A Conversation With Ambassador To Russia And Ukraine

The relationship between the U.S. and Russia has been fraught for decades, as the two global superpowers engage in a battle for influence on the world stage. Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine and the strong response from the U.S. and other Western countries is the most recent component of this power struggle.

This virtual program on Friday, March 4, 12:00PM–1:00PM EST welcomes Senior Fellow at RAND Corporation and U.S. Ambassador to Russia and Ukraine, John Tefft, who will provide insight into President Putin’s decision to invade and what this means for global governance and diplomacy going forward. Journalist Mila Sanina will lead this fireside chat with Ambassador Tefft that will include questions from the audience to help us understand this momentous global event.

Meet Our Speaker

John F. Tefft is a retired United States diplomat. He was a career Foreign Service Officer for more than 45 years, completing his service as the United States Ambassador to the Russian Federation from 2014 to 2017.

Tefft earlier served as the United States Ambassador to Lithuania from 2000 to 2003, Ambassador to Georgia from 2005 to 2009, and Ambassador to Ukraine from 2009 to 2013. He worked from 2004 to 2005 as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs responsible for U.S. relations with Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova.