Origins of the War

How did Europe navigate its relationship with Russia in the decades before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine? In this episode of Origins of the War , French journalist Sylvie Kauffmann joins Michael Kimmage to examine European politics and relations with Russia in the years leading up to 2022. Drawing on her experience reporting from Central and Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, Kauffmann refl...

Where should we look for the origins of Russia’s war against Ukraine? Thomas Wright of the Brookings Institution joins Michael Kimmage for Origins of the War to examine the conflict through two interconnected lines of inquiry: the European context preceding the war and the evolution of U.S.-Russian relations. Wright discusses the changing European security environment, the role of NATO, and the ev...

How did Ukraine navigate its relationship with Russia in the years before the full-scale invasion? Dr. Kateryna Shynkaruk of the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University joins the Kennan Institute for Origins of the War to examine the development of Ukrainian foreign policy and the underlying dynamics of the Ukraine-Russia relationship. The conversation traces Ukrai...

How does Russia’s war against Ukraine look when viewed beyond its European and transatlantic context? Dr. Swasti Rao of the Jindal School of International Affairs joins the Kennan Institute for Origins of the War to examine the conflict from a global perspective, with particular attention to India and countries with longstanding ties to Russia. Rao explores how narratives surrounding the war can m...

How did European policy after the Cold War shape the path to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine? In this episode of Origins of the War , Michael Kimmage is joined by Constanze Stelzenmüller of the Brookings Institution for a conversation on the evolution of European policy toward Central and Eastern Europe after 1991, Germany’s role in the Minsk diplomacy of 2014 and 2015, and the broader Eur...

How did the post-Cold War security order shape the path to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? In this episode of Origins of the War , Michael Kimmage is joined by Samuel Charap of the RAND Corporation for a discussion on the evolution of Russian foreign policy after 2012, the European security architecture that emerged after 1991, and Ukraine’s place in U.S. foreign policy. Their conversation explores...

How did the Russian military evolve from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the invasion of Ukraine? In this episode of Origins of the War , Michael Kimmage speaks with Dara Massicot of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace about the development of Russia’s military after 1991 and the conflicts that shaped its modern strategy. Their conversation traces the Russian military’s trajectory t...

Michael Kimmage speaks with historian Timothy Snyder about the historical development of Ukrainian identity, Ukraine’s place in Europe, and the origins of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The conversation explores the emergence of the Ukrainian national idea, the legacy of the Cossack period, the challenges of state-building in the twentieth century, and the resilience of Ukrainian political and cult...

Michael Kimmage speaks with Patrick Travers, former advisor to the Canadian Prime Minister, about the origins of Russia’s war against Ukraine and Canada’s distinctive role in supporting Ukrainian sovereignty. The conversation explores Canada’s historical ties to Ukraine, Western assessments of Russia’s motivations, the impact of Crimea and the Minsk process, Operation Unifier, and the policy choic...

Michael Kimmage speaks with Stephen Sestanovich of the Council on Foreign Relations about the long arc of U.S. policy toward Russia, the transformation of Eastern and Central Europe after the end of the Cold War, and the historical forces that contributed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The conversation examines the hopes and tensions of the post-Cold War era, the emergence of au...

In this episode of Origins of the War , Dmitri Alperovitch joins the Kennan Institute to examine the roots of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine through a global and geopolitical lens. Drawing on themes from his recent book World on the Brink , Alperovitch discusses the warning signs leading up to the 2022 invasion, including cyber operations, Russian intelligence activity, and the broader strategic cal...

Catherine Belton ( The Washington Post ) and Shaun Walker ( The Guardian ) join Origins of the War to discuss the intelligence, strategy, and political context surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This conversation explores how U.S. intelligence forecasted the invasion, why global and Ukrainian assessments often diverged, and how intelligence shaped policy decisions before the war began. A ti...

In this episode of Origins of the War , Alexander Bick, University of Virginia professor and former National Security Council official, joins Michael Kimmage to explore the policy choices, strategic calculations, and historical analysis surrounding Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The discussion examines: • U.S. policy decisions prior to the invasion • Russian strategic motivations • Historical...

In this episode of Origins of the War , historian Margaret MacMillan joins Michael Kimmage to examine the deep historical roots of Russia’s serial invasions of Ukraine. The discussion explores: • The evolution of the modern nation state • European history before and after World War I • Nationalism, empire, and political transformation • The legacy of Versailles and unresolved tensions • Historical...

In this episode of Origins of the War , Ivan Krastev joins Michael Kimmage to examine the European political, intellectual, and strategic dimensions behind Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The discussion explores: • The growth of the European Union in the 2000s • Ukraine’s evolving relationship with Europe • The significance of 2013–2014 and Maidan • Europe’s changing relationship with Russia •...

In this episode of Origins of the War , historian Odd Arne Westad joins Michael Kimmage to explore the deep historical roots of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine through the lens of Cold War history and global geopolitics. The discussion examines: • The unresolved legacies of the Cold War • Putin’s worldview and Soviet influences • Russia’s strategic relationship with the West • Multipolarity, Chi...

In this episode of Origins of the War , Gwendolyn Sasse, Director of ZOIS and author of Russia’s War against Ukraine , joins Michael Kimmage to explore the deeper historical and political roots of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The conversation examines Ukraine’s evolving relationship with Europe, the political significance of Crimea, the legacy of EU enlargement, and the regional dynamics tha...

In this episode, Pavlo Klimkin, former Foreign Minister of Ukraine, discusses the diplomatic history behind Russia’s war against Ukraine. The conversation explores Ukraine’s early years of independence, the challenges of nuclear disarmament, and the country’s evolving relationship with both Russia and Europe. It also examines the pivotal events of 2013–2014, the long phase of “Minsk” diplomacy, an...

In this episode, Angela Stent explores the origins of Russia’s war against Ukraine through the lens of U.S.-Russian relations since the end of the Cold War. The discussion examines the open-ended nature of the 1990s, the rise of Vladimir Putin, and the key moments that shaped the deterioration of relations between Russia and the West. It also considers the impact of Russia’s annexation of Crimea i...

In this episode of Origins of the War , Michael Kimmage speaks with Serhii Plokhy , Professor of History at Harvard University, about the historical roots of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The conversation explores how imperial Russian narratives, particularly the idea of a shared identity between Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians, have shaped political thinking over time. Plokhy examines the e...

In this episode of Origins of the War , Michael Kimmage speaks with Ambassador Thomas Bagger , German Ambassador to Italy, about the European dimensions of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The conversation traces policy thinking and strategic choices from the 1990s to 2022, examining how European governments understood the post-Soviet space, the role of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership, and t...

In this episode of Origins of the War , Thomas Graham, Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of Getting Russia Right , explores the historical roots of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The conversation traces the evolution of U.S.-Russia relations from the collapse of the Soviet Union through the key policy decisions and geopolitical shifts that shaped the current confli...

In this episode of Origins of the War , Michael Kimmage speaks with Michael Kofman of the Carnegie Endowment about the military and strategic origins of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The conversation examines how Russian thinking on security and power evolved from the Russia-Georgia War of 2008 to the 2014 annexation of Crimea and ultimately to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 . Kofman d...

In this episode of Origins of the War , Michael Kimmage speaks with Ambassador Daniel Fried about the historical origins of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Drawing on decades of diplomatic experience, Fried reflects on the evolution of U.S.–Russia relations from the Cold War to the present , the debates surrounding NATO expansion , and the role of sanctions and diplomacy in responding to Russian agg...

In this episode of Origins of the War , Michael Kimmage speaks with Jon Finer, former Deputy National Security Advisor in the Biden administration, about the historical roots and geopolitical dynamics behind Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The conversation explores how U.S.-Russia relations evolved after the Cold War and examines key moments that shaped the path to war, including the Iraq War, the O...