Home / The John Batchelor Show / S8 Ep301: MISUNDERSTANDING RUSSIA AND THE PERSISTENCE OF THE THREAT Colleague Professor Eugene Finkel. Finkel argues that debates over Ukraine joining the EU or NATO miss the core issue: Russia's ideological refusal to accept Ukraine's existence. He criticizes West

S8 Ep301: MISUNDERSTANDING RUSSIA AND THE PERSISTENCE OF THE THREAT Colleague Professor Eugene Finkel. Finkel argues that debates over Ukraine joining the EU or NATO miss the core issue: Russia's ideological refusal to accept Ukraine's existence. He criticizes West

The John Batchelor Show

Jan 12, 2026

9 min

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MISUNDERSTANDING RUSSIA AND THE PERSISTENCE OF THE THREAT Colleague Professor Eugene Finkel. Finkel argues that debates over Ukraine joining the EU or NATO miss the core issue: Russia's ideological refusal to accept Ukraine's existence. He criticizes Western leaders for treating Russia as a tran...

MISUNDERSTANDING RUSSIA AND THE PERSISTENCE OF THE THREAT Colleague Professor Eugene Finkel. Finkel argues that debates over Ukraine joining the EU or NATO miss the core issue: Russia's ideological refusal to accept Ukraine's existence. He criticizes Western leaders for treating Russia as a transactional, rational actor rather than a revanchist imperial power, noting that Eastern European warnings were ignored. Finkel asserts that transactional deals, like those proposed by Trump, will fail because the conflict is existential for Russia. He concludes with an anecdote about his grandfather refusing a KGB job, highlighting the long history of resistance against Russianco-optation. NUMBER 8
1925 SOVIET KYIV SEMINARY

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