Yaroslav Trofimov is the chief foreign-affairs correspondent of The Wall Street Journal. A native of Ukraine, he joined the Journal in 1999 as Rome correspondent and has since covered major stories around the world, serving as Middle East and Africa correspondent, as roving Asia correspondent based in Singapore, as Kabul bureau chief responsible for Afghanistan and Pakistan coverage, and as a columnist focused on the greater Middle East. He has spent most of 2022 in Ukraine, covering the Russian invasion. Mr. Trofimov played a key role in the Journal’s coverage of historic events, such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq and its aftermath, the campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria a decade later, the global impact of a more assertive China, and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. Mr. Trofimov was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his coverage of the Afghanistan crisis, won the Overseas Press Club citation for his analysis of the Covid pandemic’s impact on the world, shared in the OPC prize for his coverage of India, and was part of the Journal’s team that was a Pulitzer finalist for their coverage of Turkey. Mr. Trofimov is the author of two non-fiction books, “Faith at War” and “Siege of Mecca,” which has been published in several languages around the world and won the Washington Institute gold medal for the best book on the Middle East. He is also the author of an upcoming novel, to be published in 2024. He holds an MA from New York University and is currently based in Dubai.
no
5426777
00:00
start listening
Episode 496
Yaroslav Trofimov
Are Rumors of an Imminent Russian Attack Warranted? | Yaroslav Trofimov
Yaroslav Trofimov is the chief foreign-affairs correspondent of The Wall Street Journal. A native of Ukraine, he joined the Journal in 1999 as Rome correspondent and has since covered major stories around the world, serving as Middle East and Africa correspondent, as roving Asia correspondent based in Singapore, as Kabul bureau chief responsible for Afghanistan and Pakistan coverage, and as a columnist focused on the greater Middle East. He has spent most of 2022 in Ukraine, covering the Russian invasion. Mr. Trofimov played a key role in the Journal’s coverage of historic events, such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq and its aftermath, the campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria a decade later, the global impact of a more assertive China, and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. Mr. Trofimov was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his coverage of the Afghanistan crisis, won the Overseas Press Club citation for his analysis of the Covid pandemic’s impact on the world, shared in the OPC prize for his coverage of India, and was part of the Journal’s team that was a Pulitzer finalist for their coverage of Turkey. Mr. Trofimov is the author of two non-fiction books, “Faith at War” and “Siege of Mecca,” which has been published in several languages around the world and won the Washington Institute gold medal for the best book on the Middle East. He is also the author of an upcoming novel, to be published in 2024. He holds an MA from New York University and is currently based in Dubai.
In Episode 496 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Yaroslav Trofimov, Ukrainian-born chief foreign affairs correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and author of Our Enemies Will Vanish, about the Russia-Ukraine war, CIA director John Ratcliffe’s recent visit to Moscow, and the growing risk that Russia will escalate beyond Ukraine’s borders to test NATO’s Article 5, how America’s entanglement in the Middle East has depleted Western missile reserves and emboldened the Kremlin, turmoil inside Zelensky’s government, China’s role in prolonging a war it wants neither side to win, and the deepening fracture in the transatlantic alliance.
Yaroslav and Demetri begin their conversation by trying to make sense of the war — its origins, its stakes, and the prospects for its near-term conclusion. They assess claims related to the CIA director’s recent trip to Moscow, the form that any potential Russian attack on NATO could take, and what the Europeans can do to try to stop it. They also discuss the political turmoil surrounding a recent shakeup in President Zelensky’s cabinet, claims of corruption, and whether Western countries can be expected to continue supporting Ukraine amid declining public support for the war and mounting political resistance movements led by Europe’s far-right parties.
The second hour examines Western strategic thinking and the widening schism between Washington and the capitals of Europe’s largest countries. They discuss why Yaroslav believes the West’s difficulties begin with a flawed diagnosis of the war based on the comforting assumption that this is a fight over territory in the Donbas rather than a contest over the future of Europe, the ideological sympathy many on the right feel toward Moscow, the nature and limits of China’s support for Russia, how the war against Iran is reshaping the strategic battlefield by consuming Washington’s attention and roughly half of US Patriot and THAAD interceptor reserves while bolstering Russian oil revenues, the implications for Taiwan and US allies in the Pacific, and why Europe increasingly views America not merely as an unreliable ally but as a potential strategic threat—a shift that may have mortally wounded the transatlantic relationship as it has existed since the end of World War II.
Subscribe to our premium content—including our premium feed, episode transcripts, and Intelligence Reports—by visiting HiddenForces.io/subscribe.
If you’d like to join the conversation and become a member of the Hidden Forces Genius community—with benefits like Q&A calls with guests, exclusive research and analysis, in-person events, and dinners—you can also sign up on our subscriber page at HiddenForces.io/subscribe.
If you enjoyed today’s episode of Hidden Forces, please support the show by:
Yaroslav Trofimov is the chief foreign-affairs correspondent of The Wall Street Journal. A native of Ukraine, he joined the Journal in 1999 as Rome correspondent and has since covered major stories around the world, serving as Middle East and Africa correspondent, as roving Asia correspondent based in Singapore, as Kabul bureau chief responsible for Afghanistan and Pakistan coverage, and as a columnist focused on the greater Middle East. He has spent most of 2022 in Ukraine, covering the Russian invasion. Mr. Trofimov played a key role in the Journal’s coverage of historic events, such as the 2003 invasion of Iraq and its aftermath, the campaign against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria a decade later, the global impact of a more assertive China, and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. Mr. Trofimov was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his coverage of the Afghanistan crisis, won the Overseas Press Club citation for his analysis of the Covid pandemic’s impact on the world, shared in the OPC prize for his coverage of India, and was part of the Journal’s team that was a Pulitzer finalist for their coverage of Turkey. Mr. Trofimov is the author of two non-fiction books, “Faith at War” and “Siege of Mecca,” which has been published in several languages around the world and won the Washington Institute gold medal for the best book on the Middle East. He is also the author of an upcoming novel, to be published in 2024. He holds an MA from New York University and is currently based in Dubai.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
Demetri Kofinas is a media entrepreneur and financial analyst whose mission is to help uncover the hidden forces and pivotal patterns shaping our lives. His contrarian perspective and critical-thinking approach has helped hundreds of thousands of people make smarter, informed decisions. This same methodology has helped guide Demetri’s decision-making as an early-stage investor and as a creator of several innovative media properties and live events.
