On Thursday, March 13th, 2025, WorldBoston hosted a Chat & Chowder event with the former Ambassador to Russia, John J. Sullivan, as the guest speaker. Sullivan served as the American Ambassador to Russia from 2020 to 2022, spanning part of President Donald Trump’s first term and part of President Joe Biden’s term. Serving during consequential times for Russia’s relationship with both Ukraine and the United States, Sullivan had plenty of wisdom to share during this Chat & Chowder event.
Sullivan recently published a book in 2024 called Midnight in Moscow: A Memoir from the Front Lines of Russia's War Against the West, where he shares his path toward becoming the Ambassador to Russia, along with the reaction and aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, 2022. With the war between Russia and Ukraine reaching newer tensions recently, Sullivan’s book and his discussion during the event provide some important insight into the conflict.
In regards to politics, one thing that Sullivan made clear is that “Putin will never compromise” when it comes to the war with Ukraine. Putin’s vision for Russia was largely shaped by the “great geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century,” which was the fall of the USSR according to Sullivan. He further stated that Putin and many Russians never came to terms with what happened to Russia at the end of the Cold War, and that this has played a major role in Putin’s current actions against Ukraine. Putin strives to have control from the center, which was lost with the demise of the Soviet Union. Sullivan brought up Russia’s control in Minsk, Belarus, where Moscow was able to intervene after protests arose due to an election result. The control that Putin has in Belarus is the type of control he wants to have over many of the other former Soviet states–especially Ukraine. As Sullivan mentioned, the international border of the Soviet Union disappeared with its fall, as did Russia’s “counterweight” to the West, and Putin wants to regain control.
An interesting comparison that Sullivan drew was suggesting that Putin at the start of the war with Ukraine in 2022 was like Hitler at the start of Operation Barbarossa (Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union) in 1941: overconfident in his military. Putin invaded Ukraine with only 200,000 Russian troops. This underestimation of Ukraine led to the longevity of the war, which Putin had initially expected to be a quick ordeal. Despite this oversight, however, Russia is in it for the long run, according to Sullivan, after so many years and lives were invested in this war. Russia will not back down.
Sullivan ended his discussion by stating that his fear is that the West will make concessions that will lead to the fall of Ukraine. Allowing Putin to get what he wants from Ukraine will cause uncertainty for the future of international relations. Sullivan mentioned that he has interacted with several people who do not understand the relation that this war has with the defense of our country, and why the United States has sent billions of dollars to Ukraine. He asserted the importance of having a Russia policy, in order to protect the United States, and that Ukraine is the victim in this war.
The event then shifted to a Q&A session, where several members of the audience both in person and through Zoom were able to ask Ambassador Sullivan questions. The questions that Sullivan answered included topics such as Russia’s relationship with China, safety in Russia, and sports as a diplomatic tool.
What stood out as a common theme throughout the evening was Sullivan’s love for hockey, which played a role in his career as an Ambassador. He started his discussion by crediting hockey for introducing him to the USSR and mentioned the “Miracle on Ice.” Sullivan also shared how hockey brought him closer to Russian culture. He even included a photo in his book that depicted him laughing with former Russian hockey players Alexander Yakushev and Slava Fetisov.
After the Q&A session, Ambassador Sullivan signed copies of his book, and spoke with guests individually.
Overall, the evening was both informative and enlightening, and Ambassador Sullivan was an engaging speaker. If you missed the event, you can watch a recording on WorldBoston’s Youtube channel, and make sure to keep an eye out for future WorldBoston Chat & Chowder events.
