Luke Harding

And it's just a sort of tremendous bluff. I mean, I think it should be interpreted as a... operational, informational game. I think what's a more realistic scenario is not the Russians launching nukes, is some kind of fuck-up. Bear in mind that Russia has occupied, since spring 2022, the nuclear power station in Zaporizhia. It blew up the reservoir, which provided the cooling pond.

It's been shelling from this... nuclear facility across the river into Ukrainian settlements. I've seen them. I've been there. And I think some kind of Chernobyl-style mess-up, where Russia just gets it wrong because it's not very good at these protocols, is more probable than a kind of calculated Russian military strike. I think that is just a kind of negotiating tactic ahead of...

It's been shelling from this... nuclear facility across the river into Ukrainian settlements. I've seen them. I've been there. And I think some kind of Chernobyl-style mess-up, where Russia just gets it wrong because it's not very good at these protocols, is more probable than a kind of calculated Russian military strike. I think that is just a kind of negotiating tactic ahead of...

It's been shelling from this... nuclear facility across the river into Ukrainian settlements. I've seen them. I've been there. And I think some kind of Chernobyl-style mess-up, where Russia just gets it wrong because it's not very good at these protocols, is more probable than a kind of calculated Russian military strike. I think that is just a kind of negotiating tactic ahead of...

some kind of possible deal in spring. And the ultimate audience for this is one Donald J. Trump, back in the White House, who could potentially portray himself as a peacemaker, the man who avoided nuclear war, and all of his...

some kind of possible deal in spring. And the ultimate audience for this is one Donald J. Trump, back in the White House, who could potentially portray himself as a peacemaker, the man who avoided nuclear war, and all of his...

some kind of possible deal in spring. And the ultimate audience for this is one Donald J. Trump, back in the White House, who could potentially portray himself as a peacemaker, the man who avoided nuclear war, and all of his...

flatterers and supporters can say, you know, Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize because, look, he's avoided World War III and he's brought peace to Ukraine, which, by the way, I don't think is going to be peace. Look at Russia's past record for deals. It breaks them. And then it sort of continues doing what it wants to do. And I think, Sean, this is a fascist project.

flatterers and supporters can say, you know, Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize because, look, he's avoided World War III and he's brought peace to Ukraine, which, by the way, I don't think is going to be peace. Look at Russia's past record for deals. It breaks them. And then it sort of continues doing what it wants to do. And I think, Sean, this is a fascist project.

flatterers and supporters can say, you know, Trump should win the Nobel Peace Prize because, look, he's avoided World War III and he's brought peace to Ukraine, which, by the way, I don't think is going to be peace. Look at Russia's past record for deals. It breaks them. And then it sort of continues doing what it wants to do. And I think, Sean, this is a fascist project.

Putin believes that Ukraine does not exist. He thinks this is historical Russia. He wants to de-Ukrainize Ukraine and turn the whole country, its people, back into a Russian province. That's his goal. He thinks he can get there. And I think he thinks that Trump ultimately is someone that he can... If not exactly dupe, I would say outmaneuver.

Putin believes that Ukraine does not exist. He thinks this is historical Russia. He wants to de-Ukrainize Ukraine and turn the whole country, its people, back into a Russian province. That's his goal. He thinks he can get there. And I think he thinks that Trump ultimately is someone that he can... If not exactly dupe, I would say outmaneuver.

Putin believes that Ukraine does not exist. He thinks this is historical Russia. He wants to de-Ukrainize Ukraine and turn the whole country, its people, back into a Russian province. That's his goal. He thinks he can get there. And I think he thinks that Trump ultimately is someone that he can... If not exactly dupe, I would say outmaneuver.