Russia, The United States and the War in Ukraine: A Conversation

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago on February 24, 2022, Putin’s immediate aim was regime change in Kyiv and the subjugation of Ukraine to Russian domination. But Putin had broader aims. He viewed victory over Ukraine as the first step in undoing the post-Cold-War order. He sees the Ukraine war as a battle between Russia, NATO and the “collective West.” Moscow’s victory over Kyiv would, he is convinced, start the process of dismantling an international order that he believes has ignored Russia’s legitimate interests. Three years after Russia invaded Ukraine, Putin has yet to achieve these goals, but Russia has increased its influence in parts of the Global South and has allied itself with three revisionist powers—China, Iran and North Korea—who share its commitment to a “post-West” order. The advent of the second Trump administration—which is committed to upending America’s alliances and engaging robustly in great power politics—has introduced a new element of uncertainty about how Russia might parlay its war with Ukraine into raising its global standing.

Angela Stent and Jill Dougherty discuss the prospects for ending the Russia-Ukraine war and what it might mean for Russia’s international role going forward.

About the Speakers:
Angela Stent is Senior Advisor to the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies and Professor Emerita of Government and Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She is also a Senior Nonresident Fellow at the Brookings Institution and co-chairs its Hewett Forum on Post-Soviet Affairs. She is a Senior Advisor to the United States Institute of Peace. From 2004-2006 she served as National Intelligence Officer for Russia and Eurasia at the National Intelligence Council. From 1999 to 2001, she served in the Office of Policy Planning at the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Stent received her B.A. from Cambridge University, her MSc. with distinction from the London School of Economics in Political Science and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University. Her primary research focus is Russian foreign policy, with special emphasis on the triangular U.S-Europe-Russia relationship. Her latest book is Putin’s World: Russia Against the West and With the Rest (Twelve Books, 2019, updated paperback 2023) for which she won the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy’s prize for the best book on U.S-Russian Relations.

Jill Dougherty is an expert on Russia and the former Soviet Union and adjunct professor at the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies at Georgetown University. In her three-decade career with CNN she served as Foreign Affairs Correspondent, based in Washington, D.C., where she covered the State Department and provided analysis on international issues. Dougherty previously served as U.S. Affairs Editor for CNN International; Managing Editor of CNN International Asia/Pacific, based in Hong Kong; and CNN's Moscow Bureau Chief and Correspondent. From 1991 to 1996 she was CNN White House Correspondent, covering the presidencies of George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton.


The Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies (CERES) would like to thank the Carnegie Corporation of New York for generous support of our programming.


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