Following over 300 other western companies, McDonald’s has temporarily closed its restaurants in Russia while Vladimir Putin continues his war in Ukraine. CNBC’s Steve Liesman, a founding business editor of The Moscow Times and a former reporter for The Wall Street Journal in Russia, recalls the first Russian McDonald’s and what it symbolized for a nation once cut off from the western world. In conversations exclusive to Squawk Pod, he and fellow reporter Diana Olick, a former student in the Soviet Union, discuss the once “insatiable” Russian appetite for all things American, and the direction in which Putin is now steering his people. Plus, The New York Times columnist Tom Friedman considers China’s current power dynamic, as President Xi “tap dances” between supporting its ally Russia and remaining neutral, in case Putin loses his war.  

In this episode:

Tom Friedman, @tomfriedman

Diana Olick, @DianaOlick

Steve Liesman, @steveliesman

Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk

Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick

Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie