteroffensives in the fall so that by the end of 2022, it had liberated over 50 percent of the territory previously captured by Russian soldiers that year. In January, Putin removed the
