He is accused of being a propagandist for the Russian government and is a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Simes is a Russian-American political pundit, author and editor who served as the president and CEO of The Center for the National Interest.

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Vladimir Putin intends to retaliate “very strongly” against Ukraine for a surprise drone strike on Russian airfields over the weekend, a declaration that provoked alarm in Washington and abroad even as Trump touted his efforts to bring peace to the region.

President Trump said the Russian leader told him “very strongly” in a phone call Wednesday that he would respond to the drone assault on his country’s airfields.