Ukraine War Update NEWS: Geopolitical News #1 - Europe, Sanctions, NATO 2.0

"It is no accident that when one peruses the list of Hungary's richest, hovering near the top are the family and friends of the leaders of Hungary's government."

Hello Team

🎦 00:00-00:12⏩
Jonathan welcomes everyone to another video - Part 3 of the Ukraine war update for 9th January 2025. He comments that it has been a busy news day with lots going on, not just about the war but geopolitically too. He mentions that it has been a busy period in general referring, to the Ramstein meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group where 50 nations came together to discuss aid to Ukraine.

Return to top⤴️

EU Support for Ukraine

🎦 00:12-00:48⏩
Jonathan highlights an important question raised - what happens if the US steps back from supporting Ukraine and how much the EU can step in. He refers to comments made by Estonian diplomat Kaja Kallas who has said that the EU is ready to take the lead in supporting Ukraine if the US steps back. However, she believes that speculation about the US stepping back is premature and that it is not in America's interests to let Russia become the strongest country in the world.

Return to top⤴️

Greenland, US and a potential Russian threat

🎦 00:48-02:50⏩
Jonathan questions Trump's motives for wanting to purchase Greenland and whether it is really about raw materials or security interests. He questions why, if the US considers Russia to be a threat, they would pull out of Ukraine yet consider Greenland so strategically important for security. He goes on to highlight the hypocrisy of America First rhetoric from Trump and his supporters saying that if Russia is Europe's problem, they shouldn't have to worry about Greenland. Jonathan points out that Greenland is actually part of Europe (The world's largest island, Greenland is located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe (specifically Norway and Denmark, the powers that have historically colonized it) for more than a millennium.)

Return to top⤴️

Hungary condemns Ukraine, withholds aid and blocks EU Accession

🎦 02:50-04:07⏩
Jonathan discusses Hungary's response to a proposed Ukrainian bill to suspend Russian energy which has drawn criticism from Hungary's foreign minister who says that Hungary will block Ukraine's accession to the EU. Slovakia have similar concerns. Slovakia are considering withholding aid to Ukraine if a solution can't be found to halted Russian gas transit through the country. Jonathan believes that Ukraine wouldn't be too bothered by this.

Return to top⤴️

US sanctions top Hungarian official

🎦 04:07-06:50⏩
Jonathan discusses the US sanctioning of a top Hungarian official, Antal Rogan over corruption claims. He expresses concern over the close relationship between Trump and Viktor Orban and believes that if Trump is elected, he will lift the sanctions. Jonathan talks about Rogan's career history and influence and believes that he is the right person to sanction. He talks about David Pressman, US ambassador to Hungary and his criticism of Orban's government and wonders if Trump will remove him if elected. He is concerned that this will mean the US siding with Putin rather than with their allies. Jonathan reads part of the US Treasury Department statement about the sanctions against Rogan.

Return to top⤴️

Daniel Freund highlights corruption in Orban's government

🎦 06:50-08:15⏩
Jonathan plays a clip of a speech by Daniel Freund, Member of the European Parliament where he highlights the corruption in Orban's government.

Return to top⤴️

Jonathan rants about Trump and corruption in Orban's government

🎦 08:15-08:37⏩
Jonathan rants about corruption in Orban's government and how Trump lays out the red carpet for Orban, allowing him to visit Mar-a-Lago, treating him like a demigod. He contrasts this with the US ambassador to Hungary, the treasury department and the White House who seem to recognise the corruption. He compares the situation to Russian tentacles that have wrapped themselves around Orban.

Return to top⤴️

Croatian disinformation campaign and Russian tentacles

🎦 08:37-09:09⏩
Jonathan discusses a disinformation campaign uncovered by researchers ahead of the Croatian presidential elections - evidence of Russian tentacles at work.

Return to top⤴️

Zelensky to meet Italian Prime Minister, calls for increased sanctions

🎦 09:09-09:18⏩
Jonathan reports that Zelensky will meet the Italian Prime Minister after the Ramstein summit and quotes him as saying that we must cut off Putin's cash flow if we want to stop the killing.

Return to top⤴️

Sanctions are key to ending the war

🎦 09:18-10:09⏩
Jonathan talks about Zelensky's belief that Putin will only start thinking about peace when those around him tell him that he has run out of money which is why US sanctions are so important. Jonathan believes that rather than lifting sanctions, Biden should be tightening them and that Trump, if elected, should do the same. This way, he could claim credit when Russia are defeated and Jonathan wouldn't care if that's what Trump believed because at least it would mean that Russia gets "done in".

Return to top⤴️

Jonathan rants about the UK media landscape, Elon Musk and dangers of misinformation

🎦 10:09-15:41⏩
Jonathan embarks on a rant about the UK media landscape, highlighting the lack of balance and how the Labour government is being unfairly treated by the media, facing accusations of being complicit in all sorts of things from people like Elon Musk and is the subject of a smear campaign. He feels genuinely sorry for the government and says that they are trying to do a difficult job with no money left after 14 years of Tory rule. He calls the Daily Mail "The Fox News of the UK". He feels that this negative media landscape gives Russia an advantage. He expresses concern about the death of mainstream media and how the public are turning to social media which serves them information in echo chambers, often determined by algorithms. He believes this is a very dangerous time to be alive.

Return to top⤴️

New US sanctions against Russia

🎦 15:41-16:14⏩
Jonathan returns to the topic of sanctions and the belief that this is the way to defeat Russia. He reports that Biden is expected to unveil a new raft of sanctions against Russia.

Return to top⤴️

Ukraine needs guarantees on NATO membership

🎦 16:14-17:54⏩
Jonathan reports that the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak has hinted that good news is coming in the form of increased sanctions. Jonathan reiterates his view that the best security guarantee for Ukraine is to join NATO and points out that this was Zelensky's number one point in his victory plan. He believes that Ukraine must join NATO and that a ceasefire is pointless without this as the situation will just happen again. He suggests that if this isn't possible then there needs to be a permanent presence of peacekeeping troops in Ukraine. He expresses his frustration at Biden's and Trump's stance on this.

Return to top⤴️

Poland - Support for Ukraine and negative publicity

🎦 17:54-19:15⏩
Jonathan reports that a Polish presidential candidate has stated that he doesn't see Ukraine in the EU or NATO and that this has been condemned by Donald Tusk. He is hopeful that Poland will announce a new military aid package for Ukraine. He talks about negative publicity surrounding Ukraine and how Zhenya (a Ukrainian friend of Jonathan's) had been ranting about how everything is always Ukraine's fault.

Return to top⤴️

Global support for Ukraine is waning

🎦 19:15-20:12⏩
Jonathan talks about how demoralising it is for Ukrainians who are fighting for their country to hear the rhetoric being spread by the likes of Musk and Trump. He is concerned that global support for Ukraine is waning and that people are starting to accept the Russian narrative which he finds very worrying.

Return to top⤴️

Macron calls for new European military coalition

🎦 20:12-21:45⏩
Jonathan talks about Macron's call for a new European military coalition as an alternative to NATO. He plays a clip of Macron where he sets out his stall for the new coalition, highlighting how Europe can't rely on the US or the rest of the world. The plan is for a European army consisting of France, the UK, Italy, Poland, the Baltic states and anyone else who wants to join.

Return to top⤴️

Is a European Army a good idea? The positives and negatives

🎦 21:45-24:05⏩
Jonathan analyses Macron's comments, pointing out that this is what the US wants on the one hand, but on the other, not what they want. He believes that it depends on which US administration is in power. He says that Trump would love this, but points out the potential pitfalls for Europe and the US, highlighting how this will result in Europe becoming more independent and reliant on it's own weapons manufacturers rather than those in the US.

Return to top⤴️

Armenia to begin EU accession process, North Korea gaining combat experience in Ukraine

🎦 24:05-25:35⏩
Jonathan announces that Armenia has adopted a draft law to begin it's EU accession process and that this now needs to be approved by parliament. He also reports that North Korea is gaining combat experience in Ukraine and that this is a warning to South Korea.

Return to top⤴️

Wrap up

🎦 25:35-26:05⏩
Jonathan explains that he is cutting this video short as the original recording was over an hour long. He thanks everyone for watching.

Return to top⤴️