Summary
Overview
This episode examines the controversial leaked U.S. peace plan for Ukraine that appeared heavily favorable to Russia, the political turmoil surrounding Ukrainian President Zelensky due to a major corruption scandal, and the chaotic diplomatic scramble that followed as the Trump administration attempted to salvage peace negotiations.
Ukraine's Vulnerable Position and the Leaked Peace Plan
The episode opens by exploring how a leaked 28-point U.S. peace plan to end the war in Ukraine sparked global outcry because it appeared to heavily favor Russia. This came at a particularly vulnerable moment for Ukraine, as the country faces ongoing missile attacks, troop shortages, and widespread war exhaustion among its population. The timing coincided with President Zelensky being politically weakened by a major corruption scandal involving his closest allies.
- A U.S. peace plan leaked that looked like it had been written by Russia, sparking global outcry
- Ukraine faces nightly barrages of missiles and drones attacking civilian targets with insufficient troops
- Ukrainians universally described the plan as 'capitulation' and expressed disgust at the idea of giving up everything they'd fought for
" When this 28-point peace plan was leaked, everybody in Ukraine is looking at this peace plan and they're looking at every single point and saying to themselves, this sounds an awful lot like Russian talking points, like everything Russia ever wanted. "
Operation Midas: The Corruption Scandal Engulfing Zelensky's Inner Circle
A Ukrainian anti-corruption investigation called Operation Midas unveiled allegations that allies of President Zelensky embezzled $100 million from the state nuclear power company. The investigation was presented through a series of dramatic, Netflix-style videos featuring wiretapped conversations of suspects using code names like 'Rocket' and 'Sugar Man.' Most shocking was that some embezzled funds were meant to build shelters protecting infrastructure from Russian attacks, enraging war-weary Ukrainians.
- Anti-corruption agencies investigated Energo Atom nuclear power company for 15 months with over 1,000 hours of wiretaps
- Videos were released in episodic format featuring suspects with code names discussing embezzlement schemes
- Embezzled money was supposed to build shelters protecting nuclear substations from Russian attacks
- For the first time, real opposition was forming against Zelensky with calls for a vote of no confidence
" It kind of feels like Netflix. And then started looking at all the sort of social media that was being put out there. And it's exactly what Ukrainians were saying. You had like the memes of Bill Hader eating popcorn, waiting for the next thing to drop. "
" People are making money off of shelters that are supposed to protect us from Russian missile and drone attacks, especially when you have us going into a winter right now where it's pretty touch and go with the power situation. "
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