(WASHINGTON, DC) – Former United States ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul has said President Donald Trump is out of step with American public opinion over Ukraine, warning that only tougher sanctions and increased military support can alter the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s war calculus.
Speaking to John Pienaar on Times Radio Drive, McFaul said Trump’s stance, including what he described as an embrace of Putin, runs counter to majority sentiment in the United States. He said Putin remains one of the most unpopular leaders globally among Americans.
The remarks came on the anniversary of Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Putin has failed to achieve his war aims. Further talks aimed at ending the conflict are expected later this week, but McFaul questioned whether meaningful progress is possible.
Earlier, the Kremlin was quoted as saying the war would continue until Russia’s objectives are achieved. McFaul said there has been no indication that Putin is interested in a ceasefire, let alone a permanent settlement. Instead, he said, the Russian dictator continues to repeat his original objectives from 2022.
McFaul noted that Putin initially sought to control all of Ukraine, sending tanks towards Kyiv rather than Donetsk. He said Putin had aimed to “denazify” Ukraine, meaning to overthrow the Zelenskyy government, and to demilitarise the country. He also sought to halt NATO expansion. According to McFaul, none of these objectives has been achieved. Ukraine is more militarised than before the invasion, and both Finland and Sweden joined NATO as a direct result of Russia’s actions.
He said Putin now appears focused on conquering the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. While Russian forces control significant territory there, they have not secured the entire region. McFaul argued that Putin wants Donbas both to claim a form of victory and to capture heavily fortified Ukrainian held cities that would make any future Russian offensive easier.
Ukrainian officials, he said, believe surrendering those cities would leave the country more vulnerable to renewed attack. He suggested that the current diplomatic efforts centre largely on Donbas. Having failed to take the region militarily, Putin may be attempting to secure it through pressure on Kyiv via Washington. So far, Zelenskyy has refused.
McFaul criticised the Trump administration’s approach, noting that military support to Ukraine has been halted. Trump has spoken about selling weapons to Ukraine’s allies, a move critics say shifts the United States from ally to arms supplier.
Opinion polls in the United States show continued support for Ukraine, including among Republican voters. McFaul described this as a clear contradiction between public opinion and presidential policy. He said Zelenskyy ranks among the most respected foreign leaders in the United States, while Putin remains deeply unpopular.
McFaul said he was embarrassed by what he called a feckless signal to allies. He warned that such signals are being closely watched not only in Europe but also in Asia. He cited a recent visit to Taiwan, where officials are monitoring whether Washington stands by its partners.
He also described it as immoral for American companies to profit from the war and criticised the failure to supply interceptor missiles for Patriot air defence systems, saying this allows Russian forces to continue attacking Ukrainian civilians. He added that millions of Americans agree that US foreign policy should reflect values as well as interests.
Looking ahead to congressional midterm elections in November, McFaul suggested that a change in the balance of power in the House of Representatives could alter policy towards Ukraine. He said there are majorities in both the House and Senate that would support a new assistance package, but that the president currently controls the legislative agenda.
On the battlefield, he described the war as a bloody stalemate, with heavy losses on both sides for limited territorial change. He argued that attempts to persuade Putin are unlikely to succeed. Instead, Ukraine’s allies should focus on changing Russia’s capabilities.
That would involve providing more advanced weapons to Ukraine, including longer range strike systems, and imposing more comprehensive sanctions on Russian individuals and companies to reduce funding for the war. He said there is a range of measures available, including for Great Britain and other European partners, that could increase pressure.
Asked when a ceasefire or peace agreement might become realistic, McFaul said he could not predict. He noted that the war has entered its fifth year, calling it a tragic and barbaric conflict with enormous loss of life.
He added that an estimated 1.3 million Russian soldiers have been killed or injured, describing the scale of losses as staggering. Russia, he said, has vast territory but a limited population and cannot afford such losses indefinitely. However, he said there is no sign that Putin is ready to end the war.
