Michael McFaul is a professor of political science at Stanford University and a senior fellow at its Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the Hoover Institution. He served as U.S. ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014, after three years on the National Security Council staff.
Case
Trump said Russia would supply millions of tons of diesel after a call with Putin, and Treasury authorized Russian diesel imports until April 2027. Zelenskyy and lawmakers in both parties objected.
Role at the time: Former U.S. ambassador to Russia and Stanford professor, in a post on X
Statement summary
Michael McFaul said Trump was trying to correct for high gas prices, which he blamed on what he called Trump's "ill-conceived and unnecessary war against Iran", by paying a Russian dictator billions of dollars, and that more Ukrainians would die as a result.
“He is now trying to correct for his mistake by paying a brutal, imperialist Russian dictator billions of dollars.”
The case asks whether the U.S. should ease sanctions on Russian diesel to lower fuel prices, as the administration did on October 9. McFaul says Trump is "paying a brutal, imperialist Russian dictator billions of dollars" and that as a result more Ukrainians will die. That opposes the arrangement, so we labeled it Condemned. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional; it loses because the post contains no support for it.
Statement dates: October 9, 2026
Statement dates: October 9, 2026
Statement dates: October 9, 2026
Statement dates: October 9, 2026
