Russian President Vladimir Putin’s transformation of his country into a pariah state will eventually backfire, former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul predicted on Wednesday’s episode of “The Late Show.”
“Putin is turning Russia into North Korea right now, like, literally North Korea,” said McFaul, who served under former President Barack Obama and is now a professor of political science at Stanford University.
Russia is becoming increasingly “cut off” from the rest of the world as sanctions bite and companies suspend operations following Putin’s order to invade neighboring Ukraine, noted McFaul.
“Over time that feeling like, ‘We’re a pariah state’ will begin to haunt him,” he continued. “And I think there’ll be growing opposition both within the elite and within society.”
In particular, McFaul said he was keeping a close eye on defections from people within Putin’s inner circle. If they start leaving “that then opens the door for other elites to say, ‘OK, maybe it’s time for us to quit this war,’” he added.
Watch the full interview here:
