Trump correctly pursued ending the Ukraine war and talking directly to Russia, but Witkoff and Trump misread Putin: by listening to his demands first and pressuring Ukraine to comply, they signaled weakness, leading Putin to pocket concessions and demand more—most notably pressing the US to force Zelensky to cede the Donbas Putin has failed to conquer militarily since 2014.
causalpending
Speaker
Michael McFaulEvidence Quote
“he and his special envoy, Mr. Witkoff thought that I'll just listen to Putin... and then I'll tell the Ukrainians to do it... Putin saw that as weakness.”
Source
“They’re Not Like Us”: Michael McFaul on Autocrats vs. Democrats and the Fight for the 21st Century— Hoover InstitutionCreated: 6/18/2026, 1:57:41 PM
My Notes
Loading notes...