Profs & Pints Annapolis: What's Ahead in Ukraine

Profs and Pints Annapolis presents: “What’s Ahead in Ukraine,” a look at Russia’s invasion of that nation and the potential escalation and outcomes of the war there, with Michael Kimmage, professor of history at Catholic University, fellow at the German Marshall Fund, and former U.S. State Department planner for Ukraine and Russia.

Many of us learn of daily developments in the war in Ukraine—the latest battles, missile strikes, and evacuations—without having a solid understanding of what’s driving the conflict and what the stakes are.

Gain a deeper understanding of the conflict and where it might be headed with Dr. Michael Kimmage, a former State Department advisor for that region whose insightful and prescient Profs and Pints talks about the war have earned him a substantial following in Washington D.C.

He’ll start by helping us get inside the head of Russian President Vladimir Putin, discussing Putin’s motives for starting the war, current objectives in pursuing it, and personal stake in his invasion’s success.

Then Professor Kimmage will summarize the course of the war since Russia began its brutal invasion in February 2022. He’ll discuss the many signs that both Russia and Ukraine have already reached the point of exhaustion and the reasons neither side has any easy way out.

Finally, he’ll try to peer into the future, assessing where the war may go, how long it might last, and how it might end—or not end at all. He’ll talk about the ways in which the conflict could escalate into a wider European war, or a world war, or a nuclear confrontation between Russia and the United States. He’ll also go over the policy options for the United States, the most significant backer of Ukraine's war effort.

You’ll emerge from his talk better able to see the news from Ukraine in context, with a greater sense of what the future might hold. (Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)