Finnish ambassador: Here’s the right way to sting the Russian bear

Prior to his assignment in Washington, Mikko Hautala was Finland’s ambassador to Russia, where he met Vladimir Putin more times than he can count. Hautala held his position in Moscow during the critical years following Putin’s first invasion of Ukraine.

Since the beginning of the war, he has become the person to talk to to understand Putin, Russia and the conflict in Ukraine.

On this episode of In-depth playbook overviewhost Ryan Lizza chats with Hautala about what Americans don’t understand about the Russian leader, the implications of the growing China-Russia alliance, Finland’s NATO membership and why why he thinks the West must massively increase its industrial capacity if it wants Ukraine to survive.