In the News: Brian Taylor
Culture and Conversation Tables Bring the World to Maxwell
Hosted by the Moynihan Institute, the gatherings create opportunities for students and faculty to explore languages, cultures and global perspectives.
See related: International Affairs, Student Experience
Leading Expert on Ukrainian Politics Discusses Russo-Ukrainian War and Prospects for Peace
Oxana Shevel’s lecture reflects the Maxwell School’s ongoing scholarship, policy engagement and support for those affected by the conflict.
See related: Conflict, International Affairs, National Security, Russia, Student Experience, Ukraine
Taylor Speaks With Fox4, the LAist on the Fourth Anniversary of Russia's Invasion of Ukraine
The war likely won't end anytime soon, says Brian Taylor, professor of political science. “The simple reason is [Russian President] Vladimir Putin is not interested in a deal, he wants to control Ukraine and Ukraine wants to remain free and independent and sovereign. And there's no real overlap between those two positions at this point,” Taylor says.
See related: Conflict, Government, International Affairs, Russia, Ukraine
Taylor Quoted in La Presse Article on Reaction of China and Russia on US Operation in Venezuela
“This is the fourth time in a few years that Russia has seen an ally undermined and has to swallow the snake,” says Brian Taylor, director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.
See related: China, Conflict, Government, International Affairs, Latin America & the Caribbean, Russia, United States
NATO Did Not Cause Putin’s Imperial War
Co-authored by Professor of Political Science Brian Taylor, the article was published in The Washington Quarterly.
See related: Conflict, Government, International Affairs, NATO, Russia, Ukraine, United States
Taylor Quoted in LA Times Article on Europe’s Alarm Over Trump’s Approach to Ukraine
“If the U.S. stops even doing that—and it would be quite a radical policy change if the U.S. is unwilling even to sell weapons to European countries—then Europe will have to continue on the path it is already on, which is to bolster its own defense production capacity,” says Brian Taylor, director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.
See related: Conflict, Europe, Federal, International Agreements, NATO, Russia, Ukraine, United States
Taylor Discusses the Talks Between Top US Officials and Ukrainian Delegation on LiveNOW from FOX
“I think the fundamental problem remains, that Vladimir Putin wants to subjugate and control Ukraine and Ukraine wants to stay independent and sovereign and make its own political choices. So it's really hard to see a meaningful deal coming out of this,” says Brian Taylor, director of the Moynihan Insititute of Global Affairs.
See related: Conflict, Government, International Affairs, International Agreements, Russia, Ukraine, United States
Taylor Weighs In on the Impact of the Russia-Ukraine War on Russian Demographics
“Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine is greatly damaging Russia’s future, with the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers at the front and the emigration of some of Russia’s best and brightest young people,” says Brian Taylor, director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.
See related: Conflict, International Affairs, Labor, Russia, Ukraine
Failure. Russia Under Putin
Brian Taylor, professor of political science, contributed a chapter to the recently published book Failure. Russia Under Putin (Bloomsbury, 2025). He is one of multiple authors who share their views on Russia’s failures under the leadership of Vladimir Putin.
See related: International Affairs, Russia, United States
Taylor Speaks With CBS News About Poland Shooting Down Russian Drones in Its Airspace
“Poland is a NATO member state. The United States is a member of this alliance and Poland is asking for consultations among the alliance. Several other countries sent aircraft to help down some of the drones. So this is at least a potential escalation here in the war beyond the Russia-Ukraine war,” says Brian Taylor, professor of politcal science.
See related: Conflict, Europe, Government, International Affairs, NATO, Russia, Ukraine
Taylor Speaks With CBS News, LiveNOW from FOX About Putin, Russia’s Attacks on Ukraine
“He [Putin] continues to launch missle and drone attacks, and military attacks continue along the front line. So Putin is really betting on a military solution, not a political one, despite all of the talks that took place over the last week,” says Brian Taylor, director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.
See related: Conflict, Government, International Affairs, Russia, Ukraine
Taylor Weighs In on the Presidential Summit Between Russa and the US in Los Angeles Times Article
“This will be the first U.S.-Russia summit brought about by sheer ignorance and incompetence: The U.S. president and his chosen envoy mistook a Russian demand for a concession,” says Brian Taylor, professor of political science and director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.
See related: Conflict, Federal, Foreign Policy, International Affairs, Russia, Ukraine, United States
Taylor Weighs In on Trump’s Approach to Aiding Ukraine in Newsweek Article
“The good news for Ukraine is that...Trump has finally figured out that Putin is the main obstacle to peace,” says Brian Taylor, director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.
See related: Federal, International Affairs, U.S. Foreign Policy, Ukraine, United States
Taylor Talks to AP About CIA Report Criticizing Investigation of Russia’s Support for Trump in 2016
“This report doesn’t change any of the underlying evidence—in fact it doesn’t even address any of that evidence,” says Brian Taylor, director the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs. Taylor suggests the report may have been intended to reinforce Trump’s claims that investigations into his ties to Russia are part of a Democratic hoax.
See related: Federal, International Affairs, Political Parties, Russia, U.S. Elections, United States
Taylor Speaks With Forbes About Quinnipiac Poll Ratings on Trump’s Handling of Russia-Ukraine War
“Among the issues Quinnipiac asked about—immigration, trade, the economy, Israel-Gaza and universities—Trump’s numbers are the worst on Russia-Ukraine, and they also are the worst among Republicans,” says Brian Taylor, professor of political science.
See related: Federal, International Affairs, Russia, U.S. National Security, Ukraine
Taylor Speaks With CBS News, El País, KTVU and Kyiv Post About Trump, Ukraine and Russia
“Putin isn’t interested in a ceasefire or an agreement, but rather in victory, understood as the subjugation of Ukraine,” says Brian Taylor, professor of political science. “The Russian president has faced zero consequences for stalling Trump over the past four months, and from what Trump has said about the conversation, that hasn’t changed one bit.”
See related: Conflict, Europe, Federal, Foreign Policy, Global Governance, International Affairs, Russia, Ukraine, United States
Taylor Speaks With WWL Radio About US-Russia Relations
“There have been a variety of efforts since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 to try and remake the U.S.-Russia relationship...Obviously a lot has happened since then and it hasn't worked out that way and from my point of view, the thing that has broken the relationship most of all has been the Russian war against Ukraine which began in 2014,” says Brian Taylor, professor of political science.
See related: Conflict, Federal, International Affairs, Russia, U.S. Foreign Policy, Ukraine, United States
Taylor Discusses President Trump, Causes of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine With Forbes, USA Today
“Trump’s contention that Ukraine’s hope of joining NATO ‘caused the war to start’ is a claim that is often made, but one that doesn’t stand up to scrutiny,” says Brian Taylor, professor of political science. “Given that there was no serious prospect of Ukraine joining NATO between 2008 and 2022, it’s hard to see how Ukraine’s hope of joining NATO at some point in the future caused the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.”
See related: Conflict, Federal, Global Governance, International Affairs, International Agreements, Russia, Ukraine, United States
Taylor Talks to CBS News, CNN About the Presidential Phone Calls and the Russia-Ukraine War
“If you look at what the Kremlin put out, based upon the phone call between presidents Trump and Putin, their characterization of it was much more sober and it was clear that Putin reiterated his constant talking points about the need to get to what he calls the ‘root causes’ of the conflict,” says Brian Taylor, director of the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs.
See related: Conflict, Federal, Global Governance, International Agreements, Russia, Ukraine, United States
Taylor Speaks with LiveNOW from FOX and UNITED24 About the Latest With Ukraine
“The way the U.S. is going about it is not inclined to make a ceasefire take place and last. All the pressure at the moment seems to be on the Ukrainians to show that they're willing to settle and that they want peace. But the country that started the war is Russia and its Russia that's on the attack,” says Brian Taylor, professor of political science.
See related: Conflict, Federal, Foreign Policy, Government, International Agreements, Russia, Ukraine, United States