Live from Germany, where I’m attending the Munich Security Conference, Steven Beschloss from America, America and I talked about the terrible road ahead…
Today has been a horrible, but further clarifying, day. I am fearful, angry, and horrified. The last time I felt this way: January 6, 2021. In the next days, I have to sort through my feelings and logic. What to do now? Good people need to act (to prepare for what's next).
Tim, thank you for sharing this conversation. Please do more podcasts. I gained insight and don't feel quite so isolated after listening to you and Steven. It humanized and made even more real your personal mission and the vision of "The Counteroffensive".
Now it is Europe’s time to show courage and integrity! Will they follow the easy way and crumple in front of Trump, or show back bone and tell Trump that Europe will continue to support Ukraine with weapons in their war to halt Russia’s advance. It would require sacrifices from Europe, they should anyway ramp up their war material production, not only for Ukraine but to give Russia a message that further attacks on Europe would be too costly. It probably would mean a decrease in the comfie living standard they are accustomed to. From Trumps musings I suspect that a Russian/Ukraine stalemate along roughly the present battle line, might be a better option than a Trump style “peace deal” , where Putin gets it all now, signed on paper. With the former it stays all Ukraine “occupied” territories and still hope to regain some or most in the future. A bad peace deal will just give Russia time to reconstitute its forces and start again after a few years.
Ukraine must feel so betrayed by this disgusting administration! I do hope the Europeans stand up and ask the US to take a hike. All business as usual should now become difficult. We need to feel the pain of alienating long standing allies in favor of dictators. Why should Europe permit us unhindered travel if the US refuses vaccines? Who needs infected people from our country mucking up the world? There has to a rejection at every level of the reality forced on us by Trump, that makes it clear to MAGA and to Trump that they are reviled by the civilized democracies of the world. Wish we could all chip in and buy them both a one-way ticket-to Russia.
Excellent interview/conversation, Tim. I appreciate your closing message: “The importance of focusing on moral clarity.” So basic, so essential … so unimportant to those seizing power at this moment.
“We don’t care that your people are dying” is Trump and his olis attitude about all of us. In the case of Ukraine, it’s even more inhumane, as in, “we don’t care that Putin and his sadists suffocated children under the rubble while their parents died crawling toward them in one last attempt to comfort them.” Putin is a sadist, and now we have a sadist in chief here in the US.
Interesting. However, Tim, you said (approx minute 5-6) that the US is indispensable. Everyone must get over that idea. They must, or democracy and the rule of law is lost for the foreseeable future. Every actor in or out of the EU must decide to do or die. I am not happy to say this, but it has become clear, in my opinion, that it must be the case. In spite of what I think is right, ironically, to some extent this has also been one of the Trump clique's talking points. I don't like it, it shouldn't be that way, but now we are seriously looking at a new world power axis, and it won't suddenly end in 4 years.
This was a wonderful interview. What a difference listening to two journalists with such empathy on the topics you cover. So glad you are not neutral in what is happening with Ukraine. I really admire that you live in Kiev. I would be too frightened! But the newsletters are excellent. Stay safe.
Thank you Tim and thank you Stephen for keeping the brave dialogue open to the atrocities of propaganda and discounting sovereignty and human life, the work is growing, and getting more dire, Thank you for the motivation which is contagious
🫂Thanks for continuing the excellent work... Of all the newsletters I read I learn the most interesting new things from the Counteroffensive, & now we have audio/video!👍🏾👏
Zelensky’s measured tone doesn’t match the European outlandish rejection of Trump. One wonders if Trump is trying to make Europe angry enough to fully commit to victory. We’ve seen half-measures so far with the EU buying Russian gas to finance Russia’s war(s).
⁉️🧐 Bless you for thinking Trump has a coherent strategy 😁 He latches on to certain things he hears without understanding them - like injecting bleach for COVID. Now it's whoever told him about Ukraine's precious minerals which sounds like easy $$$ to him 😵💫
Thank you both for an engaging, extremely intelligent conversation.
I feel like there’s less and less of it these days.
Sadly agree.
Today has been a horrible, but further clarifying, day. I am fearful, angry, and horrified. The last time I felt this way: January 6, 2021. In the next days, I have to sort through my feelings and logic. What to do now? Good people need to act (to prepare for what's next).
Tim, thank you for sharing this conversation. Please do more podcasts. I gained insight and don't feel quite so isolated after listening to you and Steven. It humanized and made even more real your personal mission and the vision of "The Counteroffensive".
Thanks for the feedback and encouragement!
Now it is Europe’s time to show courage and integrity! Will they follow the easy way and crumple in front of Trump, or show back bone and tell Trump that Europe will continue to support Ukraine with weapons in their war to halt Russia’s advance. It would require sacrifices from Europe, they should anyway ramp up their war material production, not only for Ukraine but to give Russia a message that further attacks on Europe would be too costly. It probably would mean a decrease in the comfie living standard they are accustomed to. From Trumps musings I suspect that a Russian/Ukraine stalemate along roughly the present battle line, might be a better option than a Trump style “peace deal” , where Putin gets it all now, signed on paper. With the former it stays all Ukraine “occupied” territories and still hope to regain some or most in the future. A bad peace deal will just give Russia time to reconstitute its forces and start again after a few years.
💯
Ukraine must feel so betrayed by this disgusting administration! I do hope the Europeans stand up and ask the US to take a hike. All business as usual should now become difficult. We need to feel the pain of alienating long standing allies in favor of dictators. Why should Europe permit us unhindered travel if the US refuses vaccines? Who needs infected people from our country mucking up the world? There has to a rejection at every level of the reality forced on us by Trump, that makes it clear to MAGA and to Trump that they are reviled by the civilized democracies of the world. Wish we could all chip in and buy them both a one-way ticket-to Russia.
Excellent interview/conversation, Tim. I appreciate your closing message: “The importance of focusing on moral clarity.” So basic, so essential … so unimportant to those seizing power at this moment.
“We don’t care that your people are dying” is Trump and his olis attitude about all of us. In the case of Ukraine, it’s even more inhumane, as in, “we don’t care that Putin and his sadists suffocated children under the rubble while their parents died crawling toward them in one last attempt to comfort them.” Putin is a sadist, and now we have a sadist in chief here in the US.
Interesting. However, Tim, you said (approx minute 5-6) that the US is indispensable. Everyone must get over that idea. They must, or democracy and the rule of law is lost for the foreseeable future. Every actor in or out of the EU must decide to do or die. I am not happy to say this, but it has become clear, in my opinion, that it must be the case. In spite of what I think is right, ironically, to some extent this has also been one of the Trump clique's talking points. I don't like it, it shouldn't be that way, but now we are seriously looking at a new world power axis, and it won't suddenly end in 4 years.
This was a wonderful interview. What a difference listening to two journalists with such empathy on the topics you cover. So glad you are not neutral in what is happening with Ukraine. I really admire that you live in Kiev. I would be too frightened! But the newsletters are excellent. Stay safe.
Thank you Tim and thank you Stephen for keeping the brave dialogue open to the atrocities of propaganda and discounting sovereignty and human life, the work is growing, and getting more dire, Thank you for the motivation which is contagious
🫂Thanks for continuing the excellent work... Of all the newsletters I read I learn the most interesting new things from the Counteroffensive, & now we have audio/video!👍🏾👏
Zelensky’s measured tone doesn’t match the European outlandish rejection of Trump. One wonders if Trump is trying to make Europe angry enough to fully commit to victory. We’ve seen half-measures so far with the EU buying Russian gas to finance Russia’s war(s).
⁉️🧐 Bless you for thinking Trump has a coherent strategy 😁 He latches on to certain things he hears without understanding them - like injecting bleach for COVID. Now it's whoever told him about Ukraine's precious minerals which sounds like easy $$$ to him 😵💫