Diplomacy and International Politics

Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and current professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government Nicholas Burns helps explain what happened in Helsinki (and since), the damage being done to the U.S., and our position in the world.

President Trump tweeted a list of what he and Putin discussed in their meeting and Trump now says he looks forward to a second one-on-one. Ali Velshi and Stephanie Ruhle discuss with Ambassador Nicholas Burns, the former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs.

Almost from the day he arrived in Moscow as the U.S. ambassador in 2012, Michael McFaul and his family were subjected to a campaign of surveillance and harassment.

According to McFaul’s book “From Cold War to Hot Peace,” Russian authorities followed him to his son’s soccer game and on outings to McDonald’s. They trailed his children’s bus to school and sat behind the family at church. They slashed the tires of an embassy staffer’s car and broke into the homes of other employees.

US President Donald J. Trump on July 16 appeared to believe Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denials over the US intelligence community’s assessment that Russia meddled in the 2016 elections, saying he saw “no reason why” Moscow would have acted in that way.

Speaking at a joint press conference following his first summit with Putin in Helsinki, Trump said: “President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today” on meddling.

Nicholas Burns, former undersecretary of state for political affairs, gives his initial take on the historic Trump-Putin meeting in Helsinki, Finland.

Right now the U.S. is not in a position to compromise on anything, says Nicholas Burns, former U.S. Ambassador to NATO, along with Fred Kempe, Atlantic Council CEO, providing insight to the meeting between U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin.

Nicholas Burns, former U.S. ambassador to NATO, shares his thoughts on the outcome of the meeting between President Trump and President Putin.

President Donald Trump, standing beside Russian leader Vladimir Putin, questioned the U.S. intelligence conclusion that Moscow meddled in the 2016 election, a move lawmakers of both parties said was a stunning alignment with an adversary.

Former US ambassador to NATO Nicholas Burns speaks with AM's Kim Landers. He describes the Brussels NATO summit as "messy" and "divisive" due to President Trump's adversarial stance, which he says was an attempt to signal to his supporters at home that he was standing up to Europe. He describes Mr Trump's threats of leaving the treaty as "preposterous."