Fiona Hill on the War Putin Is Really Fighting
About this episode
Russia scholar Fiona Hill, who served as senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council, argues that Putin is fighting not just Ukraine but a wider war against the West and the post–Cold War order. Hill explains Putin's longstanding grievances — NATO expansion, the loss of empire — and how his KGB past shaped his worldview. She describes the warning signs the West missed, the failures of deterrence, and why sanctions, while significant, may not change Putin's calculus. The conversation also covers China's role, the nuclear risk, how the invasion is reshaping Europe, and what a realistic endgame requires. Hill brings a practitioner's perspective on how Putin thinks and what American policymakers consistently get wrong about him.