Ambassador mcfaul Details Putin’s Ukraine Objectives and Negotiating Stance

OPINION – “The reason why I still remain pessimistic is that everything that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin says is he still wants those four territories…Eastern Ukraine. He hasn’t achieved that yet. And he wants Ukraine to be at least subjugated to Russia, because he doesn’t think that Ukraine’s an independant country or independent nation. Ukrainians are just Russians with accents. That’s his view. I’ve heard him talk about it personally. I’ve been in the room when he talks that way. And maximally he wants to bring it all into Russia. So, tragically, I think the only way he negotiates seriously is when he’s stopped on the battlefield and his armies cannot march further west.”

That was michael McFaul, President Obama’s Ambassador to Russia (2012-to-2014), speaking with Katie Couric August 18, on YouTube. McFaul, a Russian expert, is today a professor at Stanford University and Director of its Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies.

In the 53-minute conversation, McFaul provided a background to the Ukraine war, shared his views on the relations between Putin and President Trump, and talked about the possible future when it comes to the NATO and European Union nations and the United States.Early in their conversation, McFaul provided an interesting background to the past and current fighting which has been taking place in eastern Ukraine, adjacent to Russia.

“So there are four regions that most of the fighting has been taking place,” McFaul said, “In each of those four regions [they] are partially occupied by the Russians today.”

Two of the four regions, Donetsk and Luhansk, together form what’s called the Donbas. Russia holds all of Luhansk and 75 percent of Donetsk. The other two regions are Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where Russia has about 70 percent of the land.

McFaul said, “Two years ago Putin held a big ceremony where he said these new four regions are now part of the Russian Federation in addition to Crimea, which he annexed back in 2014…So five regions of Russia, five states if you will of the Ukrainian country Putin has already, you know, annexed.”

“On paper,” McFaul continued, Putin “had a big ceremony, there’s parades, and the Kremlin and they say he had all these fictitious leaders from these places saying you’re now part of Russia, right, but de facto on the ground in reality he doesn’t control any of those places 100%.”

McFaul explained the “Donbas is rich in minerals. It’s the industrial base of the country. So I think it’s like eight or nine percent of the [Ukraine] population…but it’s more like 15 percent of the GDP [gross national product] of the entire country.so it would be a tremendous loss to Ukraine. That is true. Also, half parts of it have been occupied de facto by Russian surrogates as 2014. So another important thing to realize is that once that happened,many hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians left that territory. They’re living all over the place. I have friends from those regions that are living in Germany, living here in the United States, and living in parts, other parts of Ukraine.”

McFaul tied the Donbas to what happened when Trump met with Putin in Alaska on August 15, saying, “We never really got a good readout from what happened in Alaska, but to the best of our understanding, what Putin asked for in Alaska, pretty audacious. He said, Donbas, that’s two of those regions, right? That’s up in the northwest corner, northeast corner. He said, Mr. President, convince Zelensky to leave Donbas. Remember Ukrainian soldiers and Ukrainians now hold parts of Donbas as we speak…It’s Ukrainian held territory and Putin says you got to convince Zelensky to give me those two regions and in return I will stop fighting in those other two regions that I just mentioned. Right? Kherson and Zaporizhzhia…So that’s his deal.”

McFaul went on, “That’s his offer.

Putin’s Claims About US Elections Echoed by Trump

Former President Donald Trump reportedly heard and repeated claims from Vladimir Putin regarding the legitimacy of the 2020 US election. This revelation highlights a concerning alignment between Trump and Putin on a critical issue of national sovereignty.

Putin’s Outlook on the 2020 Election

According to Michael McFaul, former US Ambassador to Russia, Putin privately told Trump that the 2020 election was stolen due to mail-in voting. McFaul stated, “‘I would have never invaded Ukraine had you been president.’ And that’s exactly what Trump wanted to hear.”

This claim was further substantiated by a later conversation between Trump and sean Hannity on Fox News. Putin reportedly “went on and on about how the 2020 elections was stolen because of mail-in ballots, because of mail-in voting.”

Trump’s Response and Amplification

During an August 15th interview with Hannity, Trump described Putin’s statement as “one of the most interesting things” he had heard. Putin specifically asserted that the US election was “rigged because of mail-in voting,” and further claimed that “no country has mail-in voting. It’s impossible to have.” Trump then continued to echo these sentiments.

The Significance of the Exchange

the fact that Trump willingly repeated and seemingly accepted putin’s claims about the 2020 election raises serious questions. It suggests a willingness to prioritize Putin’s narrative over the assessments of US intelligence agencies and the integrity of the American democratic process. This alignment is particularly troubling given Russia’s history of interference in US elections.

Implications for US-Russia Relations

This exchange underscores the complex and often fraught relationship between the United States and Russia. Putin’s willingness to discuss the 2020 election with Trump, and Trump’s subsequent amplification of those claims, demonstrates a potential vulnerability to foreign influence and a disregard for established democratic norms.

Further Investigation Needed

A deeper understanding of the full context of these conversations is crucial. Further investigation is needed to determine the extent to which Putin’s claims influenced Trump’s views and actions, and the potential implications for US national security.

Key Takeaways

• Vladimir Putin privately told Donald Trump that the 2020 US election was stolen due to mail-in voting.
• Trump publicly repeated Putin’s claims, amplifying them to a wider audience.
• This exchange raises concerns about Trump’s willingness to accept foreign narratives over US intelligence assessments.
• The incident highlights the complex and possibly vulnerable nature of US-Russia relations.

Published: 2025/08/26 14:33:17