On the eve of the full-scale invasion, Ambassador John Sullivan was on the diplomatic front lines in Moscow, representing a rapidly coalescing Western alliance. He and his staff witnessed first-hand the Kremlin’s attempts to sow uncertainty and eke out leverage in the runup to February 24, 2022. In this conversation, Ambassador Sullivan revisits his experience as the U.S.’s chief liaison to Russia at the most consequential moment since the fall of the Soviet Union. His insights provide a uniquely revealing picture of the Putin regime’s mentality and motivations for launching the most destructive war in Europe in eighty years.