The showdown in the Oval Office, obviously pre-planned, last Friday made me sick to my stomach. Zelenskyy handled himself with great dignity, leaving me for the first time in my 84 years embarrassed to be an American.
Already posted on Bluesky Dr. S and will follow with a picture of your links for anyone interested in helping to use. That executive hit job on President Zelenskyy I believe really got people in the US upset as well as the rest of the world. I would like to think that trump and Vance collectively crapped the bed with that horrible move. Thank you for the 5 points. If Europe steps things up with support(and perhaps other interested countries too(?)then maybe Ukraine can hold out. After all, they’re defending their country. All they have to do is keep on doing that.
“The new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, state television reported Sunday. “This largely aligns with our vision.”
WHEN will the mainstream media do the job of the craven congress and confront tRump with this statement and demand that he verify that it is true or false. As the sole foreign policy maker in the U.S. he must answer this crucial question. So Republicans (and the rest of the country) will be absolutely sure where they stand.
And, what happened to accountability for the Right, and center Right? There seems to be a reluctance to make them answer for their parts in this treachery.
thank you, Ms Ward, for this info and this question.
Will Saletan and Jon V Last had much discussion of this in, "Worse Than We Feared, Five weeks in and the Trump administration has been more corrupt, dangerous, and evil than we expected. Jonathan V. Last and Will Saletan, Feb 28, 2025, found on The Bulwark or on YouTube.
This sort of foreign policy gloss being used by the Trump White House is substantially propaganda. It does not constitute foreign policy relations in the sense that words from the WH and its State Dept lead to desirable and needful agreements and outcomes. It is destructive of relationships, not a position that builds or improves alliances.
Prof Snyder makes so many useful observations in presenting these five logical underpinnings of practical effective diplomatic negotiating. One that stands out in re your question is the first, that Trump et al do not found their foreign relationships on mutual recognition and fundamental respect for and adherence to shared rules of law and legal practice. How many in the media understand a world of spheres of hard power influence and coercion?
It is not a trait of anachronism, but it is a feature of Trump's et al's irrational take what they want, we have more cards than anyone approach. This is win - lose thinking, this autocratic jostling for position and jostling for advantage in the next round thinking.
So, a contribution like Prof Snyder's and a question like yours can contribute to the media learning to ask a factually useful question an to pursue factually relevant and necessary working knowledge of how to proceed as citizens.
We can present a strong and factual alternative description of international relations base of cooperation and mutual respect, on the need to act in good faith, the durable benefits of responsibly democratically designed alliances. We can point to the very historically real downsides for everyone if a spheres of influence approach to relations and security are, instead, the norms.
Let's remember, bob, the orange felon is a criminal.
He's always pursued criminality. Rape. Business fraud. Bankruptcies. Lying wholesale. More criminality.
Large swaths of America, its schools also bankrupt morally, ethically, humanly, go along with all this vile behavior. Much of mainstream media normalizes it. The entire Republic party and the Clarence court all suck up to it.
If only these videos could reach the sociopaths running the US government. From Canada, we are left horrified, but won't be left speechless. As you said, the Russian economy is smaller than Canada's. The more aggressive Trump is toward Canada, the stronger our voice will become. There are many expat Americans here who will fearlessly stand up as Canadians against US aggression of all sorts. In fact, the expats may lead the boycotts which have already begun.
Tariffs start tomorrow. No they’re not about the border. It was never that bad to start with. Furthermore, Canada has increased surveillance of the border. Interestingly they’re finding people trying to ENTER Canada from the US!
Trumps demands of Canada are bogus. Fentanyl is not traveling from Canada to the US; it's a fabricated claim. The greatest threat along the Canadian/US border is immigrants fleeing the US into Canada. Canada has reinforced the border, but that will be to ts own benefit. This is a vast country with a population the same as one state - California. We do not have the resources to humanely manage a mass influx of immigrants fleeing Trump's inhumanity. If anything about Trump were honest; we'd be talking about stopping the flow of guns INTO Canada from the US. It's difficult to believe that most American's who voted for Trump expected or want the distructions he's advancing; if American's work together they can stop him, but they will need to demand that their elected representatives act. Do the sycophants who are silent to Trump's actions believe that this will improve the country for the majority of people? If so, they have little knowledge of history or the law, and if not then they are cowards.These are equally destructive..
Thank you. While I am not any more involved in these possible negotiations than my meager ability to influence my elected representatives, which I am trying to do, I find your talks very helpful. They are helpful to me in this way: Viewing the horrendous spectacle in the Oval Office last week sort of broke my mind. I have, to some extent, had to relearn how to breathe. Your calm, measured and factual words help me to regain my composure. Thank you.
Excellent commentary. It's increasingly odd, now that the US is on the 'other side', to have Americans commenting on the situation. Not that it doesn't matter or have value, but it has more irony than before. Professor Snyder's comments about international borders has a different resonance now that the US has threatened to annex Canada, for example. The problem, in fact, with the Russian Ukraine war is the United States, and its refusal to use its hard power, even soft power, to end it. The problem with the Israel-Palestine war is again the United States, who could have ended it before it even began, but in fact chose to supply Israel and bomb Gaza into rubble. I know how villainous Russia is; it's a pariah. But sadly, the United States have decided to join them and a few other rogue states. Tariff wars begin tomorrow in Canada, initiated by the United States; forgive me for being a tad pissed off with American swagger.
I understand you being pissed off with American swagger. I am an American, and I, too, am pissed off at the American swagger. I never thought in my lifetime that I would be ashamed of being an American. I am so sorry that we have put a crazy man in the highest position in our country. One that threatens our neighbors and our allies. Hopefully, we can figure out how to stop this madness. Sadly, we need other countries to help us and to make it harder for America to bully at will.
Thank you, Linda. It's a really difficult time for us all. The only way to stop this madness is to get really mad. Talk, reason, isn't going to do it. And acquiescence will only make it worse, not stable. So the only way I see is civil disobedience, general strikes, mass marches. That requires courage and a leader, and I see very little of either in the US these days.
Please recall, Frau K., that most U.S. press exists to make money. The journalists working in mainstream press learned in mainstream education to have no humanities. They have no moral, humane, or any other ethical perspective other than the priority of their corporate bosses to make money.
If sensationalism sells, then the orange felon and all his criminality, lying, and corruption fits their corporate purposes.
Dear friend, Professor Snyder is not "the United States".
I'm also "pissed off" by what the current and some previous administration have doen and are doing. But I also know and acknowledge that roughly helf the US citizens have a different viewpoint.
And I know that it doesn't matter what you think: it is the policies of your country that affects my life, such as the tariff wars and the threat of annexation. It is of little consolation to know that half of the citizenry doesn't agree with it. The policies are my reality.
Thank you Prof. Snyder, as always very enlightening. I would be interested in hearing your views on the signs that the Trump regime is with their actions trying to expedite a war between Russia and Europe (and might even help Russia) to carve the world up from the ashes, or if they are in their evil and incompetent ways trying to get a win by stopping the war in ‘one day’ to stop spending more money on NATO and wars to use the money for other ‘America first’ purposes?
Please keep making these videos. I'm sharing them on this side of the Atlantic as I'm not aware of any UK academics doing similar work. You put the important points across with great clarity, thank you.
Yes, I was surprised at “100,000” casualties a day! Even with North Korean cannon fodder that number would be hard to sustain. But even 1000 a day is daunting.
Yes the Russians are recruiting ca 30,000 per month so for the past 10 months they have been unable to replenish all losses even with the North Koreans. That's why they are sending wounded back to the front. They are also losing tanks, armored vehicles and trucks faster than they can build new ones. Russia desperately needs a cease fire.
I really thought the most disgusting part of Vance's tirade against President Zelenskyy on Friday, was his yelling on about Ukraine "forcing recruits to the front line".
But of course nothing about the use of Chechyn troops being used as “blocking” formations by the Russians. It's a practice dating back to at least WW2 wherby the job of the blocking troops is to position themselves behind the front lines and shoot anyone who attempts to retreat.
Love the eye-contact Professor! All that you say here is wise and well informed. But we can't ignore the elephant in the room: Trump is very much in Putin's pocket. This IS frightening - and I'm not one to admit to fear often. Immediately after that debacle in the Oval Office, I went to C-SPAN to watch it myself. I read the transcript that came from the closed captions. Did others hear how Trump opined that Putin had to suffer because of the Mueller lead Russian Influence investigation? He gave his sympathies to on this to Putin twice in that meeting. These comments got lost by the belittling of a leader of a foreign country in the midst of a war it didn't provoke. I read EVERY page of the Mueller Report. Something is rotten in the state of the US White House.
In my opinion, we have a traitor in the White House. A TRAITOR! He cannot be trusted with the top secrets and intelligence we receive from other countries. He is Putin's right-hand man.
Thank-you!! Linda I just wrote about this on Robert Reich's page here. When will the Democrat, Republican & Independent elected officials acknowledge the elephant in the room: Donald Trump is a Russian asset!! The denial must end.
We've just seen, again, that Timothy Snyder is a brilliant public intellectual and that his field of knowledge is directly relevant to the current war of aggression in Ukraine and possible moves to end the war in a fair and lasting way.
It helps enormously that he speaks to us directly, clearly, as serious fellow adults, without an ounce of academic pretension and no academic verbiage. He demonstrates the power of analytic and logical thinking. And the power of letting these features speak for themselves without a direct appeal to our emotions and moral values. We know how deeply he feels about this terrible situation and how his moral compass is situated. This is precisely why he doesn't have to express his feelings and values. Ironically, the impact is greater when they are not openly stated.
It's the combination of What he says and How he says it that produces an utterly persuasive way of thinking about this tragic situation and about a possible way forward.
Thank you, Professor Snyder.
David Abernethy (Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Stanford University)
Thank you for another excellent video, Dr. Snyder. I must, however, bring to your attention that Ukraine inflicts about 1,000 Russian casualties per day, not 100,000. I'm sure this was an unintentional slip, but it should be corrected as soon as possible, because an error like this can be misused to do great damage to credibility. You are, in my view, the best informed, sanest, and most intelligent voice we have about Ukraine and the war, I would hate to see you undermined by a typo.
The showdown in the Oval Office, obviously pre-planned, last Friday made me sick to my stomach. Zelenskyy handled himself with great dignity, leaving me for the first time in my 84 years embarrassed to be an American.
Musk is a barrier to peace.
Musk believes empathy is bad and cruelty is good.
Musk supports Putin.
Musk is attacking Social Security.
Musk controls Trump and the Cabinet and the GOP Congress.
Musk demands that federal workers report directly to him.
Musk is a clear and present danger to the United States of America.
Musk's "I'm smarter than you" act is a con. He's dumbshit.
Millions of rational patriotic citizens rise up and demand his removal.
Musk is a dumbshit. Fire Musk!
Call your Congressmen today: "Musk is a Liar. Musk is a Thief. Musk is a Dumbshit. Fire Musk! Get off your ass and get him out of my government!"
Thank you for the update professor. Will share and appreciate the links to donate to Ukraine. 🇺🇦 Now please get some rest!
Already posted on Bluesky Dr. S and will follow with a picture of your links for anyone interested in helping to use. That executive hit job on President Zelenskyy I believe really got people in the US upset as well as the rest of the world. I would like to think that trump and Vance collectively crapped the bed with that horrible move. Thank you for the 5 points. If Europe steps things up with support(and perhaps other interested countries too(?)then maybe Ukraine can hold out. After all, they’re defending their country. All they have to do is keep on doing that.
You are brilliant! You should replace Marco Rubio as Secretary of State! Thank you. I will pass it on.
Help Nathan who is investigating the election to pay attorneys to bring to the courts
https://youtu.be/xyFj3pU7WI0
How about President?
That too!
“The new administration is rapidly changing all foreign policy configurations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, state television reported Sunday. “This largely aligns with our vision.”
WHEN will the mainstream media do the job of the craven congress and confront tRump with this statement and demand that he verify that it is true or false. As the sole foreign policy maker in the U.S. he must answer this crucial question. So Republicans (and the rest of the country) will be absolutely sure where they stand.
And, what happened to accountability for the Right, and center Right? There seems to be a reluctance to make them answer for their parts in this treachery.
thank you, Ms Ward, for this info and this question.
Will Saletan and Jon V Last had much discussion of this in, "Worse Than We Feared, Five weeks in and the Trump administration has been more corrupt, dangerous, and evil than we expected. Jonathan V. Last and Will Saletan, Feb 28, 2025, found on The Bulwark or on YouTube.
This sort of foreign policy gloss being used by the Trump White House is substantially propaganda. It does not constitute foreign policy relations in the sense that words from the WH and its State Dept lead to desirable and needful agreements and outcomes. It is destructive of relationships, not a position that builds or improves alliances.
Prof Snyder makes so many useful observations in presenting these five logical underpinnings of practical effective diplomatic negotiating. One that stands out in re your question is the first, that Trump et al do not found their foreign relationships on mutual recognition and fundamental respect for and adherence to shared rules of law and legal practice. How many in the media understand a world of spheres of hard power influence and coercion?
It is not a trait of anachronism, but it is a feature of Trump's et al's irrational take what they want, we have more cards than anyone approach. This is win - lose thinking, this autocratic jostling for position and jostling for advantage in the next round thinking.
So, a contribution like Prof Snyder's and a question like yours can contribute to the media learning to ask a factually useful question an to pursue factually relevant and necessary working knowledge of how to proceed as citizens.
We can present a strong and factual alternative description of international relations base of cooperation and mutual respect, on the need to act in good faith, the durable benefits of responsibly democratically designed alliances. We can point to the very historically real downsides for everyone if a spheres of influence approach to relations and security are, instead, the norms.
Let's remember, bob, the orange felon is a criminal.
He's always pursued criminality. Rape. Business fraud. Bankruptcies. Lying wholesale. More criminality.
Large swaths of America, its schools also bankrupt morally, ethically, humanly, go along with all this vile behavior. Much of mainstream media normalizes it. The entire Republic party and the Clarence court all suck up to it.
We're in deep trouble.
Corporate media is not going to help anything. Forget about it.
If only these videos could reach the sociopaths running the US government. From Canada, we are left horrified, but won't be left speechless. As you said, the Russian economy is smaller than Canada's. The more aggressive Trump is toward Canada, the stronger our voice will become. There are many expat Americans here who will fearlessly stand up as Canadians against US aggression of all sorts. In fact, the expats may lead the boycotts which have already begun.
Justin Trudeau spoke up brilliantly in London yesterday.
Tariffs start tomorrow. No they’re not about the border. It was never that bad to start with. Furthermore, Canada has increased surveillance of the border. Interestingly they’re finding people trying to ENTER Canada from the US!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOQuymOvZzo this is from 2022, but you can find Barbara F Walter easily on the internet; she's worth reading and hearing.
Trumps demands of Canada are bogus. Fentanyl is not traveling from Canada to the US; it's a fabricated claim. The greatest threat along the Canadian/US border is immigrants fleeing the US into Canada. Canada has reinforced the border, but that will be to ts own benefit. This is a vast country with a population the same as one state - California. We do not have the resources to humanely manage a mass influx of immigrants fleeing Trump's inhumanity. If anything about Trump were honest; we'd be talking about stopping the flow of guns INTO Canada from the US. It's difficult to believe that most American's who voted for Trump expected or want the distructions he's advancing; if American's work together they can stop him, but they will need to demand that their elected representatives act. Do the sycophants who are silent to Trump's actions believe that this will improve the country for the majority of people? If so, they have little knowledge of history or the law, and if not then they are cowards.These are equally destructive..
Thank you. While I am not any more involved in these possible negotiations than my meager ability to influence my elected representatives, which I am trying to do, I find your talks very helpful. They are helpful to me in this way: Viewing the horrendous spectacle in the Oval Office last week sort of broke my mind. I have, to some extent, had to relearn how to breathe. Your calm, measured and factual words help me to regain my composure. Thank you.
Thank you for the clarity of this 11 minute presentation. I have shared it on my FB page.
Excellent commentary. It's increasingly odd, now that the US is on the 'other side', to have Americans commenting on the situation. Not that it doesn't matter or have value, but it has more irony than before. Professor Snyder's comments about international borders has a different resonance now that the US has threatened to annex Canada, for example. The problem, in fact, with the Russian Ukraine war is the United States, and its refusal to use its hard power, even soft power, to end it. The problem with the Israel-Palestine war is again the United States, who could have ended it before it even began, but in fact chose to supply Israel and bomb Gaza into rubble. I know how villainous Russia is; it's a pariah. But sadly, the United States have decided to join them and a few other rogue states. Tariff wars begin tomorrow in Canada, initiated by the United States; forgive me for being a tad pissed off with American swagger.
I understand you being pissed off with American swagger. I am an American, and I, too, am pissed off at the American swagger. I never thought in my lifetime that I would be ashamed of being an American. I am so sorry that we have put a crazy man in the highest position in our country. One that threatens our neighbors and our allies. Hopefully, we can figure out how to stop this madness. Sadly, we need other countries to help us and to make it harder for America to bully at will.
Thank you, Linda. It's a really difficult time for us all. The only way to stop this madness is to get really mad. Talk, reason, isn't going to do it. And acquiescence will only make it worse, not stable. So the only way I see is civil disobedience, general strikes, mass marches. That requires courage and a leader, and I see very little of either in the US these days.
There are a lot of protests going on but it’s not getting much press.
There’s a whole series of people protesting at Tesla dealerships.
" . . . not getting much press."
Please recall, Frau K., that most U.S. press exists to make money. The journalists working in mainstream press learned in mainstream education to have no humanities. They have no moral, humane, or any other ethical perspective other than the priority of their corporate bosses to make money.
If sensationalism sells, then the orange felon and all his criminality, lying, and corruption fits their corporate purposes.
Dear friend, Professor Snyder is not "the United States".
I'm also "pissed off" by what the current and some previous administration have doen and are doing. But I also know and acknowledge that roughly helf the US citizens have a different viewpoint.
And I know that it doesn't matter what you think: it is the policies of your country that affects my life, such as the tariff wars and the threat of annexation. It is of little consolation to know that half of the citizenry doesn't agree with it. The policies are my reality.
Marc is Belgian.
Even many Trump supporters don’t support the tariffs. Almost no non-Trump supporters do.
Thank you Prof. Snyder, as always very enlightening. I would be interested in hearing your views on the signs that the Trump regime is with their actions trying to expedite a war between Russia and Europe (and might even help Russia) to carve the world up from the ashes, or if they are in their evil and incompetent ways trying to get a win by stopping the war in ‘one day’ to stop spending more money on NATO and wars to use the money for other ‘America first’ purposes?
Thank you very much. Very informative and I will share with friends
Please keep making these videos. I'm sharing them on this side of the Atlantic as I'm not aware of any UK academics doing similar work. You put the important points across with great clarity, thank you.
Small error: Russian personnel losses around 800 per day averaged over the last three years and over 1000 per day since May 2024.
Yes, I was surprised at “100,000” casualties a day! Even with North Korean cannon fodder that number would be hard to sustain. But even 1000 a day is daunting.
Yes the Russians are recruiting ca 30,000 per month so for the past 10 months they have been unable to replenish all losses even with the North Koreans. That's why they are sending wounded back to the front. They are also losing tanks, armored vehicles and trucks faster than they can build new ones. Russia desperately needs a cease fire.
I really thought the most disgusting part of Vance's tirade against President Zelenskyy on Friday, was his yelling on about Ukraine "forcing recruits to the front line".
But of course nothing about the use of Chechyn troops being used as “blocking” formations by the Russians. It's a practice dating back to at least WW2 wherby the job of the blocking troops is to position themselves behind the front lines and shoot anyone who attempts to retreat.
I should correct something I said - Vance was bellowing about Ukraine forcing 'conscripts' to the front, not 'recruits'.
It's OK, Karen.
If you're quoting Vance, it's going to be vile, whatever he says.
Yes, about 1,000 a day, as reported by Ukrainian Support:
https://bsky.app/profile/blue24world.bsky.social/post/3ljcbbqpxfc2b
Love the eye-contact Professor! All that you say here is wise and well informed. But we can't ignore the elephant in the room: Trump is very much in Putin's pocket. This IS frightening - and I'm not one to admit to fear often. Immediately after that debacle in the Oval Office, I went to C-SPAN to watch it myself. I read the transcript that came from the closed captions. Did others hear how Trump opined that Putin had to suffer because of the Mueller lead Russian Influence investigation? He gave his sympathies to on this to Putin twice in that meeting. These comments got lost by the belittling of a leader of a foreign country in the midst of a war it didn't provoke. I read EVERY page of the Mueller Report. Something is rotten in the state of the US White House.
In my opinion, we have a traitor in the White House. A TRAITOR! He cannot be trusted with the top secrets and intelligence we receive from other countries. He is Putin's right-hand man.
Thank-you!! Linda I just wrote about this on Robert Reich's page here. When will the Democrat, Republican & Independent elected officials acknowledge the elephant in the room: Donald Trump is a Russian asset!! The denial must end.
We've just seen, again, that Timothy Snyder is a brilliant public intellectual and that his field of knowledge is directly relevant to the current war of aggression in Ukraine and possible moves to end the war in a fair and lasting way.
It helps enormously that he speaks to us directly, clearly, as serious fellow adults, without an ounce of academic pretension and no academic verbiage. He demonstrates the power of analytic and logical thinking. And the power of letting these features speak for themselves without a direct appeal to our emotions and moral values. We know how deeply he feels about this terrible situation and how his moral compass is situated. This is precisely why he doesn't have to express his feelings and values. Ironically, the impact is greater when they are not openly stated.
It's the combination of What he says and How he says it that produces an utterly persuasive way of thinking about this tragic situation and about a possible way forward.
Thank you, Professor Snyder.
David Abernethy (Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Stanford University)
+1 could not agree more. We need more sober analysis.
Thank you for another excellent video, Dr. Snyder. I must, however, bring to your attention that Ukraine inflicts about 1,000 Russian casualties per day, not 100,000. I'm sure this was an unintentional slip, but it should be corrected as soon as possible, because an error like this can be misused to do great damage to credibility. You are, in my view, the best informed, sanest, and most intelligent voice we have about Ukraine and the war, I would hate to see you undermined by a typo.