As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its third week, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor joins Margaret Hoover to discuss the fierce Ukrainian resistance, Vladimir Putin’s endgame, and the potential global fallout from the conflict.

Taylor – who served as ambassador from 2006 to 2009 and returned to Kyiv as acting ambassador in 2019 before becoming a key witness in former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment – assesses the Biden administration’s response to Putin’s aggression so far and lays out additional steps the U.S. could take to increase the cost of waging war for the Kremlin.

Taylor provides personal insight on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s transformation into a “grimly determined” wartime leader who has united his country and the world against Russia.

More than two million people have already fled Ukraine amid intense Russian shelling, civilian casualties are mounting, and efforts to find a diplomatic resolution have proven fruitless. Still, Taylor predicts the Ukrainians will ultimately prevail.

Taylor also defends NATO’s expansion, warns Putin has turned Russia into a “pariah nation,” and suggests Beijing could play a critical role in ending the conflict.

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