Russian president Vladimir Putin has made his annual year-end news conference in Moscow, conveying confidence in his efforts in the war in Ukraine.

This comes as the US congress continues to fight about funding the Ukraine side, something that may be working in Russia's favor.

To answer those questions and more, KCBS Radio's Margie Shafer and Eric Thomas spoke with Javed Ali, Public Policy Professor at the University of Michigan, he's also a former senior U.S. government counterterrorism official with more than 20 years of professional experience in national security and intelligence issues in Washington, D.C.