Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul joined MeidasTouch co-founder Ben Meiselas for a conversation about Donald Trump’s disastrous foreign policy, Vladimir Putin, the war in Ukraine, and what McFaul describes as a dramatic erosion of American influence around the world.
McFaul, who served as ambassador to Russia during the Obama administration, told Meiselas that the United States is now “worse off” across virtually every major measure of foreign policy.
“Most certainly when it comes to America’s standing in the world, America’s reputation in the world, the polls on that are overwhelming,” McFaul said. “We have just crashed at the time that China is rising.”
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The conversation turned to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s recent trip to Moscow and Kyiv, which came amid Trump’s attempts to negotiate an end to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
McFaul said he supports efforts by the United States to end the war but argued that Trump has failed to develop an effective strategy.
“He just keeps appeasing Putin,” McFaul said. “He just keeps giving Putin gifts expecting nothing in return.”
McFaul was particularly critical of Witkoff’s approach to the Russian leader. Having dealt directly with Putin during his time in government, McFaul said attempts to win him over through personal praise can have precisely the opposite effect.
“Flattery for him is a sign of weakness,” McFaul said.
McFaul also criticized the way Witkoff has spoken about Putin, including describing the Russian leader as trustworthy during his visit to Kyiv.
“Somehow Witkoff believes if he checks his values at the door and flatters Putin, he’s going to achieve results,” McFaul said. “It just doesn’t work that way.”
The former ambassador then zoomed out to what he sees as a larger problem with Trump’s foreign policy: the personalization of decisions that historically would have been made through a broader national security process.
“I’ve never seen anything like this or studied anything like this,” McFaul said. “It’s just about what Trump thinks and what Trump believes.”
McFaul spoke about how the consequences extend well beyond Russia and Ukraine. He pointed to tensions with Canada and other longtime allies while warning that China stands to benefit from uncertainty about whether the United States can still be considered a reliable partner.
“What I see with our allies is doubt whether we are reliable,” McFaul said, describing countries in Europe and Asia as increasingly considering alternatives in case they can no longer depend on Washington.
And when Meiselas asked whether Trump’s erratic approach was making the United States appear weak internationally, McFaul’s answer was direct.
“Yes. Tragically, yes.”
Watch Ben’s full conversation with former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul above as they discuss Putin, Ukraine, Trump’s foreign policy and America’s rapidly changing position on the world stage.
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