Michael McFaul calls Trump's complaint of disrespect to Russia "absolutely insane" and compares it to respecting Al-Qaeda
Michael McFaulFormer U.S. ambassador to Russia and Hoover Institution senior fellow, interviewed on The Guy Benson Show on Fox News Radio
On Fox News Radio, McFaul says Trump's complaint that Ukraine showed disrespect to Russia is like asking Americans to respect Al-Qaeda after the September 11 attacks, and that showing Putin respect makes no sense.
“imagine saying that after we were attacked on September 11th, we need to show more respect to Al-Qaeda. This is just absolutely insane. ... You might have to negotiate with him, and President Zelensky said he’s willing to talk to Putin, but to show respect for that individual just makes no sense. And I don’t understand why the president thinks that that resonates with anybody except for Vladimir Putin.”
Interview
Where this statement fits
Trump says Ukraine will "end up with a little bit different shape" after the war and the U.S. "got nothing" for its weapons; the Kremlin agrees, and Zelenskyy rejects ceding land
In an interview with Ross Douthat broadcast on CBS's 60 Minutes on November 8, 2026, President Donald Trump said the United States had supplied Ukraine with "the best weapons on Earth" and "got nothing for it." When Douthat said the United States got Ukrainian independence, Trump said it had not gotten that yet. Asked whether he expected a free and independent Ukraine, he said a deal would happen and Ukraine would "end up with a little bit different shape." He also said that when Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy first met, "there was great disrespect shown to Russia." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine is already a different country in terms of geography. Zelenskyy told Danish broadcaster DR that he did not know what Trump meant and was not ready for that kind of surprise, and argued that ceding Donbas would not stop Putin. Retired Adm. James Stavridis said the remark sounded ominous and pointed to a land-for-peace deal. Michael McFaul, Guy Benson and David Sanger criticized the remark about disrespect to Russia.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
Fox News Radio page with the audio and full transcript of Guy Benson's November 9, 2026 interview with Michael McFaul, which opens with the 60 Minutes clip in which Trump says disrespect was shown to Russia.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Guy Benson played the 60 Minutes exchange in which Trump says that at the first meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy "there was great disrespect shown to Russia" and then asked why the president would object to Ukrainian disrespect for their invaders. McFaul began by saying he agreed.
After the quotation
McFaul goes on to say the remark does not help the negotiations or make Trump sound on top of them to European allies. Between the two quoted passages, he says Putin has annexed about 20 percent of Ukraine, kills civilians every day and has kidnapped tens of thousands of Ukrainian children.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
McFaul calls the remark about disrespect to Russia absolutely insane and says it resonates with no one except Putin, which criticizes the remark.
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- People and groups discussed
- Donald Trump
More from this case
Read the full caseZelenskyy says ceding Ukrainian land for peace is "just abstract words" and Putin would come back
“Ceding Ukrainian land for peace is just abstract words. It’s not only about reality, even more about philosophy. Putin was talking about Donbas, but then he decided to occupy Kyiv, our capital. ... Nobody trusts Putin to stop if we leave Donbas. He will pause. Then he will come back in one year, two years, or five years.”Read statement
David Sanger says Trump has "gone out of his way to excuse or diminish what Russia has done"
“the President has gone out of his way to excuse or diminish what Russia has done. You notice there that he didn't jump in and say, yes, Russia invaded Ukraine and violated their sovereignty. And there's something of an imbalance between somebody invading your country and you being rude to them when you meet them for the first time after they've invaded your country, right?”Read statement
James Stavridis says Trump's remark on Ukraine's shape "sounds ominous" and points to a land-for-peace deal he hates
“Well, it sounds ominous. What it probably portends is the 20 percent, roughly, of Ukraine that Putin is currently in control of, the eastern slice that connects Crimea up to the Rodina, the motherland, as the Russians say, about 20 percent. It's kind of a trade land for peace deal, if you will. Certainly, Zelenskyy will hate that deal. I hate that deal. We all should hate that deal.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Michael McFaul calls Trump's complaint of disrespect to Russia "absolutely insane" and compares it to respecting Al-Qaeda". First published: 2026-11-15. Last updated: 2026-11-15. https://disputeindex.com/events/9024-on-fox-news-radio-mcfaul-says-trump-s