Hello there I'm Chuck Todd and this is the Chuck Todd cast.

We are recording this interview on Wednesday morning and let's be honest, the situation

in Ukraine is very fluid.

By the time you hear this podcast, things could look very different from the way it does

right now with a full fledged invasion if that's what happened.

Or Russian President Vladimir Putin could keep his military sitting in place, perhaps for

weeks at the Ukrainian border with the engines running.

But the underlying question is how we got to this point where things go from here will

remain the same.

I guess today is William Taylor, former US ambassador to Ukraine.

He's currently vice president of Russia and Europe Studies at the US Institute of Peace.

Ambassador Taylor, welcome to the talk.

It's good to be here.

So I want to start with sort of educating people about Ukraine a little bit here, right?

We got a little time.

And I want to understand how a Ukrainian differentiates themselves, him or herself, from a Russian.

And what does that mean?

And I want to, is it more like the way a Texan differentiates themselves for an American

or is it more like a Canadian differentiates themselves from a North American?

So you see where I'm going here.

Give me the description of a Ukrainian patriot.

Chucky Ukrainian patriot is much more like a Canadian compared to an American than a Texan

...