Trump met Putin in Alaska to “end the war.” But Putin isn’t playing today’s game. He’s playing the game of 1914 — empire, spheres of influence, and small nations treated as objects, not subjects. 🧵

In States of Play I talk to @keirgiles.bsky.social about what Putin (and by extension, Russia) really wants, including a return to Russia's imperial past. But how successful are the West's efforts to resist this, and what next for Russia and Europe? samolsen.substack.com/p/what-does-...

Episode 1 of States of Play drops tomorrow, asking what a world order actually is open.substack.com/pub/samolsen...

I have news: today I am launching States of Play, a new podcast on understanding the changing world order open.substack.com/pub/samolsen...