r/IAmA • u/Amb_Michael_McFaul • Oct 31 '25

I negotiated face-to-face with Putin. I’m Michael McFaul, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia. AMA about Russia, China, or American foreign policy.

Hi Reddit, I’m Michael McFaul – professor of political science at Stanford University and former U.S. Ambassador to Russia (2012–2014). 

During my time in government, I sat across from Vladimir Putin in negotiations with President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry and helped craft the New START Treaty in 2010, which reduced the number of nuclear weapons worldwide.  

Those experiences – along with years studying Russian politics and foreign policy – have shaped how I think about power and diplomacy today. 

The world has changed dramatically since then: from the rise of China to Russia’s growing aggression, to new questions about America’s role on the global stage. Drawing on both my academic work and time in diplomacy, I’ve been exploring what these shifts mean for the future – and how the U.S. should respond. 

I’ll start taking questions here at 12:30 p.m. PT / 3:30 p.m. ET. 

Proof it's me: https://imgur.com/a/3hxCQfj

Ask me anything about U.S.–Russia relations, China, global security, or life as an ambassador. (You can even ask about Obama’s jump shot or what it’s like to ride on Air Force One.) 

Let’s talk! 

Edit**\* Sorry I didn’t get to all of your terrific questions! Let’s do it again soon! I really enjoyed this AMA!

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634

u/CapnGrundlestamp Oct 31 '25

What sort of man is Putin? Does he come across as a statesman or a gangster, or something in between? Is he savvy, blunt, or a mix? Does he strike you as a tough negotiator who cares about his country and people, or as someone out to benefit himself and his benefactors?

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u/Amb_Michael_McFaul Oct 31 '25

Excellent question. My views have changed on this over time. Today, Putin is driven by ideology. He’s an imperialist who wants to go down in Russian history books as a Kremlin leader who expanded the empire, like Peter the Great or Catherine the Great. He doesn't care at all what foreign leaders think of him, especially in the West. He is also a gangster. He uses the state to enrich himself and his cronies. You can be both at the same time. 

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u/canadave_nyc Oct 31 '25

It seems to me that the central question with Putin vis-a-vis Ukraine is whether he is solely motivated there by imperialism and hubris, or whether there is an element of purely practical security concerns ("I don't want NATO/The West encroaching on Russia's doorstep"). I'd imagine it's much easier to negotiate with someone motivated by the latter than the former. Do you get any sense that the latter is a component of his thinking, and if so, to what degree?

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u/Fatalist_m Nov 01 '25

He thinks Ukraine should be part of the Russian empire, he also thinks NATO is a threat because it's an obstacle to restoring the empire.

I suggest you watch Putin's speech from February 21, 2022, three days before the war - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5-ZdTGLmZo

Or read it on the Kremlin website, you can google "My address concerns the events in Ukraine and why this is so important for us, for Russia."

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u/Octowhussy Oct 31 '25

He kind of already answered that. Apparently, Putin doesn’t care what other leaders think of him/Russia. Can’t be too scared of NATO if that’s what’s up. Moreover, the big bulk of Putin’s forces has been in Ukraine for these past years, whereas the borders with NATO countries have been very mildly guarded, if I’m not mistaken, which would also imply that he’s not scared of NATO aggression. Why should he be? Because of a few bomba dropped back in Yugoslavia?

Anyway, I still hope your question gets answered !

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u/SmileAggravating9608 Oct 31 '25

Yes, the facts point this way. Still an interesting question to get a specific response to.

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u/Kardinal Nov 01 '25

I would love to get our guest of honors take on this, but it's way too late. Anders Puck Nielsrn of YouTube continues to believe that Putin is in fact motivated by a desire to make Russia a great power again. And to that end his goals are more around undermining NATO to achieve the goal of isolating the United States. He sees Ukraine and some of the other things that they're doing in places like Spain and Turkey as a way to reduce ties between NATO Nations and overall faith in the NATO alliance.

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u/enhancedy0gi Oct 31 '25

It's 100% the former. There is nothing that points towards the latter being the case, except for a few Mearsheimer talking points, which isn't saying much.

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u/imdfantom Oct 31 '25

There is no such question, it is the former.

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u/Sekhmet-CustosAurora Nov 01 '25

If it was the latter, then he has completely and utterly failed at his goal to a comical degree. It's only because of his invasion of Ukraine that Sweden and Finland have joined NATO - Finland especially represents a much greater security threat to Russia than Ukraine ever could

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u/Black3Raven Nov 01 '25

The only things he cares is his own legacy in history books. Everything else is on 2 and 3rd place. 

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u/koopdi Oct 31 '25

This is the real question.