What’s behind Trump’s desire to strike a “deal” on Ukraine? Why do he and members of his team echo Putin’s narratives about the invasion being “forced” and Russia’s supposed “historic” claim to Ukrainian territories? What role does the ideological alignment between Putin and Trump—especially their shared commitment to “traditional values” and opposition to “liberal elites”—play in shaping these positions? And how does this ideological affinity interact with the real geopolitical conflict between the two military powers?

The hosts of Political Diary, Ilya Budraitskis and Ilya Matveev, unpack these questions with Dylan Riley, professor of sociology at UC Berkeley.