Michael McFaul

@McFaul • 888,346 subscribers

Professor of Political Science, Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute & Hoover Institution, all at Stanford University. U.S. Ambassador to Russia, 2012-2014.

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Let's be clear: Ukraine did not start this war. Russia did. What American national interest is served by helping an imperial dictator at the expense of a democracy fighting for its survival?

Appeasement does not work with Putin.

Putin believes Western leaders can be bought off. That everyone has a price. His strategy with Trump? Promise lucrative business deals once Ukraine is “out of the way” to secure the concessions he wants I hope that strategy won't succeed. I fear it might. Maybe it already is?

One of the worst weeks for U.S.–Ukraine relations in recent memory. I'm outraged by the Trump administration's decisions and their potential consequences for Ukrainian lives. America should stand with democracies, not dictatorships.

Trump has not helped end the war in Ukraine. He has prolonged it. In doing so, he has sided with autocratic Russia and against democratic Ukraine. That pivot has further undermined America’s reputation as the 'leader of the free world'.

Trump’s comments last night about “Obama’s Iran deal” were simply wrong. It wasn’t perfect, but it capped uranium enrichment at 3.67%. Since Trump scrapped it, Iran has enriched to 60%—much closer to weapons-grade. And that stockpile still hasn’t been eliminated.

Trump’s decision to buy billions of dollars of Russian diesel is a gift to Putin. It won’t solve America’s high gas prices, but it will put more money in Putin’s pockets to fund his war against Ukraine. Why does Trump keep siding with dictators instead of democracies?

I’m struck by how often Trump referred to Xi as his “friend” and a “great leader.” Xi Jinping, chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, is a dictator. He also offered no such reciprocal praise for Trump. That asymmetry makes Trump appear in a visibly weaker position.

To our friends around the world: Trump is not America, and America is not Trump.

I believe America should stand with democracies, not dictatorships. Is that really such a controversial position?

We've become remarkably desensitized to Trump's rhetoric. Declaring the Iran ceasefire "over," threatening to end all trade with Spain, calling Japan an "Islamic Republic"—a few years ago, each would have been a major story. Now they barely register. Why?

If economic sanctions can achieve our objectives now, why couldn't we have used them to avoid going to war in the first place?

53% of registered U.S. voters recently polled by YouGov selected 'corrupt' when asked which words they’d use to describe Trump. Corruption can take time to uncover, and even longer to register with the public. But I think Americans are starting to take note

The Russian army is exhausted too. Russia is taking far higher casualties than Ukraine, and after 3.5 years has barely moved the front line. The idea that Russia is “winning” is simply not supported by the evidence. As I told DW News

Right now, the conversation isn’t about nuclear programs, or free and fair elections in Iran. It's about reopening a body of water that was open before this war started. Chalk that up as a win for Tehran.

From threatening to invade Greenland to calling Canada "the 51st state" and slapping tariffs on everyone—this isn't "America First," it’s a massive self-inflicted wound. Now Trump wants to abandon NATO. That would be an all-time own goal.

Once in power, Putin cut taxes for wealthy elites, consolidated media &amp; sought to shape the electoral process. Sound familiar? Some parallels are hard to ignore. The difference? The US has strong checks, an active civil society &amp; deep democratic traditions. That gives me hope.

Trump tore up the Iran nuclear deal. After he did, Iran began rebuilding its nuclear capacity. Trump then took us to war with Iran to eliminate its nuclear program. He has failed to do that.

The U.S. is pulling out of yet another international institution—this time, an anti-corruption body. America does not become stronger by isolating itself.

Once in power, Putin cut taxes for wealthy elites, consolidated media & sought to shape the electoral process. Sound familiar? Some parallels are hard to ignore. The difference? The US has strong checks, an active civil society & deep democratic traditions. That gives me hope.