Russia Is a Habitual Treaty Violator

Mar 13, 2025

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, a former National Security Council director for Europe and author of 'The Folly of Realism,' shares insights on U.S.-Russia relations and Ukraine's struggles. He critiques past U.S. administrations' transactional policies toward Ukraine and examines the repercussions of Russia's treaty violations. Vindman discusses the damaging effects of the Trump era on American alliances and the erosion of national security expertise. He also highlights the resilience of Ukraine amidst misreported war dynamics.

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INSIGHT

Ukraine's Nationhood

The U.S. didn't fully recognize Ukraine as a distinct nation, echoing Russia's dismissive view.
This disregard for Ukraine's identity played a crucial role in later crises.

INSIGHT

Obama Administration's Missteps

Obama's reset with Russia after the Georgian War and the focus on de-escalation were problematic.
These actions missed opportunities to strengthen Ukraine and deter further Russian aggression.

ANECDOTE

Oval Office Meltdown

Trump and Pence's humiliation of Zelensky in the Oval Office was a deliberate power play.
Zelensky stood his ground, displaying strength while exposing Trump's vindictiveness and weakness.

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Eric and Eliot welcome Lt. Col. (ret.) Alexander Vindman, former director for Europe on the National Security Council during the first Trump term and author of The Folly of Realism: How the West Deceived Itself about Russia and Betrayed Ukraine (New York: Public Affairs Press, 2025). They discuss the U.S. government's prioritization of US-Russia relations over Ukraine policy across multiple Administrations and the tendency towards a transactional relationship with Ukraine as well as the degree of agency and responsibility of Ukrainian officials for this chronic state of affairs. They touch on the Obama Administration's underwhelming response to the seizure of Crimea and destabilization of Ukraine in 2014 as well as Trump's vulgar transactionalism and personal grudge against Zelensky as a motivation for the Oval Office meltdown two weeks ago. Eric and Eliot also discuss their respective articles in the Dispatch and the Atlantic on Russia's habit of violating agreements it has reached and Ukraine's success in fighting a war of attrition against Russia despite the media's misreporting of the state of the war. They also discuss the generational damage to American alliances and national security intellectual capital that the second Trump term is creating, Trump hostage envoy Adam Boehler's direct negotiation with Hamas terrorists, Trump's mistaken reference to Viktor Orban as the leader of Turkey, and Elon Musk and Marco Rubio's trashing of Poland's Foreign Minister on Twitter.

The Folly of Realism: How the West Deceived Itself About Russia and Betrayed Ukraine:
https://a.co/d/dTa2qN8

Eric & Frank Miller's latest on Russian treaty violations:
https://thedispatch.com/article/russia-history-broken-treaties-agreements/

Eliot & Phillips O'Brien's latest on the rate of attrition in Ukraine:
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/03/russia-ukraine-war-status/681963/

Eliot on the Trump administration's reputational damage to the U.S.:
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/03/buzz-saw-pine-forest/681984/

Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.