International security

Former U.S. Ambassadors Spar Over Russia, NATO, Ukraine

Two former U.S. ambassadors to Russia clashed over past and future assessments of relations between Washington and Moscow and which country bears the greater responsibility for deepening bilateral tensions.

Michael McFaul and Jack Matlock delivered their remarks at a June 14 hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where sharpened rhetoric from committee leaders reflected mounting antipathy toward the Russian government among many U.S. officials.

Both McFaul, who served as the U.S. envoy in Moscow from 2012-14, and Matlock, who served from 1987-91, seemed to agree that internal Russian politics were driving much of the Kremlin’s foreign policy in recent years.