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Study Group with Ann Simmons: The U.S. And Russia - Friends or Foes?

Not so long ago, the U.S. was leading efforts aimed at isolating Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Today the tide has changed as President Trump seeks to embrace Russia, threatening the Western alliance that once united to keep the military ambitions of President Putin in check, and undermining U.S. global leadership. How did it come to this and where is the situation headed from here? 

John J. Sullivan, former U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation and author of "Midnight in Moscow - A Memoir from the Front Lines of Russia's War Against the West," joins us to discuss his experience as America’s top diplomat in Russia at a time when relations between Moscow and Washington were at a nadir, his perspective on the changing dynamics between the White House and the Kremlin and his assessment of President Putin’s endgame in his war on Ukraine. Sullivan was appointed as U.S. envoy to Russia in Dec. 2019 and concluded his tenure in Sept. 2022.

GUEST: John J. Sullivan, former U.S .deputy secretary of state and former U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation (2019 - 2022), joins Ann Simmons virtually for the April 2 session. He is currently a partner in the Washington, D.C. and New York offices of the international law firm Mayer Brown.

AUDIENCE: These conversations are open to members of the Harvard community. Please RSVP with a valid Harvard email address. 

OFF-THE-RECORD: In keeping with our long tradition at the IOP to ensure honest and candid discussions of politics, all IOP study groups are off-the-record.