Fiona Hill

“A desire to contain extremism is a major reason why Putin offered help to the United States in battling the Taliban in Afghanistan after 9/11. It is also why Russia maintains close relations with Shia Iran, which acts as a counterweight to Sunni powers.”

“Obama is under incredible pressure to supply arms to Ukraine.”

“Chechnya was part of that whole wave of entities of the Soviet Union that had a very separate sense of identity, of political and social history, that set them apart from the rest of Russia.”

“Japan has good reasons for wanting to transform its relationship with Russia. Tokyo has openly expressed serious fears of a military confrontation with Beijing over China's claims to the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea.”

“I can say with confidence that this country has offered for me opportunities I would never have had in England.”

“Every military scenario that the Russians basically engage in their annual exercises, either on their western or eastern flank, always involved some kind of local revolt pulling in outside forces.”

“New ties between Russia and Japan would mark not only a breakthrough in their relations but also a significant shift in Northeast Asia's political dynamic.”

“Russia has always been very careful to try to balance the interest of the Gulf states and Iran off against each other.”

“I refuse to be part of an effort to legitimize an alternate narrative that the Ukrainian government is a U.S. adversary, and that Ukraine - not Russia - attacked us in 2016.”

“Putin is trying to create the best possible atmosphere for Russia.”

“And Trump isn't exactly the most diplomatic of people.”

“I don't want to suggest that Trump is emulating Putin. Trump is his own creation.”

“Outside of the Moscow elite and a very small urban elite, Russia is one great big blue-collar country.”

“The capital city of Grozny in Chechnya was reduced completely to rubble, and Putin thought this was worthwhile because it kept the state together.”

“I grew up poor with a very distinctive working-class accent. In England in the 1980s and 1990s this would have impeded my professional advancement. This background has never set me back in America.”

“My dad was a coal miner in County Durham.”

“I tend to look at Trump as a real-estate mogul. You look at a building and say, 'I'm just going to tear that down and build up something new.' He's not exactly Mr. Preservationist.”

“A U.S. president who is elected amid controversy and recrimination, reviled by a large segment of the electorate, and mired in domestic crises will be hard-pressed to forge a coherent foreign policy and challenge Russia.”

“Russia was dependent on China growing and driving the demand for its commodities: oil, gas and minerals. China was an alternative to Europe.”

“You could say that by standing up to Russia, the U.S. is finally getting some balls.”