Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to dominate Ukraine date back decades and were driven in part by Moscow's failure to prevent Kyiv's democratic turn during the 2004 Orange Revolution, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst said Sunday on Newsmax.
Herbst, who was ambassador during the George W. Bush administration, said the Kremlin strongly opposed the rise of reform-minded, pro-Western Ukrainian leaders and actively interfered in Ukraine's democratic process.
"Putin did not want someone like [Viktor] Yushchenko, who was reform-minded and Western-minded, as president," Herbst said on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren."
Putin opposed the candidacy of Yushchenko in Ukraine's 2004 presidential election and encouraged Ukrainian authorities at the time to falsify the results, Herbst said.
When widespread fraud triggered mass protests — known as the Orange Revolution — millions of Ukrainians took to the streets, particularly in Kyiv, forcing a third round of voting that Yushchenko ultimately won.
Herbst said Russian operatives also poisoned Yushchenko two months before the initial vote in an effort to prevent his election.
While the Kremlin may have viewed the Orange Revolution as a humiliation, Herbst said the episode underscored a deeper and enduring goal: Moscow's desire to keep Ukraine politically subservient.
"Moscow has always wanted to control Ukraine," he said.
Herbst linked Russia's seizure of Crimea in 2014 and its invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to the Kremlin's reaction to Ukraine's continued movement away from Russian influence, particularly following the 2014 Maidan Revolution.
That uprising followed the flight of then-President Viktor Yanukovych, who abandoned office amid protests after reversing course on closer ties with the European Union. Herbst said Yanukovych left Kyiv voluntarily after weeks of demonstrations, during which snipers killed protesters in the streets.
Yanukovych later sought refuge in Russia, where he remains, Herbst said.
"He is treated nicely by the Russians, but he's kind of an embarrassment to them," Herbst said, describing Yanukovych as evidence of failed Kremlin policies in Ukraine.
Herbst rejected the notion that Ukraine's internal politics alone provoked Russian aggression, arguing instead that Putin views himself as a modern-day restorer of Russian power and influence.
"Putin considers himself a gatherer of Russian lands," Herbst said, referring to the Russian leader's desire to reassert Moscow's influence over former Soviet states, including Ukraine.
Addressing claims that corruption undermines Ukraine’s legitimacy, Herbst acknowledged it has been a longstanding problem but said the country has made measurable progress since 2014.
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Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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