Ukraine War Update NEWS: Geopolitical News, US & Ukraine

"In order for Ukraine to prevail, action will have to be taken that is not in line with what he's actually said. And that's a weird kind of faith to have. If you think Trump is going to be good for Ukraine, he will have to go against what he and many people around him have been saying with 100% of what they've been saying. That's an odd faith."

Hello Team

🎦 00:00-00:23⏩
Jonathan introduces the video, which is a leftover from the previous day and will focus on geopolitics news concerning the US with regard to Ukraine and US political news in general.

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Zelensky wants to meet with Biden to persuade him to invite Ukraine to NATO

🎦 00:23-00:47⏩
Andriy Yermak says that Zelensky wants to meet with Biden again to persuade him to invite Ukraine to NATO. He added that there is no Trump plan to end the war yet, but several positions are being discussed.

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Concerns over Trump's stance on Ukraine

🎦 00:47-01:20⏩
Jonathan expresses concern that there may be panic in the Ukrainian corridors of power due to Trump's current stance on the war. Trump has been vehemently against deep strikes into Russia and wants to cut aid to Ukraine. Jonathan notes that although some people are still hopeful, there are many signs that the situation is not looking great.

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Keith Kellogg believes the war will be solved in the next few months

🎦 01:20-01:39⏩
Keith Kellogg, who is "very bullish" for Trump, says he believes the war in Ukraine will be solved within the next few months because the only person who can do that is President Donald J. Trump. Jonathan notes that Trump has not said these positive things himself and has said nothing positive about Ukraine, morally or politically speaking.

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Trump's lack of clear moral evaluation of the war

🎦 01:39-02:20⏩
Jonathan criticises Trump for never talking about Ukraine fighting for its right as a sovereign nation to exist, never saying that Russia invaded and that Putin is a murderous dictator, and never evaluating the war in clear moral political terms. Instead, Trump always says he wants the war to stop and that too many people are dying. Jonathan asks if Trump has accorded Russia the moral culpability for this that is deserved.

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Ending the war with a just and sustainable peace

🎦 02:20-02:35⏩
Anton Gerashchenko says that the question is not ending the war by itself, but ending it with a just and sustainable peace that really matters. Jonathan reiterates that we have not heard from Trump and his administration a clear moral evaluation of the war and the people involved. Trump just says he wants the war ended as quickly as possible and for people to stop dying.

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Trump's previous comments about wanting a peace fair for both sides

🎦 02:35-03:48⏩
Jonathan recalls that when Zelensky previously met Trump in the US during a NATO conference, Trump talked about wanting the peace to be fair for both sides. Jonathan compares this to the police saying they want a resolution to be fair for both sides when someone's house is broken into and ransacked by thugs. He argues that this is a good analogy for what has happened in Ukraine, which has been invaded by an aggressive nation ransacking the country and killing its people. Jonathan points out that Trump has never used rhetoric about a lasting and just peace.

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Michael McFaul on Putin's reaction to Trump threatening to cut aid

🎦 03:48-04:46⏩
Former ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, says that if Trump threatens to cut aid to Ukraine, Putin will be even more emboldened to keep fighting, not end his invasion. Advancing armies rarely stop fighting when their opponent is about to become weaker. If Putin senses that Trump and his new team are trying to appease the Kremlin, he will become more aggressive, not less.

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Michael McFaul article "How Trump Can End the War in Ukraine"

🎦 04:46-05:23⏩
Jonathan references Michael McFaul's piece in Foreign Affairs, "How Trump Can End the War in Ukraine, Convinced Kyiv to Trade Land for NATO Membership." Jonathan agrees that NATO membership and security guarantees have to be at the top of the list, but notes that this is something Trump specifically does not want to happen.

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Time magazine's fact check of its interview with Trump

🎦 05:23-06:05⏩
Time magazine interviewed Trump after he was named Person of the Year. They have also published a 2,800-word fact check of the interview. Jonathan notes that this has not happened with many other people concerning Person of the Year and quotes Brian Stelter saying that there are a lot of statements that need checking.

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Time magazine did not edit Trump for clarity

06:05-06:37⏩

Return to top⤴️Jonathan praises Time for producing the transcript of the interview alongside the edited article, as the original statements are often incoherent. He notes the headline "Time did not edit Trump for clarity and yikes."

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Example of Trump's incoherent answers from Time interview

🎦 06:37-07:42⏩
Jonathan provides an example of one of Trump's answers from the Time interview, where Trump says, "But we're going to bring back record jobs. Record companies are going to come into our country. They're not going to be able to be able to steal our companies anymore. And I talked about that, but I differed maybe perhaps from you people. I thought the economy was a big factor, especially the real economy, which is the economy of going out and buying groceries or buying a car or buying a house, which was, you know, between interest rates and between costs. As an example, the cost of a house is a big chunk of the cost of the house is just the approval process and the regulations." Jonathan notes that Aaron Rupert responded "What?" to this answer.

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Trump's comments on Ukraine from Time interview

🎦 07:42-08:56⏩
Jonathan shares Trump's comments on Ukraine from the Time interview. When asked if he had spoken to Vladimir Putin since his election, Trump said he couldn't say as it would be inappropriate. When asked if he would cut military, humanitarian, and intelligence assistance to Ukraine if they didn't agree to a peace deal, Trump said he didn't want to say as it would make his plan worthless. Jonathan notes that in amongst this "word salad", Trump makes a correct point that you should not lay out your cards when negotiating.

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Trump has already said he will reduce aid to Ukraine

🎦 08:56-09:30⏩
Jonathan points out that Trump has already told Kristin Welker in Meet the Press, NBC News, that he will possibly, probably, reduce aid to Ukraine. Jonathan argues that this is most of the leverage in the entire negotiations, and Trump has already said he won't give Ukraine that leverage to use against Russia. Jonathan calls this "absolutely ridiculous."

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Trump evades answering whether he would protect Ukrainian sovereignty

🎦 09:30-10:27⏩
When asked if he would commit to protecting Ukrainian sovereignty from Russia, Trump evaded the question and said it would never have happened if he were president. Jonathan notes that the interviewer pressed him, asking if he would abandon Ukraine, but Trump again did not answer. Jonathan concludes that Trump won't protect Ukrainian sovereignty because he is not interested in Ukraine and does not understand the value of supporting it.

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Trump's comments on deep strikes into Russia

🎦 10:27-11:46⏩
Trump says he disagrees vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia as it is escalating the war and making it worse. Jonathan says that Trump doesn't understand why those restrictions were lifted, the effects of guided bombs being sent into Ukraine or that North Koreans are involved. Jonathan calls it a terrible answer and says that sending one Russian missile into Dnipro was just sabre-rattling and not escalatory.

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Trump's interpretation of not abandoning Ukraine

🎦 11:46-12:59⏩
When asked if he will abandon Ukraine, Trump says he wants to reach an agreement, and the only way to do that is not to abandon them. Jonathan clarifies that Trump is going to force an agreement, and he interprets that as not abandoning them. Jonathan reiterates that Trump is not interested in Ukraine's sovereignty or in Ukraine prevailing. Trump's understanding of not abandoning Ukraine is to force through an agreement that stops people dying, but he is not interested in justice.

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Trump's comments on oil prices and the war

🎦 12:59-13:57⏩
Trump says that Putin would never have invaded Ukraine if he were president, which Jonathan calls "absolute rubbish" as they invaded in 2014. Trump claims that the oil price should have been driven down, and if it had been, the war wouldn't have started for pure economic reasons. He says that when the oil price hit $80-$90 a barrel, Putin made a lot of money. Trump concludes by saying that the death toll from the war is far greater than anyone knows.

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Jonathan's assessment of Trump's understanding of the war

13:57-14:57⏩

Return to top⤴️Jonathan states that if Trump's comments reflect his understanding of the war and how to finish it, Ukraine is in trouble because it is "word salad" and nonsense. He believes Trump is deeply ignorant of everything and that it is bad for the leader of the free world to be expressing geopolitical nuances in those ways. Jonathan argues that even if you are a fan of Trump and believe in "America first," you would still want him to understand what he is talking about. He concludes that Trump is not fit to lead the United States.

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Jonathan reflects on his day and Trump's stance on Ukraine

14:57-15:27⏩

Return to top⤴️Jonathan mentions that he took a few hours off to watch his son play football and complain about a referee. He then returns to the topic of Trump, saying that some people are upbeat about him, but he finds it difficult to be so because of what Trump says. He mentions Greg Terry as an example of someone who has changed his tune on Trump.

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Jonathan's challenge to those who believe Trump will support Ukraine

15:27-16:25⏩

Return to top⤴️Jonathan states that there is nothing in what Trump has said that is remotely pro-Ukraine, and he does not appear to want Ukraine to prevail. He challenges anyone to show him where he is wrong, saying that while people can hope that Keith Kellogg and Mike Waltz might do the right thing, it would be despite what Trump has said. Jonathan concludes that the problem is that the guy at the top of the administration is not a fan of Ukraine.

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Ex-FBI informant admits fabricating Hunter Biden Burisma story

16:25-17:25⏩

Return to top⤴️The ex-FBI informant who accused President Joe Biden and his son Hunter of netting millions of dollars in bribes from Ukrainian energy company Burisma, Alexander Smirnoff, has admitted in court that the whole story was made up. In a plea deal, Smirnoff admitted he completely fabricated the conspiracy that became central to a Republican effort to impeach the sitting president. He agreed to plead guilty to four felony charges in exchange for the end of two pending criminal cases against him.

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The significance of the Burisma story being fabricated

🎦 17:25-17:45⏩
Jonathan states that the whole Hunter Biden Burisma thing has fallen apart and that this should be mainstream news, considering how much time has been spent trying to hammer the Bidens over Burisma. He quotes Karen Piper saying that this is sickening and should have led to the charges against Hunter Biden being dropped.

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Court transcript on Smirnoff's fabricated allegations

🎦 17:45-18:54⏩
Jonathan shares a court transcript stating that Alexander Smirnoff transformed his routine and unextraordinary business contacts with Burisma in 2017 and later into bribery allegations against a public official after expressing bias against them and their candidacy. Jonathan calls it lies and defamation and says that very little will be done about it.

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Brad's comments on Smirnoff's fabricated story

🎦 18:54-19:23⏩
Brad says that the FBI informant who claimed President Biden took millions in bribes from Burisma admitted in federal court that he made the whole thing up and that he started spinning new lies after meeting with Russian intelligence. Jonathan finds this sickening.

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Discussion of right-leaning podcasts and their stance on Ukraine

19:23-20:19⏩

Return to top⤴️Jonathan discusses how the majority of the top 20 podcasts on Spotify are right-leaning or politics-adjacent podcasts that are not naturally aligned with being pro-Ukrainian. He mentions the Sean Ryan Show as an example of a military-focused podcast that is anti-Democrat. Jonathan notes that it is positive to see someone on these kinds of podcasts saying there are some issues with Russia.

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Sarah Adams on the Sean Ryan Show discussing Russia's involvement in terrorism

🎦 20:19-22:15⏩
Former CIA targeter Sarah Adams tells the Sean Ryan Show that terrorists decided to carry out the October 7th attacks after Russia invaded Ukraine, as it was a good time with everyone focused on Ukraine. She says that the terrorists reached out to Russia when they started plotting in March 2022, and Russia encouraged them to go for it. Adams also claims that there is information that Russia is helping to bring in some of the tools necessary for Al Qaeda's homeland attack and that Russian pipelines are helping to move some of Al Qaeda's supplies in the United States. Sean Ryan tries to blame the US, but Adams clarifies that it is a different kind of supply that is reportedly moving through a Russian channel.

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Shashank Joshi on Trump administration job hunters

22:15-22:51⏩

Return to top⤴️Shashank Joshi of The Economist says that watching Trump administration job hunters publicly and effusively praise every Trump statement or nomination, however "batshit", is really something. Jonathan notes that people are now overtly supporting potential nominees like Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard in a crazy way and that these people wouldn't get a look in any other time.

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Tim Miller and Anne Applebaum discuss Carrie Lake and Voice of America

22:51-23:49⏩

Return to top⤴️Tim Miller interviews Anne Applebaum, author of "Autocracy, Inc." and "Twilight of Democracies." They discuss the nomination of Carrie Lake to run the Voice of America (VOA). Jonathan explains that the BBC World Service is an important part of the UK's information outreach in the world and that the US does this with Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, and Voice of America. He describes Carrie Lake's nomination as "chicken, like Fox in charge of a hen house" and "a disinformation queen in charge of trying to promote US narratives around the world when her sense of what the narratives are are completely skewed." He calls it another "batshit crazy nomination."

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Anne Applebaum on the role of Voice of America and other US-funded foreign news services

23:49-26:30⏩

Return to top⤴️Anne Applebaum explains that Voice of America is one of a group of US-funded foreign news services, including Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia. She says they play an important role in countering Russian and Chinese propaganda outside of the United States. China has invested billions of dollars in shaping narratives in Africa, and Russia has a huge investment in information campaigns in Europe and Asia. Voice of America and other properties are designed to build trust by reporting things that are true and contradicting the Russian and Chinese messaging.

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Jonathan's clarification on the difference between Voice of America and Russian propaganda

🎦 26:30-27:20⏩
Jonathan clarifies that Voice of America and Radio Free Europe are not lying to people like Russian propaganda does. They are countering Russian disinformation by providing the actual narrative and the truth about why Ukraine needs to be supported. Jonathan is glad that Applebaum made this distinction, as some people might call it propaganda, but it is not comparable to what Russia does.

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Anne Applebaum on Carrie Lake's unsuitability to head Voice of America

27:20-28:39⏩

Return to top⤴️Applebaum states that the idea of Carrie Lake being the head of Voice of America is absurd on many levels, as she has no journalism or public diplomacy experience and is a liar who supported false narratives about multiple elections. Jonathan adds that she is basically involved in a court case about lying and calls it another staggering intended appointment.

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Tulsi Gabbard's Putin-apologist donor

28:39-29:06⏩

Return to top⤴️Jonathan mentions that the largest individual donor to Tulsi Gabbard's PAC in 2021 is an apologist for Vladimir Putin who runs a non-profit that aims to foster cooperation between the US and Russia. He finds it insane that this is who supports Gabbard going for Director of National Intelligence.

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Chris Murphy on Trump's financial ties to Saudi Arabia

29:06-30:15⏩

Return to top⤴️Chris Murphy states that after Trump left office, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, did a massive deal with Saudi Arabia for billions of dollars. Jonathan adds that Trump is going for Trump Tower Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Murphy says that all that matters to Trump is how much money he and his family make, and it comes at a cost to the rest of the US. He believes that bad policy will be made in the Middle East because Trump has unqualified people there, and he will put his and his family's wealth first, and the national security of the country second.

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Jonathan's criticism of Joe Rogan's pro-Russian guests

30:15-30:54⏩

Return to top⤴️Jonathan shares a statement criticising Joe Rogan for only inviting pro-Russian guests on his show, like Tucker Carlson, and then saying, "wow, I didn't know that." The statement says that Rogan is just an apologist for pro-Russians and refuses to have pro-Ukrainians on his show.

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Peter Thiel's response to Piers Morgan's question about a healthcare executive

30:54-33:17⏩

Return to top⤴️Jonathan introduces a clip of Peter Thiel being interviewed by Piers Morgan. When asked what he would say to those who think a shooter is a hero because he targeted a healthcare executive presiding over a system that kills thousands by denying them cover, Thiel says he doesn't know what to say. After being pressed to make an argument, Thiel says there may be things wrong with the healthcare system, but you have to try to find a way to convince people and change it by that. He adds that he doesn't think there's anything heroic about the shooter's motives. Jonathan calls it the single worst answer to any question he's ever seen.

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Tech companies donating to Trump's inauguration

33:17-34:35⏩

Return to top⤴️Jonathan discusses how Meta and Amazon (Jeff Bezos) are giving a million dollars each to Trump's inauguration, along with another tech setup. He warns that all the checks and balances against Trump and his presidency are aligning and that there is complete fealty. Jonathan finds it deeply worrying and says that it is what you see in dictatorships when companies like Meta and Amazon just give money to be on the right side and not fall foul of the leader.

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J.D. Vance and Sophia Nelson on Trump ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange

34:35-34:50⏩

Return to top⤴️J.D. Vance says that President Trump will lead a great American comeback as he rings the bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Sophia Nelson asks what the comeback is from, citing the best stock market in history, the lowest unemployment in history, the greatest infrastructure investment in history, and the best post-COVID growth economy on earth.

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Trump's contradictory statements on inflation and prices

34:50-35:34⏩

Return to top⤴️Jonathan points out that Trump, who got in on inflation, is now saying it will be very difficult to bring prices down, which is true. However, the problem is that he campaigned on that. Jonathan explains that prices only came down significantly in the Great Recession, which is not what you want. He clarifies that with inflation, you get it under control so that it is negligible or less than average wage growth. If you have it that way around, things are looking pretty good, but if you start going through the realms of deflation, you have a recession.

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Trump's repeated promises to bring prices down

35:34-36:22⏩

Return to top⤴️Arthur Delaney says that Donald Trump didn't just vow to end inflation, he said repeatedly that prices would come down at like every rally. Jonathan provides examples of Trump saying that prices would come down fast, not only with insurance but with everything, including groceries, cars, and energy prices. Trump also promised to cut taxes and inflation, slash prices, raise wages, and bring thousands of factories back to America.

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Trump promising to slash environmental legislation for foreign investors

36:22-37:13⏩

Return to top⤴️Jonathan criticises Trump for promising to slash environmental legislation for anyone who invests a certain amount of money, saying that as long as you invest, you can ruin the environment. He contrasts this with RFK's apparent shock at Trump's statement that anybody investing a billion dollars or more gets a very expeditious approval process and no environmental legislation.

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RFK Jr.'s lawyer's petition to revoke the polio vaccine

37:13-37:45⏩

Return to top⤴️Jonathan discusses how the lawyer helping RFK Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration has petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine. He finds it mind-blowing how seriously damaging this kind of approach to running the American government will be.

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Mitch McConnell's statement on the importance of the polio vaccine

37:45-38:37⏩

Return to top⤴️Mitch McConnell, who has a close relationship with polio, issued a statement saying that his parents knew the pain and fear of watching their child struggle with the life-altering diagnosis of polio. He says that from the age of two, normal life without paralysis was only possible for him because of the combination of modern medicine and a mother's love. McConnell emphasises that the polio vaccine has saved millions of lives and that efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed, they're dangerous. He warns that anyone seeking the Senate's consent to serve in the incoming administration should steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts. Jonathan notes that there will be serious fighting amongst Republicans, as some of these nominations are bonkers.

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The impact of deporting illegal immigrants on the agricultural industry

38:37-41:08⏩

Return to top⤴️Jonathan discusses the ramifications of Trump's promise to get rid of 13 million illegal immigrants, particularly on the agricultural industry. He shares an interview with a South Dakota farmer who says that half of his workers are not US-born and that they need workers year-round. Jonathan mentions Jake Bro saying that illegal immigration is baked into the economic system, and if you try to sort it out, you will have massive inflation as you will have to attract workers from the indigenous population with very high prices, plus you will have a labour shortage.

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South Dakota farmer's perspective on the impact of deporting undocumented workers

41:08-42:27⏩

Return to top⤴️The South Dakota farmer, who voted for Trump and Kristi Noem, says that if there were a mass roundup of undocumented migrants, they might lose workers and not have enough. He predicts that within two days, there would be no food anywhere, as nobody would be filling shelves or producing food. The farmer says that if they have to shut down, it will never come back. He expresses faith that officials will not do what they are saying, as food production would shut down within two days if they did.

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Jonathan's concluding thoughts on Trump and the situation in the US

42:27-44:28⏩

Return to top⤴️Jonathan concludes that something is rotten in the state of Denmark and that the next couple of years in the US is going to be nuts. He believes that Trump is a rank amateur at running a government and that this was shown from 2016 to 2020. Jonathan reiterates that people should read and listen to Trump's words on Ukraine, as they are deeply troubling. He states that for Ukraine to prevail, action will have to be taken that is not in line with what Trump has said. Jonathan acknowledges that Trump might still do the right thing, but it won't be based on anything he's previously said and might be by accident or for the wrong reasons.

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Wrap up

🎦 44:28-45:13⏩
Jonathan thanks everyone who has been super generous and helped out with the "Trucks Under the Christmas Tree" fundraiser, which is now up to £13,327. He asks people to subscribe and says he will see them soon.

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