The aftermath of President Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin continues to raise difficult questions. In Part 2 of this two-part episode, Elisa is joined again by Rob Dannenberg—former CIA officer and two-time Moscow Station Chief—to look beyond the summit table. Together, they explore Ukraine’s bold Operation Spiderweb, the controlled flow of information shaping what Russians know about the war, and how long Putin’s hold on power may endure. The conversation closes on a lighter note, as Rob draws from his new cocktail book, A Spy Walked into a Bar: A Practitioner’s Guide to Cocktail Tradecraft.

Robert Dannenberg worked in the Central Intelligence Agency for 24 years, including as Chief of Operations for the Counter Terrorism Center, Chief of the Central Eurasia Division and Chief of the CIA’s Information Operations Center. He then served as the head of the Office of Global Security for Goldman Sachs.

References:

Dannenberg, Rob. “It’s Time to Show Putin that the U.S. Is Serious.” The Cipher Brief, 24 August 2025. The Cipher Brief.

Dannenberg, Rob. A Spy Walked into a Bar: A Practitioner’s Guide to Cocktail Tradecraft. Ci4 Publishing, 21 June 2025

Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025