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Articles by David Kramer
Open letter to the US administration: The G20 invitation to Putin should come with conditions
The Trump administration recently announced that it has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to December's G20 summit in Miami. This invitation erodes the well-deserved isolation of Putin for his brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Putin last appeared on U.S. soil for a bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025. That meeting produced no progress toward ending the war that Putin started against Ukraine.
Opinion - US pressure needs to be directed at Russia, not Ukraine
As Russia escalates its deadly strikes against Ukraine and its civilian population, Ukraine is retaliating with strikes against Russian military and energy targets. The U.S. must be clear where it stands — with Ukraine and against Russia, the aggressor. The Trump administration should also condemn assaults on American business operations in the region. Vice President JD Vance cautioned Ukraine on this, but he should make sure that Russia, too, knows America will not tolerate such actions.
Opinion - Allowing Russia back into the Olympics undermines what the games represent
Russia is one step closer to full participation in the next Olympics after the International Olympic Committee voted Tuesday to lift the 2023 suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee "provisionally" for violations of the Olympic Charter related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Opinion - Don’t fall for Putin’s lies on Ukraine
Before developments in Venezuela dominated the news over the weekend, Vladimir Putin and his accomplices in the Russian government were caught in a bold-faced lie as 2025 wound down. In a call Dec. 29 with President Donald Trump, Putin claimed that Ukraine had tried to bomb one of his residences in Valdai, in the Novgorod region, just a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Trump in Mar-a-Lago to flesh out a plan to stop the war that Russia started.
Opinion - The Millennium Challenge Corporation advances US interests - don’t kill it
The future is unclear for a key, 20-year-old U.S. government initiative advancing American interests around the world and blunting Chinese and Russian influence. The Millennium Challenge Corporation changed the way development assistance was done. It has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty since its launch by President George W. Bush in 2004.
U.S. Peace Plan for Russia-Ukraine War Gifts Putin Crimea
Argument An expert’s point of view on a current event. Russia Ukraine The Trump administration’s desire to broker an end to the fighting and killing in Ukraine is admirable, but the way that it has gone about it has been problematic, to say the least.
Why Trump Is Wrong About Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
Russia Ukraine U.S. President Donald Trump is right to say Russia’s war against Ukraine “never should have started”—but the blame for it lies entirely with Russian President Vladimir Putin, not with Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Opinion - Getting Ukraine settlement right requires pressure on Putin
President Trump is right to seek an end to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. His success would make America stronger, safer and more prosperous. But how he does so will be extremely important, especially in light of his phone call Wednesday with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and comments made by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth the same day. Nobody wants the war to end more than Ukrainians do.
President Trump: Here’s Why You Want Ukraine to Win
Whether to push Ukraine toward a peace deal with Russia is shaping up to be one of the first and most important foreign policy decisions to face the second Trump administration.
The U.S. Should Not Recognize Georgia’s Parliamentary Election Results
Argument An expert's point of view on a current event. Elections United States In November 2004, Ukraine’s pro-Russian prime minister, Viktor Yanukovych, tried to steal the country’s presidential election, triggering the Orange Revolution protests and reactions from the West. Then-U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell memorably went to the press briefing room and declared that the United States could not accept the results as legitimate.
Ukraine’s Opportunity at the NATO Summit
NATO Russia Europe Ukraine Ukraine should be front and center this week when the Biden administration hosts the NATO summit in Washington. This is no time, into the third year of this terrible war, for obfuscation—either out of fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin might escalate into use of nuclear weapons (highly unlikely) or of the unknown if Russia were to suffer defeat in Ukraine (beyond our control).
Western Strategy Must Consider Future of Belarus
Argument An expert's point of view on a current event. Military Russia Ukraine Rumors abound that Russia is planning a new wave of offensives in Ukraine. According to public sources and Ukrainian intelligence assessments, these may include another attempt to push its forces into Ukraine from the north, from Belarus. Whether this is a genuine possibility or simply a feint to clear Ukrainian forces from other parts of the front line remains to be seen.
Georgia Embraces Belarus and Russia While Turning Away From the West
Argument An expert's point of view on a current event. This month marks the 13th anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Georgia, a country of 3.7 million people wedged between Russia and Turkey. For decades, Georgia has been the most pro-Western and pro-American country in the region. Its top foreign-policy priority is to join the European Union and NATO, and it has answered nearly every call from both organizations to serve in peacekeeping and combat missions.
Western Sanctions Against Lukashenko and Belarus Are Working. Let's Tighten Them.
Argument An expert's point of view on a current event. United States Russia Europe For some, it took last year’s brutal crackdown on peaceful demonstrators protesting Belarusian dictator Aleksandr Lukashenko’s attempt to steal the presidential election to realize how awful life has been under his reign. For others, it was the May hijacking of a Ryanair flight to apprehend a Belarusian journalist on board.
Lukashenko’s Brutal Crackdown in Belarus Has Lethal Help From Moscow
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko’s fraudulent claims of victory in last August’s presidential election triggered massive protests across the country. After 26 years of miserable ineptitude, repression, poverty, and corruption under Lukashenko, the citizens of Belarus had enough. The authorities’ response to the protests in Belarus was brutal.
Cracks Appear Among Lukashenko’s Security Forces
To maintain his grip on power, Aleksandr Lukashenko, the 26-year president of Belarus who fraudulently claimed victory in the country’s Aug. 9 presidential election, relies on two factors: support from Russia and backing from Belarus’ powerful security services. Patience in Moscow with Lukashenko may be running thin, as evidenced by the recent visit to Minsk by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, but the Kremlin doesn’t appear ready to abandon Lukashenko yet.
Biden Must Ignore Bad Advice on Putin and Russia
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will face tremendous challenges when he enters office, starting with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its economic fallout. When it comes to foreign policy, China will be at the top of the to-do list along with restoring and reinvigorating badly frayed alliances. Dealing with Russia and its President Vladimir Putin should be high on that list, too.
No, Now Is Not the Time for Another Russia Reset
The authors and signers of the open letter calling for a “rethink” of America’s Russia policy that was published in Politico Magazine on August 5 include people we know, like and respect. We agree that U.S.-Russia relations are in a poor state. But we disagree strongly about the reasons why and what should be done in response. Our colleagues’ arguments require forceful response.
Putting Freedom Back on the Agenda
Argument Now is no time for America to go wobbly on democracy. JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images Global freedom declined overall for the seventh consecutive year in 2012 according to Freedom in the World, Freedom House’s annual survey of political rights and civil liberties.
I’m on Putin’s hit list but I’m not the victim
"Putin’s aggressive style may also be the reason behind poker’s increasing popularity in modern Russia" | Alexey Druzhinin/AFP via Getty Images PERSONAL HISTORY I’m on Putin’s hit list but I’m not the victim The Russian president is not our friend, no matter what Donald Trump says. By David J. Kramer 7/22/18, 3:20 AM CET Russian prosecutors last week released a list of Americans they want to question in connection with their bogus criminal case against Hermitage Capital founder William Browder.
Putin le verá la cara a Trump en su encuentro de Helsinki
Puede ser más difícil de predecir lo que dirá el presidente Donald Trump que su par ruso, Vladimir Putin, durante la cumbre del próximo 16 de junio en Helsinki. De hecho, el rasgo de imprevisibilidad que identifica a Trump contrasta con Vladimir Putin, que es bastante fácil de leer. Y eso debería poner nerviosas a muchas personas. Con su paso por la KGB, Putin llegará muy bien entrenado a esta reunión, por lo que Trump y sus asesores deberán anticipar tres elementos importantes.
Azerbaijan’s Election Is a Farce
In the past few weeks, first in Russia and then in Egypt, leaders have used so-called elections to provide a patina of legitimacy for their grip on power. Russian President Vladimir Putin secured yet another term with nearly 77 percent of the vote; Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi did even better, nailing down 97 percent of the vote in Egypt. Neither of them deserved congratulations from Western leaders.
Russia Isn’t the Answer to America’s Problems With North Korea
As tensions near a boiling point between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, some observers have suggested that Russia could step in and play a helpful, moderating role. North Korea, they argue, should be one of the few issues on which Washington and Moscow can find common ground. In fact, the Trump administration should not look to Moscow for any serious help in dealing with North Korea.
Russia Isn’t the Answer to America’s Problems With North Korea
As tensions near a boiling point between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, some observers have suggested that Russia could step in and play a helpful, moderating role. North Korea, they argue, should be one of the few issues on which Washington and Moscow can find common ground. In fact, the Trump administration should not look to Moscow for any serious help in dealing with North Korea.
Now, really crank up heat on Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov | Mikhail Klimentyev/AFP via Getty Images OPINION Now, really crank up heat on Russia What more America and Europe can do together to fight against the Kremlin’s relentless attacks on the West’s democratic institutions. By David J.
How Trump’s victory could give Russia another win
Republican president-elect Donald Trump | Mark Wilson/Getty Images How Trump’s victory could give Russia another win Thanks to the president-elect’s friendliness with Putin, the EU could lift sanctions on Moscow. By David J. Kramer 11/16/16, 12:36 PM CET Before President-elect Donald Trump’s surprise victory last week, European leaders seemed certain to renew sanctions on Russia for its ongoing aggression against Ukraine.
Russia’s Hacking Is Only Putin’s Latest Outrage
Forget whether Russia’s hacking of the Democratic National Committee computer system and release of the committee’s emails to WikiLeaks were designed to benefit Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Try to overlook, temporarily at least, the content of those emails, which have infuriated Bernie Sanders supporters.
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