He is accused of being a propagandist for the Russian government and is a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Simes is a Russian-American political pundit, author and editor who served as the president and CEO of The Center for the National Interest.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted that he understands the “mentality of the Russians” better than President Trump and his officials — as he issued a warning to the president. Zelensky roundly rejected Trump’s conclusion that Vladimir Putin wants to stop his bloody war on Ukraine,