Max Seddon

What this is really about, if you're Russia, and Putin has been pretty clear on this, is that for all his obsessions with Ukraine, Ukraine has been, in his mind, the pretext to this war, which in mind is really about broader geopolitical confrontation with the West, chiefly the United States. And what he's wanted is some sort of new Yalta conference

if you will, where the great powers can sit down like Roosevelt and Churchill did with Stalin, and they carved up Europe into spheres of influence. And that's very much what he has been pushing for. And it looks like with this very transactional view of the world that Trump has, that he's been able to push the buttons of the U.S. really spectacularly.

if you will, where the great powers can sit down like Roosevelt and Churchill did with Stalin, and they carved up Europe into spheres of influence. And that's very much what he has been pushing for. And it looks like with this very transactional view of the world that Trump has, that he's been able to push the buttons of the U.S. really spectacularly.

if you will, where the great powers can sit down like Roosevelt and Churchill did with Stalin, and they carved up Europe into spheres of influence. And that's very much what he has been pushing for. And it looks like with this very transactional view of the world that Trump has, that he's been able to push the buttons of the U.S. really spectacularly.

I was just watching again just now this clip from the TV spot that the American delegation did where Rubio was saying, we're very excited that this all goes well, that we'll be able to partner with Russia on a whole range of issues. And really, this has been Putin's dream.

I was just watching again just now this clip from the TV spot that the American delegation did where Rubio was saying, we're very excited that this all goes well, that we'll be able to partner with Russia on a whole range of issues. And really, this has been Putin's dream.

I was just watching again just now this clip from the TV spot that the American delegation did where Rubio was saying, we're very excited that this all goes well, that we'll be able to partner with Russia on a whole range of issues. And really, this has been Putin's dream.

This is the message that Russia has been putting out on TV and through all their official mouthpieces throughout this war, that this is really a matter for two great powers to discuss. And that is an enormous triumph for Russia, just the fact that this meeting

This is the message that Russia has been putting out on TV and through all their official mouthpieces throughout this war, that this is really a matter for two great powers to discuss. And that is an enormous triumph for Russia, just the fact that this meeting

This is the message that Russia has been putting out on TV and through all their official mouthpieces throughout this war, that this is really a matter for two great powers to discuss. And that is an enormous triumph for Russia, just the fact that this meeting

even happened is a really gigantic step forward for them back in from the cold and with a seat at the table of great powers, which is where they want to be.

even happened is a really gigantic step forward for them back in from the cold and with a seat at the table of great powers, which is where they want to be.

even happened is a really gigantic step forward for them back in from the cold and with a seat at the table of great powers, which is where they want to be.

So two things. Firstly, I think it's important just to go back and say very simply what the Russian goals are. They are for Ukraine to cease to exist as a viable state, to be so weak they can't effectively defend itself and not integrate it enough into Ukraine.

So two things. Firstly, I think it's important just to go back and say very simply what the Russian goals are. They are for Ukraine to cease to exist as a viable state, to be so weak they can't effectively defend itself and not integrate it enough into Ukraine.

So two things. Firstly, I think it's important just to go back and say very simply what the Russian goals are. They are for Ukraine to cease to exist as a viable state, to be so weak they can't effectively defend itself and not integrate it enough into Ukraine.

Western security architecture, NATO or some NATO substitute that would protect it sufficiently from Russia to ideally have a more pliant leadership. Putin still seems to think that he could have some sort of Moscow-friendly politicians like the ones who ruled Ukraine. for the first 15 years or so of its independence. And again, when Viktor Yanukovych was president in the early 2010s.

Western security architecture, NATO or some NATO substitute that would protect it sufficiently from Russia to ideally have a more pliant leadership. Putin still seems to think that he could have some sort of Moscow-friendly politicians like the ones who ruled Ukraine. for the first 15 years or so of its independence. And again, when Viktor Yanukovych was president in the early 2010s.

Western security architecture, NATO or some NATO substitute that would protect it sufficiently from Russia to ideally have a more pliant leadership. Putin still seems to think that he could have some sort of Moscow-friendly politicians like the ones who ruled Ukraine. for the first 15 years or so of its independence. And again, when Viktor Yanukovych was president in the early 2010s.

And going beyond that to what we just talked about, this new European security architecture, which is really dividing up the world into spheres of influence and rolling back US influence in Europe. And the thing is that, this brings me to a second point,