What is happening in Ukraine is a tremendous threat to Putin’s Russia precisely because of the kinship that Russians feel with Ukraine,” says Chrystia Freeland in this podcast. Freeland, a Member of Parliament in Canada and also a journalist and author, talks about her own family’s connection to Ukraine, why the Russian propaganda machine has been effective, and why the Russian-Ukrainian language divide is oversimplified. Listen to find out why she thinks that the “Maidan and what has followed is the most hopeful moment ever in Ukrainian history.” --- Also in this episode, Fellow John Hudak explains what’s happening in Congress, including a rare moment of agreement between President Obama and the Republicans in Congress. --- Show Notes: • "My Ukraine: A personal reflection on a nation's dream of independence and the nightmare Vladimir Putin has visited upon it" • Chrystia Freeland's parliamentary bio --- Subscribe to the Brookings Cafeteria on iTunes, listen on Stitcher, and send feedback email to [email protected].