Putin Escalates Ukraine War After Talks With Trump Envoys (with Michael McFaul)

September 12, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

In the wake of a visit to Moscow by Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Russia launched a missile strike on a shopping mall in Pavlohrad, Ukraine, killing at least four people and wounding dozens more, many of them teenagers. The attack came in broad daylight in a city center, and was followed by additional strikes on office buildings in Kyiv’s Podil district and on gas stations. Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, who served under President Obama, joined the podcast to analyze the broader deterioration of American foreign policy under the second Trump administration, the failed diplomatic overture to Russia, and the strategic weakness these moves project to both allies and adversaries.

The Witkoff-Kushner Mission as a Symptom of a Broken Policy

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What you'll learn

1 (00:14) **Putin's Escalation After Trump Envoy Visit** - The episode opens with a summary of recent events: Trump’s call with Putin, the failed Witkoff/Kushner trip to Moscow, and Putin’s immediate military escalation in Ukraine.
2 (07:30) **Introducing Ambassador Michael McFaul** - The host brings on the former U.S. ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, to analyze the macro picture of U.S. foreign policy under Trump.
3 (09:11) **Macro Picture: Two Years of Decline** - McFaul diagnoses the overall damage to U.S. security, prosperity, and values under the second Trump administration.
4 (11:32) **The Witkoff/Kushner Failure: Unqualified Diplomacy** - McFaul critiques the specific trip by Trump’s envoys, highlighting their lack of qualifications and dangerous framing.
5 (15:06) **Putin Picks His Negotiator** - The host explains how Putin sidelined the official envoy, Keith Kellogg, and insisted on dealing with Witkoff, a real estate friend of Trump.
6 (19:51) **No National Interest, Only Personal Preference** - McFaul and the host discuss the over-personalization of U.S. foreign policy, where Trump makes decisions based on his own feelings rather than national strategy.
7 (23:40) **China: The Real National Security Challenge** - McFaul argues that managing the competitive relationship with China should be the focal point of U.S. foreign policy, but Trump is making it worse.

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Show Notes

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on the escalating war in Ukraine following Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner's meetings with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, including renewed Russian attacks and Ukraine's strikes in response. Meiselas then interviews former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul about the latest escalation Trump's failures.

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