Former Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul joins Margaret Hoover to discuss President Trump’s trip to Asia, the state of the war in Ukraine, and the new era of great power competition with Russia and China.

McFaul, author of the new book “Autocrats vs. Democrats,” assesses Trump’s handling of foreign policy so far in his second term, acknowledging the president has not been the isolationist many expected but also criticizing him for abandoning America’s soft power institutions.

McFaul, who first met Vladimir Putin in the 1990s, explains how Putin’s worldview differs from Xi Jinping and why he believes that makes Putin a more aggressive threat to democracy. He also lays out what he thinks it will take to bring Putin to the negotiating table to end the war in Ukraine.

And McFaul reflects on the 2024 death of his friend, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and what it means for Russia’s post-Putin future.

Support for Firing Line with Margaret Hoover is provided by Robert Granieri, The Tepper Foundation, Vanessa and Henry Cornell, The Fairweather Foundation, and Pritzker Military Foundation.