Podcast host Alex Gabuev is joined by Alexander Baunov, editor-in-chief of Carnegie Politika and a senior fellow at Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, to discuss the upcoming Trump presidency and what effect it may have on Russian foreign policy and the war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin sees its anti-Western alliance with Tehran as testing a new model of international relations—and does not want it stymied.

If even a peace proposal from Trump is rejected by Putin, then it means the demise of the Russian “victory plan” and any remote prospect of ending the war.

Imminent changes will mean less interaction between officials and local residents, less money for small-town Russia, and accelerated depopulation.

Trump’s victory has reconfirmed Putin’s view that the west is so politically unstable that policies can drastically change with every election cycle.

Pyongyang’s willingness to break with tradition will not necessarily bring success on the battlefield, and has caused concern in both China and South Korea.