Former CIA Moscow station chief Dan Hoffman described the current state of affairs regarding the war in Ukraine by emphasizing that it is still at an early stage, rather than close to a resolution.
Following the reelection of President Donald Trump on November 5, 2024, the global community has been trying to comprehend the potential scenarios for Russia’s involvement in Ukraine. There is a concerted effort from Washington to mend relations with Moscow and bring about an end to the conflict through diplomatic means.
Key events unfolded within a short timeframe, including a discussion between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a meeting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, a rendezvous between retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, and comments made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth suggesting that Ukraine might not gain NATO membership.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meet on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Feb. 14, 2025. (Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images)
Green said European nations may need to come up with their own solution to counter a U.S.-Moscow proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Ultimately, the security experts warned that the increasingly apparent divisions between Washington under the Trump administration and Europe are playing into one of Putin’s longtime chief aims.
“I think there’s a need to get a coordinated approach that brings in our allies and partners [and] maintains that source of strength,” Monahan said. “I think Putin is very happy he has been able to achieve one of his strategic goals, which is create disunion and division among the United States and its allies in the transatlantic relationship.”
When asked by Fox News Digital if some of the controversial comments made by Trump, like calling Zelenskyy a dictator, claiming he has low internal approval ratings and seeming to suggest he was to blame for Russia’s illegal invasion, are aiding Putin in his negotiating calculus, Hoffman said, “I don’t know what damage, if any, it’s causing, but the intelligence community can assess that.”
Former President Donald Trump meets with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower on Sept. 27, 2024, in New York City. (AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
“What Vladimir Putin thinks about the U.S. and Ukraine, about Zelenskyy and Trump going, rhetorically at least, toe to toe in the Octagon against each other – it’s not a great look,” he added.
“[Putin] thinks he can break Europe. He doesn’t think Europe is going to be strong enough without the United States,” Hoffman argued. “That’s certainly the past. The history during the Soviet-Evil Empire, it was the U.S. strength, our nuclear umbrella, that deterred the Soviet Union from expanding.
“NATO has always been an alliance to deter Russian aggression,” he said. “We’re nowhere close to knowing how all this is going to play out.
“Right now, you’re just hearing a lot of noise,” Hoffman cautioned.
