Summary
Overview
Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell analyze the latest developments in Ukraine following Trump envoy visits, discuss Mark Carney's concept of middle power alliances, examine Ed Miliband's sanctions on Israeli settlements, and address the controversial funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić in Serbia. The episode reveals deepening concerns about Trump's relationship with Russia, Europe's struggle to defend Ukraine independently, and rising nationalism in the Balkans.
Trump's Betrayal of Ukraine and the Patriot Missile Crisis
The discussion opens with the recent visits by Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Putin and Zelensky, framing it as part of a broader betrayal of Ukraine. Stewart explains how Ukraine is struggling to defend against Russian ballistic missiles because America has depleted Ukraine's Patriot interceptor supplies by using them against Iran. Russia has lost catastrophic numbers - between 250,000-400,000 killed and 1.2 million casualties total, more than the US lost in World War II, yet continues targeting Ukraine's electricity infrastructure.
- Russia fired 27 missiles at Kiev; Ukraine shot down only one due to lack of US Patriot interceptors
- America has been firing nearly half its Patriot stock at Iran, leaving Ukraine vulnerable
- Of 30 ballistic missiles fired last week, Ukrainians intercepted only one
- Russia has lost between 250,000-400,000 killed and 1.2 million total casualties - more than the US lost in WWII
- Putin is targeting electricity generation to make Ukrainian cities uninhabitable and cripple industrial production
" If he were a Russian asset, would he have done anything differently to what he's actually done in his second term? "
" Russia has lost in this fight with Ukraine more than the United States lost in the entire Second World War. Or to put it another way, they have lost something like 100 times as many people as the US lost in Afghanistan. "
" Witkoff has been eight times to see Putin. Putin must have the cleanest shoes on the planet because he has licked them every single time. "
The Kushner-Witkoff Visit: Working to Satisfy Putin's Aspirations
Campbell describes the humiliating dynamic of Trump's envoys visiting Putin and then Zelensky, with Kushner declaring at a press conference that they're "working to satisfy Putin's aspirations" while sitting near Zelensky - whose destruction is Putin's goal. The hosts discuss how Witkoff told Putin these meetings would be "the greatest moments of our lives" and how this represents an extraordinary capitulation to Russian interests, with the Minister of Justice meeting Mladić's casket at the airport as a state welcome.
- Witkoff described meetings with Putin as 'the greatest moments of our lives'
- Kushner stated they're working to satisfy Putin's aspirations while sitting with Zelensky
- Trump posted AI-generated content showing himself physically assaulting Mark Carney in an ice hockey match
- Zelensky showed extraordinary self-control sitting through press conferences with Trump's envoys
" Kushner sits there with Zelensky just a few yards away and says, we're working to satisfy Putin's aspirations. Putin's aspirations are to kill this guy, to destroy his country and to take the whole thing back into Russia. "
" He literally said, we'll look back at these meetings as the greatest moments of our lives. These are the highlights of our lives. We'll be able to have the memories of these meetings. "
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