Marie Yovanovitch: “I think he underestimated the resolve of the West and our willingness to stand united with Ukraine.”

It was quite clear that he felt that NATO was not a good institution, that the other allies were taking the U.S. for a ride, and that we were supporting them in ways that we shouldn't be.

I think that he, frankly, didn't really think that much about Ukraine, but he thought a lot about Russia as a great power. And he sort of accepted, I think, Putin's view of Ukraine is not really being a real country.

I think we need to ask ourselves, as the international community, how do we help the Ukraine, how do we support Ukraine, how do we save Ukraine without expanding the war in ways that nobody wants to see?

But then Zelenskyy was elected president. I think Putin thought that he could manipulate Zelenskyy. He was sorely disappointed there.