⚡️You won’t believe what Zelenskyy did! Urgent statements after Geneva. Kremlin is already preparing

[00:00:00] So, Andre, what do you expect from these [00:00:02] talks? Are we any closer to peace? [00:00:06] >> Well, uh I'm not hearing a lot of signs [00:00:08] that either Washington or Ukraine are [00:00:11] looking to have any big news today in [00:00:14] Geneva or this week in spec particular. [00:00:17] Uh what we're specifically looking at is [00:00:19] the fact that Russia has amped up its [00:00:21] rhetoric by sending uh even more [00:00:23] unqualified people uh to mess up the [00:00:26] conversation. This is something that [00:00:28] specifically the United States [00:00:29] specifically did not want to have [00:00:31] happen. We also have new voices coming [00:00:33] in from the United States side, [00:00:35] specifically uh again the Secretary of [00:00:37] the Army who earlier some viewers might [00:00:40] remember that he was dispatched in [00:00:42] November of 2025 to give an ultimatum to [00:00:44] President Zilinski uh about signing a [00:00:47] deal by Thanksgiving uh American holiday [00:00:49] at the end of uh uh November. Uh and [00:00:53] once again, he's back in the picture [00:00:54] again. Uh so it's it's not quite clear [00:00:57] what's going to happen in Geneva. [00:00:59] However, I believe that both the [00:01:00] American and the Ukrainian side would [00:01:02] like to have uh the steady as she goes [00:01:05] in terms of the conversation and not [00:01:07] make any great news other than saying [00:01:09] that the sides are continuing to talk [00:01:11] until Russia is actually ready to [00:01:13] serious have a conversation. I don't [00:01:15] believe there's any possibility to have [00:01:17] a breakthrough. [00:01:19] >> If there's a final deal, what could [00:01:21] actually look like and who guarantees [00:01:23] it? [00:01:25] Well, the important thing is not just [00:01:26] who guarantees it, but what are the [00:01:28] mechanisms of guaranteeing it and that's [00:01:30] where it's very important. Um, this is [00:01:32] the where the conversation from the [00:01:34] United States side always comes up about [00:01:36] uh elections. From the Ukraine side, [00:01:38] Ukraine very much wants a vote on on [00:01:41] this kind of agreement held at the [00:01:43] United States Senate level. Uh, this is [00:01:45] something that they have said countered [00:01:47] saying that they could have their own [00:01:48] parliament [00:01:50] vote on a agreement or have a national [00:01:52] referendum. And then we get into the [00:01:54] conversations from the United States [00:01:55] side saying, well, if you have a [00:01:56] national referendum, why don't we just [00:01:58] have presidential elections, which is [00:02:00] slightly different because if you have [00:02:01] presidential elections, first of all, we [00:02:03] we are not just having a ceasefire, but [00:02:05] the war has finished because you cannot [00:02:07] have a war during the election. And [00:02:08] second of all, um you can't uh you you [00:02:12] can't order a presidential election to [00:02:14] happen as soon as possible. There are [00:02:15] weeks and months of planning for any [00:02:17] kind of election uh that are written [00:02:19] into the Ukrainian law of how many weeks [00:02:21] in advance the candidate gives notice uh [00:02:23] how many weeks they have to prepare [00:02:25] where's the public financing all of this [00:02:27] stuff happens before any election. So [00:02:29] there there are many discussions [00:02:31] happening about you know how to uh have [00:02:33] this uh in Ukrainian but ratified in the [00:02:37] United States Senate and making sure [00:02:39] that whatever agreement happens it is [00:02:41] not simply another uh signature like we [00:02:44] had at the Budapest memorandum of 1994. [00:02:46] >> Mhm. Uh they say elections require 60 [00:02:49] days of full silence. Is that realistic? [00:02:54] very much unrealistic to have national [00:02:57] elections for a president uh or Narada [00:03:00] or anything like that. I think the major [00:03:01] thing is what kind of agreement can we [00:03:03] get from the Ukrainian people as far as [00:03:06] an agreement. Uh so here we might have a [00:03:10] uh not this week but at some point in [00:03:12] the coming weeks or months an agreement [00:03:14] that came together through the [00:03:15] trilateral talks. Let's say this [00:03:17] actually comes to pass and this [00:03:19] agreement is then proposed to the [00:03:20] Ukrainian people. If they are not in [00:03:23] support of it, they will probably demand [00:03:25] a national referendum as opposed to just [00:03:27] allowing the national [00:03:29] the parliament to vote on it. So that's [00:03:30] one thing from the Ukrainian side. On [00:03:32] the American side, we also have to deal [00:03:34] with the fact that by the time uh the [00:03:36] summer ends in the United States, uh the [00:03:39] senators are not going to be making [00:03:40] votes in Congress. They're going to be [00:03:42] thinking about their own re-election [00:03:43] because a third of the Senate is up for [00:03:44] re-election. So, there's also time uh [00:03:47] and and the calendar to think about in [00:03:49] terms of scheduling a vote. [00:03:51] >> Mhm. U more broadly, can Ukraine hold [00:03:54] election in the next two or three [00:03:57] months? [00:03:59] I don't think that uh the the some [00:04:01] newspapers have mentioned May as a [00:04:03] potential election. I think that would [00:04:05] be too soon. Um it would be interesting [00:04:07] to see what can happen during the [00:04:09] summer. Uh but again, all of this is [00:04:11] reliant on the fact that there's a [00:04:13] ceasefire. Um one, a ceasefire just to [00:04:15] make things safe. Second of all, uh [00:04:18] that's a question for Ukrainian scholars [00:04:20] and the Ukrainian Supreme Court to [00:04:21] figure out, you know, what exactly is [00:04:23] the end of the war, the end of the uh [00:04:25] marshall stance of the country to allow [00:04:28] for elections which are banned under [00:04:30] that kind time of war. So is it a simply [00:04:32] a ceasefire uh and then you can restart [00:04:35] the um uh time of war after the fact if [00:04:38] Russia were to attack again? That's [00:04:40] still up for debate in terms of what the [00:04:42] what the rationale and the legal [00:04:44] reasoning of the country needs to be to [00:04:45] satisfy constitutional requirements. [00:04:47] >> Mhm. Um this is the first time the [00:04:50] Russia delegation is meeting on Europe [00:04:53] venue. Why there and does it matter? [00:04:57] >> Um I think it's important that uh we [00:05:00] have these conversations. Uh it's [00:05:02] important for Ukraine to demonstrate to [00:05:04] the United States that they're willing [00:05:05] to have these conversations. If it [00:05:07] happens in Geneva, yes, it is uh a big [00:05:09] deal that they're allowing they're [00:05:10] giving special dispensation for um [00:05:13] people with this criminal regime with [00:05:15] this dictatorship in Russia to travel to [00:05:17] Geneva. However, we also know that [00:05:19] Geneva as the location of uh one of the [00:05:22] United Nations uh departments is also um [00:05:26] receptive to having international uh [00:05:28] interlocutors from many different [00:05:30] regimes uh whether they're criminal [00:05:32] regimes or uh part of the UN community. [00:05:34] So, uh, we'll see what happens after the [00:05:36] fact, but I think this is a good faith [00:05:38] sign by Ukrainians not objecting to [00:05:39] this, uh, sitting down with with America [00:05:42] whenever America is ready to talk. It's [00:05:44] simply the fact that the people that [00:05:45] Russia is sending are first of all not [00:05:47] qualified to make any, uh, agreements on [00:05:50] behalf of the Russian dictator. Uh, they [00:05:52] are rather lowranking and especially the [00:05:55] new set of people who have been sent [00:05:57] here. U, people like Madiski and others, [00:05:59] uh, they are not people that the United [00:06:00] States wants to see at a negotiation. [00:06:02] >> Mhm. I mean, maybe could Putin show up [00:06:05] in Switzerland. [00:06:08] >> Um, I don't think so because again, I've [00:06:10] been fooled uh or tricked by the Alaska [00:06:13] trip. I did not think he was going to [00:06:14] fly to Alaska, but in that case, he did [00:06:16] not have to fly over another country. I [00:06:18] think he's literally scared about flying [00:06:20] o over other countries. It's one reason [00:06:22] he didn't go to Istanbul. It's one [00:06:24] reason he hasn't gone to other [00:06:25] international uh gatherings, bricks or [00:06:28] what have you. uh if he can go directly [00:06:30] from Russia to China for the summit he [00:06:33] had with Xiinping, okay, he'll do that. [00:06:35] If he can fly across the Bearing Sea to [00:06:37] Alaska, he'll do that. But apart from [00:06:39] that, I I believe he's too scared uh to [00:06:42] fly over another country. [00:06:43] >> So, could the next meeting happen in [00:06:46] Moscow? [00:06:47] >> Absolutely not. I I think the only time [00:06:50] a meeting is going to happen in Moscow [00:06:51] is when we're prepared to have a war [00:06:53] tribunal in Moscow. Uh other than that, [00:06:55] there's really no need uh for any um [00:06:59] foreign diplomats to head there. Uh [00:07:01] given the fact that uh you know, there's [00:07:03] such such a long history of war crimes [00:07:05] happening under this regime. And if one [00:07:07] country is expected to have an election, [00:07:09] I I certainly think that Ukraine should [00:07:12] press for Russian elections at the same [00:07:13] time. [00:07:14] >> Mhm. Uh we both know Putin is clearly [00:07:17] dragging this out, but is Trump planning [00:07:19] to do anything about it? [00:07:23] I don't really see Donald Trump as [00:07:25] President Trump as being really involved [00:07:26] in these negotiations um on a on a deep [00:07:30] level. Uh I think once he had his final [00:07:33] meeting uh between the meeting with [00:07:35] Zilinski at the United Nations in [00:07:37] September of 25 and then inviting [00:07:40] President Zilinski for the meeting at [00:07:41] the White House in October where we all [00:07:44] believed there was going to be an [00:07:45] agreement on tomahawks. Once that last [00:07:47] meeting in October happened, I really [00:07:49] haven't seen any ev evidence of [00:07:50] President Trump having a direct hand in [00:07:53] these talks. Yes, he would he has talked [00:07:55] to um President Zilinski on phone as [00:07:57] well as in person in Davos. Um and yes, [00:08:00] he has spoken with the Russian dictator, [00:08:03] but beyond that, he's not really [00:08:05] involving himself. He is hoping that his [00:08:07] people take care of it for him, which is [00:08:09] why he keeps adding on to this [00:08:11] delegation, not just Steve Wickoff. Now, [00:08:13] then he added Jared Kushner and now he's [00:08:15] added even more representatives from his [00:08:18] government uh to try to make this happen [00:08:20] because at this point nothing it's an [00:08:22] intractable situation with the enemy [00:08:24] that keeps wanting to attack Ukraine it [00:08:27] seems every day. [00:08:28] >> Mhm. And you know they say India is [00:08:30] buying less Russian oil. Does it [00:08:33] actually weaken Russia? [00:08:35] >> Russia is absolutely enormously [00:08:37] weakened. It's not just um the price of [00:08:40] oil that keeps falling. It's the fact [00:08:42] that uh no investment is being made in [00:08:46] drilling for more oil in Russia. Russian [00:08:48] production of oil has gone down. There's [00:08:50] simply no benefit for uh uh obviously [00:08:54] outside investors can't invest in Russia [00:08:56] right now. U if you're Chinese perhaps, [00:08:58] but they're just not seeing any benefit [00:09:00] with the low price of global oil uh to [00:09:03] produce more, which means that Russia is [00:09:05] not selling as much. Um, so in the end, [00:09:07] Russia is down in production and in [00:09:10] sales and uh they're still fighting on. [00:09:14] They we we know that they're trying to [00:09:15] sell their reserves um of currency and [00:09:18] and gold and other um valuables to other [00:09:22] countries that will buy them, but at [00:09:24] some point uh that economy is going to [00:09:26] break. We've been saying this of course [00:09:27] for many years now uh understanding that [00:09:29] the Russian economy has been propped up [00:09:31] by private reserves but at some point uh [00:09:34] those reserves will disappear and the [00:09:36] bonuses that are being signed to foreign [00:09:38] mercenaries as well as local uh Russians [00:09:40] in the far east to sign up for the [00:09:42] military those are going to keep [00:09:44] dropping until the point that you know [00:09:46] they're really not going to have an [00:09:47] armed services. [00:09:48] >> Mhm. Uh Andrea, I know something changed [00:09:51] behind you. Uh and I know um um you were [00:09:55] in Ukraine and received an average. Uh [00:09:59] could you show it and uh explain what it [00:10:02] means? [00:10:03] >> Yeah. Uh well, I was very honored to [00:10:06] receive my Naharada. Uh this is the [00:10:09] order of merit third class that I [00:10:10] received while I was in Kiev. I was very [00:10:13] um uh honored that um the deputy uh head [00:10:17] of the office of the president, Sah [00:10:18] Klitscha, met with me at the office of [00:10:20] the president. Um and it's um for me as [00:10:24] somebody who doesn't serve on the front [00:10:25] line, obviously I'm very humbled to get [00:10:27] an award. It is truly the heroes and [00:10:29] heroins of Ukraine that deserve all the [00:10:30] awards. But um really I accepted this [00:10:33] with humility um from Ambassador [00:10:35] Kislitzia on behalf of all of us who do [00:10:37] work uh in the media outside of Ukraine. [00:10:40] Uh it's um it's a small community of [00:10:42] people that I know personally throughout [00:10:44] the United States, but there are others [00:10:45] in other countries uh constantly trying [00:10:47] to introduce stories about Ukraine on uh [00:10:51] media that's not based in Ukraine. And [00:10:53] then of course it is my great honor to [00:10:55] appear on Ukrainian media to try to [00:10:57] explain what the best thoughts are of [00:10:59] from Americans to Ukrainians in Ukraine. [00:11:02] >> Um you were in Ukraine recently and uh [00:11:06] what was that experience like? Can you [00:11:08] say more? [00:11:10] I was just um first of all uh gratified [00:11:13] to meet in person with a lot of my um [00:11:15] friends that I meet over Zoom just like [00:11:17] you and I meet every week um to uh not [00:11:20] just speak in person with the hosts that [00:11:22] I speak but the all the producers uh [00:11:24] journalists that I got to meet I also [00:11:26] met with heads of different NOS's [00:11:28] understanding what their uh mission is [00:11:31] uh and uh I mentioned the office of the [00:11:33] president and I mentioned and I met with [00:11:34] different government leaders as well uh [00:11:37] I just wanted to get as much of a sense [00:11:39] as possible, squeezing in as many [00:11:41] interviews and meetings uh every day, [00:11:43] even with all the air raid alerts, uh [00:11:45] the electricity failing from time to [00:11:47] time, uh trying to make sure that I get [00:11:50] as much information as possible. uh not [00:11:52] only when I was on Zoom uh talking with [00:11:55] American media in back in America, but [00:11:57] now that I'm back in America to talk [00:11:59] directly to the American people about [00:12:01] what the experience there was and also [00:12:03] trying to convince as much as possible [00:12:05] uh for more Americans, especially [00:12:07] American uh government officials to [00:12:09] visit Ukraine.