Description:
Zelensky is celebrating the US midterm results, betting that a Democrat controlled Congress will open the floodgates to new Ukraine funding. In this episode we explain why this makes the Abu Dhabi peace talks almost certain to fail, why Putin's outreach to Trump through Witkoff, Kushner and Dmitriev may have been wasted, and how Russia's intensifying strikes on Ukraine's energy grid and the NABU versus SBU power struggle in Kiev are reshaping the conflict. With the money about to flow again, who really controls Ukraine?
Timeline:
00:00:00 Zelensky celebrates midterm results
00:01:56 Democrats set to ramp up Ukraine funding
00:03:29 Anchorage summit and Donbass refusal
00:04:38 Abu Dhabi talks heading nowhere
00:06:41 Did Putin waste his effort on Trump?
00:11:24 Putin overestimated US rationality
00:13:47 Ukraine drone strikes are performative
00:16:37 Russia dismantles Ukraine energy grid
00:18:45 Orikhiv, Lyman and the winter offensive
00:21:56 NABU vs SBU and the Kiev power struggle