Ukraine War Update NEWS: Geopol News, UN Meetings, Trump's Harsh Zel Criticisms
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This summary has been produced automatically by an AI Large Language Model (LLM) without any human intervention. Whilst every effort has been made to prompt the LLM to produce accurate output, there may be inconsistencies, inaccuracies or hallucinations!
Table of Contents 📖
"Those cities are gone. They're gone. And we continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refused to make a deal - Zelensky"
Hello Team
🎦 00:00-00:30⏩
Jonathan welcomes everyone to the channel and warns viewers that this is likely to be a long video due to the amount of news to cover (US Politics, the UN, speeches and meetings).
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Ukraine's Victory Plan - US/European reaction
🎦 00:30-04:21⏩
Jonathan discusses a Wall Street Journal article (sourced from senior US and European officials) reporting on Zelensky's victory plan.
- The plan is described as "uninspiring" and offering "no clear path to victory" with one official stating "there's not much new there".
- Jonathan believes that the lacklustre plan may be due to the West's reluctance to clearly define what military aid Ukraine will receive. He draws comparisons with a "chicken and the egg" scenario.
- John Ridge (source not identified) echoes this, commenting that Ukraine cannot develop a comprehensive strategy for victory when authorities and appropriations are insufficient to even stabilise the front line.
- Europe's reluctance to commit sufficient military aid is highlighted with UK Defence Secretary, Ben Healy, admitting that the UK has scaled down military aid due to a lack of equipment and failure by the previous government to increase production. Despite political will, the money and capacity is lacking.
- Jonathan concludes that Ukraine is having to create a viable plan for victory, whilst navigating challenging geopolitical circumstances, and without knowing what weapons it will have at its disposal.
Danish PM warns against Appeasement
🎦 04:21-07:27⏩
- Jonathan welcomes comments from Danish PM Mette Fredrickson who has spoken out against the idea of Ukraine exchanging territory for peace.
- He argues that figures such as US politician J.D. Vance, Donald Trump, Lula of Brazil, Elon Musk and China are in favour of Ukraine ceding territory to Russia as part of any peace deal.
- Jonathan argues that forcing Ukraine to negotiate under these circumstances condones Russia's invasion and sets a dangerous precedent - that it is acceptable to invade another country and be rewarded with territory.
- He uses the analogy of a neighbour squatting in his house and eventually being given his lounge to keep the peace. He argues that this would simply encourage the neighbour (and others) to employ the same tactic of aggression in the future.
- He concludes that Fredrickson is right - exchanging territory for peace condones the invasion of sovereign countries.
US Democrat Senator Blumenthal "immensely frustrated" with limits on Ukraine
🎦 07:27-08:45⏩
- Jonathan reports that Democrat Senator Blumenthal (Connecticut) is "immensely frustrated" by the restrictions placed on Ukraine, stating that he will continue to challenge officials to allow Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia.
- Jonathan reports rumours that the US may allow Ukraine to fire Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles deep into Russia.
Yuval Noah Harai on the Global Significance of the War
🎦 08:45-12:35⏩
- Jonathan discusses an interview with Israeli historian and author Yuval Noah Harai (Sapiens, Homo Deus, 21 lessons for the 21st Century) in The Economist in which he (Harai) describes Ukraine as the most important conflict in the world.
- Harai argues that Russia's invasion of Ukraine threatens the decline of war - one of humanity's greatest political achievements. He argues that if Russia is allowed to profit from its aggression, it will encourage dictators around the world to follow suit. The rules-based world order will collapse and smaller nations will resort to nuclear weapons to defend themselves.
- Harai argues that the only way to stop this is to give Ukraine everything it needs to push Russia back into its borders.
- Jonathan agrees with Harai, stating that the war in Ukraine has more serious ramifications than the conflict in the Middle East due to the involvement of emerging hegemonic entities (the US, the West versus BRICS and the global south).
- He concludes that whilst the conflict in the Middle East is serious, geopolitically, the war in Ukraine has more far-reaching consequences.
Russian Ballet in Florence
🎦 12:36-13:08⏩
- Jonathan expresses his disgust that the Russian Ballet is touring Europe with a performance in Florence.
- He jokes - "First comes the Russian ballet, then comes the Russian tanks".
- He criticises those who support this type of cultural event, reminding them that Russia is actively engaged in war crimes and genocide.
Helsinki Commission Hearing - Michael Weiss on Russia's "Act of War"
🎦 13:08-13:52⏩
- Jonathan reports on a Helsinki Commission hearing on Russia.
- Michael Weiss (source/role not identified) states that Russia has been waging war across NATO and EU territory for 20 years. Jonathan agrees with Weiss's assessment, referencing his talk in Stockbridge where he spoke about the different ways in which Russia wages war.
Disinformation on Social Media - Bellingcat Targeted by Russia
🎦 13:52-16:28⏩
- Jonathan highlights the activities of Elliot Higgins and open-source intelligence group Bellingcat, an organisation that has been repeatedly targeted by Russia for its work in exposing Russian war crimes (including the Salisbury poisonings)
- Higgins reports on a new fake Bellingcat story which has been viewed over 16,000 times but received zero likes or retweets, suggesting that Russia is gaming social media algorithms to spread disinformation.
- Jonathan links this to Elon Musk's decision to fire Twitter moderators and the subsequent decline in content moderation on the platform. He highlights a statistic that Twitter took action against 1 million accounts for posting hateful content in the last 6 months of 2021, but only 2,600 under Musk. This, he argues, has made it far easier for Russia to spread disinformation on the platform.
Hugo Boss Update - Correction and apology
🎦 16:28-19:28⏩
- Jonathan issues a correction/apology regarding an earlier claim about Hugo Boss reopening stores in Russia. He thanks "Benny Pie" (source not identified) for providing evidence and clarifies that the situation is more complex than initially reported.
- Key findings from Benny Pie's investigation (sourced from Nasdaq, Yakovenko) are that a Finnish company, Stockman, acquired Hugo Boss's Russian subsidiary and will trade as "Link Fashion". It is unclear whether the stores will stock Hugo Boss clothing.
- Jonathan admits that he was too quick to believe the earlier reports and thanks Benny Pie for his diligence. He urges caution and warns against rushing to report nuanced and complex stories. He provides a link to his distilled website - atpgeo.utub.erg.ui for more information.
Nexter - Fake Kuleba Zoom Call
🎦 19:28-21:18⏩
- Jonathan reports that a fake Dimitro Kuleba has been impersonating the Ukrainian Foreign Minister on Zoom. US Senator Cardin was the target and only realised the call was a hoax when the fake Kuleba started asking inappropriate, politically motivated questions about long-range strikes on Russian territory. Cardin ended the call and reported the incident to the State Department.
- Jonathan expresses his concern over the incident, noting that similar incidents involving pranksters and Russian disinformation agents posing as foreign officials have targeted David Cameron and Italian PM Giorgia Meloni.
- In a previous hoax, Russian agents posed as former Ukrainian President Poroshenko to obtain sensitive information. Jonathan expresses his concern that these incidents represent a serious challenge for politicians.
Jonathan addresses Viewer Criticisms of his Coverage of US Politics
🎦 21:18-26:06⏩
- Jonathan addresses viewer criticisms of his coverage of US politics, acknowledging that he is passionate about the subject as it has a direct impact on the war in Ukraine (particularly the potential for a change in US administration to Trump/Vance).
- He quotes a viewer comment - "If you don't stop the childish anti-Trump stuff, you will lose a lot of viewers. Please stick to the subject".
- Jonathan argues that US Politics IS the subject as Trump's policies on Ukraine will have significant ramifications for the war. He argues that if he was criticising Kamala Harris for being pro-appeasement, the viewer would not object. He concludes that Trump supporters are unable to separate their identity from Trump, making any attack on Trump an attack on them. This cognitive dissonance prevents them from being objective.
- He then quotes another viewer who, whilst being pro-Ukraine, accuses Jonathan of being out of his depth in his criticisms of Trump and for suggesting that the Democratic party is corrupt and evil, whilst being supportive of Ukraine. He describes this as the "yin" approach - good in every evil and vice versa.
- Jonathan responds by stating that he does not understand how wanting to help entrepreneurs and homeowners could be perceived as evil. The viewer concludes by urging Jonathan to "Stay out of American politics".
- Jonathan responds that this is impossible as Trump's comments directly impact Ukraine.
Trump's "Harsh" Comments about Zelensky
🎦 26:06-27:17⏩
- Jonathan reports on a Bloomberg article - "Trump blasts Zelensky as Ukraine's aid bid hits campaign strife". The article describes Trump's comments as some of the harshest he has used when speaking about the war, suggesting that he would scale down US aid to Ukraine. Trump also criticised Zelensky for refusing to make a deal with Russia and for criticising him.
Trump's Comments - "Ukraine is Gone"
🎦 27:17-29:52⏩
- Jonathan expresses his anger at Trump's comments about the war in which he states that "Ukraine is gone". Jonathan plays a clip of Trump speaking. He argues that Ukraine is not gone and that a "bad deal" would have resulted in significant territorial losses. He believes that Trump's stance is being influenced by Putin and that this is dangerous rhetoric to be peddling to his supporters.
- Trump continues: "It'll take hundreds of years to rebuild. There's not enough money to rebuild it if the whole world got together". Jonathan responds that these are lies and disinformation, adding that this is what the Ukrainians are experiencing.
- Trump - "It didn't need to happen". Jonathan responds by stating the obvious - "it was Putin that invaded" and asks whether Ukraine should negotiate with an aggressor and cede territory. This, he argues, condones Russia's actions.
- Trump - "Those buildings are down, those cities are gone". Jonathan reiterates his point that negotiating from a position of weakness sets a dangerous precedent.
- Trump - "And we continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refuses to make a deal zelensky". Jonathan is angry and states that he would be spitting at the screen if he wasn't trying to remain calm. He draws a comparison - if Russia invaded Alaska, should the US immediately negotiate and cede territory? This, he argues, is essentially advocating that weaker nations should give up their territory to stronger ones.
Trump's Comments - "They're not going to be satisfied until they send American kids over to Ukraine"
🎦 29:52-32:23⏩
- Trump - "They're not going to be satisfied until they send American kids over to Ukraine and that's what they're trying to do. And the moms and dads of America don't want their kids fighting Ukraine and Russia and we're not going to have our soldiers die across the ocean". The audience applauds.
- Jonathan is incredulous at this, asking how the audience can possibly applaud such a statement when this is the opposite of what US Politicians are saying.
- He summarises Trump's main points - Ukraine is gone, millions have died, it has no culture, it's been obliterated, it can't be rebuilt and Zelensky is an idiot. This he argues is irresponsible rhetoric that condones bullying and rewards aggressors.
Trump's Comments - "Putin is no angel" and Zelensky "didn't know what he was saying"
🎦 32:23-35:39⏩
- Trump - "Putin is no angel, he has said, but Biden and Harris stupidly allowed this war”. Jonathan is disgusted that Trump tries to morally excuse Putin's actions by saying he's "no angel". He sarcastically remarks - "Oh, Hitler was no angel".
- Trump - "Any bad deal with Putin is better than no deal. Ukraine should have agreed to the terms earlier and given up something, Ukraine. What do you have left after three years of terrible fighting? You will never be able to rebuild the cities and towns as they were. They were thousands of years old. Three years ago, you had beautiful civilization. Now, most of the country is gone. There is no heritage. It's just a complete lie. Ukraine is running out of soldiers. They are using small children and old people. So that's another part of the speech. If Harris wins, more die, more cities will fall". Jonathan is furious and states that this is a lie, adding that Ukraine is not using child soldiers and this is disinformation aimed at his supporters.
- Trump - "I watched this poor guy yesterday at the United Nations. He didn't know what he was saying. They just don't know what to do. They're locked into a situation". Jonathan is exasperated, stating that Zelensky is the one who has experienced the war firsthand, not Trump.
- Trump continues - "They just don't know what to do because Ukraine is gone. It's not Ukraine anymore. You can never replace those cities and towns, and you can never replace the dead people - so many dead people. Any deal, even the worst deal, would have been better than what we have right now. If they made a bad deal it would have been much better. They would have given up a little bit and everybody would be living and every building would be built and every tower would be aging for another 2,000 years.”
- Jonathan states that this is incredible - effectively rewarding invaders and bullies.
Mike Pence refuses to provide details of how Trump would end the war
🎦 35:39-36:30⏩
- Jonathan reports that a reporter asked Mike Pence how a Trump/Vance administration would end the war in Ukraine.
- Pence responds - "Well look, the details for how Donald Trump is going to end the war in Ukraine is by not being weak and not being dumb, which is unfortunately something you can't say for the current administration. It's very simple".
- Jonathan points out that no details were provided, other than that Trump would not be weak and dumb.
Jonathan defends his criticisms of Trump
🎦 36:30-37:26⏩
- Jonathan reiterates his point that Trump and Vance are dangerous and that their vague policies of appeasement only benefit dictators.
- He argues that those who criticise him for being "anti-Trump" are deflecting from Trump's words and policies.
GOP Snubs Zelensky - Speaker Johnson refuses to meet him and calls for Ambassador to be fired
🎦 37:26-38:24⏩
- Jonathan notes that, in addition to refusing to meet with Zelensky, Speaker Johnson has called for Zelensky to fire the Ukrainian ambassador to the US.
- Other Republicans have called for an investigation into Zelensky's visits to the US, specifically Pennsylvania.
- He asks - where are the GOP members who support Ukraine and why are they not challenging this?
- He notes that at least one Republican Senator, Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), has withdrawn her support for Trump.
Zelensky's UN Speech - "Peace cannot be achieved through negotiations alone"
🎦 38:24-39:13⏩
- Jonathan reports on Zelensky's speech to the UN in which he stated that peace cannot be achieved by negotiations alone. He wants to approach the negotiating table from a position of strength on the battlefield.
- He points out that if Ukraine had followed Trump's advice to negotiate at the beginning of the war, it would have lost a significant amount of territory.
France pledges continued support for Ukraine
🎦 39:17-39:47⏩
- Jonathan welcomes France's pledge to continue its support for Ukraine. He quotes the French Ambassador to the UN: "France says Russia's war of aggression affects us all. France will continue to support Ukraine at all levels and in the long term".
Jonathan questions Trump's stance on Putin and Russia's war crimes
🎦 39:47-42:17⏩
- Jonathan questions why Trump is seemingly incapable of condemning Putin's actions and for failing to acknowledge that Putin is a moral monster. He also questions why Trump does not speak out about Russia's war crimes.
- He compares Trump's silence to David Lammy's powerful UN speech in which he lists Russia and Putin's crimes.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock condemns Russia's actions at the UN
🎦 42:17-44:01⏩
- Jonathan plays an excerpt of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's speech at the UN in which she condemns Russia's kidnapping of children - "And yes, the Russian Federation, the ambassador who always leaves after he has spoken here, I've experienced that a couple of times, you can fool yourself. The strongest man of your country can hide behind teenager girls who he kidnapped. But you cannot fool the world".
- He compares Baerbock's comments to Sikorsky's speech on genocide.
- He then mocks the Russian ambassador for leaving the chamber after his speech and for leaving behind a female representative, describing her as a proxy for the "bald-headed chat".
Annalena Baerbock Interview - "Self-defence means that you prevent it"
🎦 44:01-44:39⏩
- Jonathan mentions an interview with Baerbock by Christiane Amanpour in which she advocates for Ukraine being able to strike military targets deep inside Russia - "Self-defense includes that you don't have to wait until the rocket hits your city like Kharkiv until the children's hospital is being destroyed. Self-defense means that you prevent it, that you can stop it, stopping a direct attack".
Zelensky's Meetings at the UN - Canada, Slovenia, Turkey, Vietnam, NATO, France, European Council, US
🎦 44:39-49:45⏩
- Jonathan lists Zelensky's meetings with various dignitaries whilst at the UN:
- Canadian PM Justin Trudeau: Discussions on the implementation of the peace formula, military support, the situation on the battlefield and the needs of Ukraine's defenders. Zelensky expresses gratitude for Canada's unwavering support - "We deeply appreciate Canada's military and humanitarian assistance, as well as its efforts to bring home Ukrainian children". Jonathan praises Canada's efforts and recommends Trudeau's interview on Colbert.
- President of Slovenia: Discussions on the implementation of the peace formula, and Slovenia's role in EU enlargement.
- Turkish President Erdogan: Discussions on trade, investment, economic cooperation and Turkish companies participating in Ukraine's reconstruction (including Baykar Bayraktar's plans to manufacture drones in Ukraine)
- Vietnamese President Tho Lam: Discussions centred around the development of bilateral relations and increasing agricultural trade. Zelensky thanks Vietnam for its humanitarian support. Jonathan notes that this follows on from similar visits to Vietnam by Russian and US officials.
- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: Discussions included strengthening Ukraine's air defences, securing an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO and the implementation of agreements made at the Washington Summit.
- French President Macron: Strengthening relations between the two countries and increased military support - "France will train and equip a Ukrainian brigade for which I'm deeply grateful. I thank France for its steadfast support".
- European Council President Charles Michel: Discussions included the use of frozen Russian assets, addressing Ukraine's military needs and enhancing Ukraine's resilience and defence capabilities.
- US President Biden: Two meetings are scheduled.
Biden to visit Germany in October - Macron and Starmer also invited
🎦 49:45-50:26⏩
- Jonathan reports that Biden will visit Germany between 10-12 October and that invitations have been extended to Macron and Starmer. Discussions will primarily focus on support for Ukraine.
CNN Report - Trump criticises Zelensky for not making a deal with Russia
🎦 50:26-51:48⏩
- Jonathan plays a clip of a CNN report in which Trump heavily criticises Zelensky for not negotiating with Russia.
- CNN reporter: "He also started to sharply criticize President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine during his speech today as well. And really it was some of the most public criticisms we have heard of from Donald Trump of Zelensky thus far. And also, his comments really indicated that he would significantly pare back support to Ukraine and funding for the war between Ukraine and Russia if he were elected in November. He said at one point that, "Those cities are gone," speaking about Ukraine. "They're gone. And we continue to give billions of dollars to a man who refused to make a deal - Zelensky”.
- Jonathan agrees with the reporter's analysis that Trump's comments represent a threat to withdraw support and funding for Ukraine.
Wrap up
🎦 51:48-52:10⏩
- Jonathan is exasperated by Trump's stance, stating that it beggars belief that Zelensky is being blamed for Russia's invasion. He concludes by asking viewers to consider how Trump's comments and positioning on the war square with their own views, before thanking them for their support.
🤖❓ AI Debrief (post task) - anything the AI didn't understand
Who is Colby Badwa?
Who is John Ridge?
Who is Benny Pie?
Who is Michael Weiss and what is his role at the Helsinki Commission?
In the CNN report, the reporter states that Trump criticised Zelensky for not making a deal and that "Those cities are gone". Is this a direct quote from Trump? It is unclear from the transcript.
🤖💭 AI Plan (pre task) - the AI's step by step thought process
This is quite a meaty transcript, there's going to be a lot of topics! Before I start I am going to review the entire transcript so that I can identify the main themes of the video. This will help with deciding how to break the transcript down into topics. The main themes appear to be
Ukraine's victory plan
Criticisms of Trump/Vance's stance on the war and their pro-appeasement approach.
Nexter and disinformation
UN speeches/Zelensky's meetings/Support for Ukraine at UN
Bearing this in mind, I will break down this transcript with a high level of granularity.
Ok Let's go Step by Step!
