The New Yorker Radio Hour What Trump Has Got Wrong—and Right—About the War in Ukraine
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Mar 7, 2025 
Stephen Kotkin, a historian specializing in Russia and a fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution, discusses Donald Trump's controversial stance on the Ukraine conflict. He highlights Trump’s admiration for Putin and critiques of Zelensky, raising concerns about U.S. foreign policy implications. Kotkin examines the changing landscape of American power and the limitations it faces, stressing that while Trump's views may be flawed, they reflect underlying realities in global politics. The conversation navigates the shifting geopolitical dynamics and the impact on U.S. commitments.
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Russian Grand Strategy
- Russia's strategy relies on the decline or collapse of the West.
- Putin believes that even if Russia struggles, it will survive if the West defeats itself.
Russian Sentiment
- Many Russians want the war in Ukraine to end, due to its heavy cost with little gain.
- Putin, however, remains committed to the conflict, even resorting to using North Korean soldiers.
Potential Outcomes
- A divided Ukraine, similar to a divided Korea, is a potential, if not desirable, outcome to the conflict.
- This is preferable to Ukraine losing its sovereignty entirely, which would be a pyrrhic peace.