Putin and the Presidents

Overview

FRONTLINE investigates Russian President Vladimir Putin’s clashes with multiple American presidents as he’s tried to rebuild the Russian empire. Veteran filmmaker Michael Kirk (Putin’s Revenge, Putin’s Road to War) and his team trace the miscalculations and missteps of U.S. presidents over five administrations, culminating in Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Directed by Michael Kirk

Top cast

Will Lyman

Narrator

Vladimir Putin

Self (archive footage)

Bill Clinton

Self (archive footage)

George W. Bush

Self (archive footage)

Barack Obama

Self (archive footage)

Donald Trump

Self (archive footage)

Joe Biden

Self (archive footage)

W

William B. Taylor Jr.

Self (interviewee)

M

Marie Yovanovitch

Self (interviewee)

John Bolton

Self (interviewee)

Timothy Snyder

Self (interviewee)

Julia Ioffe

Self (interviewee)

Yevgenia Albats

Self (interviewee)

S

Susan Glasser

Self (interviewee)

E

Eugene Robinson

Self (interviewee)

Antony Blinken

Self (interviewee)

Details