Michael McFaul, the former US Ambassador to Russia, has accused President Donald Trump of relying too heavily on RT in the Ukraine conflict. His comments came after Trump had accused Kiev of allowing the conflict with Moscow to simmer for years.
On Tuesday, McFaul wrote on X that he wished Trump and his team would “speak with Ukrainian soldiers and not just rely on RT to inform themselves about Putin’s invasion.” He posted a photo of himself with Ukrainian soldiers and the slogan “Glory to Ukraine”.
McFaul was the US Ambassador to Moscow under President Barack Obama from 2012 to 2014 and was known for his role in the “Reset” policy in US-Russia relations. A notable symbol of this policy was the “Reset Button” that then-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton presented to her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in 2009.
Since the Western-backed coup in Kiev in 2014, McFaul has taken a hardline stance against Moscow. He demands comprehensive sanctions and international isolation of Russia.
Russian government officials have repeatedly criticized McFaul, accusing him of actively supporting the opposition in Russia and fomenting a “revolution” in the 2010s. In 2016, Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, described him as an “anti-example” of diplomatic behavior.
McFaul’s comments followed the recent high-level talks between the US and Russia in Saudi Arabia, during which neither Ukrainian nor EU representatives were present. Both Washington and Moscow assessed the talks as productive and agreed to continue working on solving the Ukraine conflict.
After the meeting, Trump expressed himself as “very disappointed” that Kiev had not ended the conflict with Russia, despite having had enough opportunities to do so.
Earlier, Trump had emphasized that a NATO membership for Ukraine was very unlikely and that Kiev should hold elections. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose term ends in May 2024, has rejected holding new elections, citing the state of emergency. Moscow, however, considers him illegitimate and only recognizes the Ukrainian Parliament and its speaker as legitimate authorities.