Since Ukraine's incursion into Kursk, Russia has postponed rare talks between the two nations that were scheduled for later this month.

Those talks were to discuss a possible halt on attacks targeting each other's energy infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin's allies warned that Ukraine's incursion has increased the chances of

World War. That saber rattling is a routine Russian

tactic and one few people have seen as closely as the most recent former US

ambassador to Russia who has written a new book and recently sat down with

Nick Schifrin. Over the past decade the U.S. Russia relationship has deteriorated

to its lowest point since the Cold War. Election interference, attempted

international assassinations, cyber warfare, and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ambassador John Sullivan had a front row seat to all of it, first as Deputy Secretary of State, and

then U.S. Ambassador to Moscow for President's Trump and Biden.

And his new book is Midnight in Moscow, a memoir from the front lines of Russia's war against the west.

John Sullivan, thanks very much.

Welcome to the news hour.

Let's begin with Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Russia.

How will that affect Vladimir Putin's thinking?

Well, it's already affected his standing within Russia,

and Russia's strategic calculations with respect to Ukraine.

They were surprised by this. Putin was embarrassed by this.

It reveals some of his weaknesses. The fact that the Russians were unprepared, that the Russians were being slaughtered in this area are conscripts who are not

supposed to be sent to the war in Ukraine. We've seen video of what's happened to them, surrendering,

killed and so forth. The Ukrainians have occupied what a thousand square

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