Transcription
All right, we are live with Alexander Mccurus in London. Alexander, how you doing?
>> I'm doing very well, as well as anybody can in this extremely stifling heat. Now 33 degrees, which is, I believe, what we have at the moment. In some places, it would not be considered much, but in London, houses are built to retain heat, so it's all very uncomfortable. But anyway, there it is. It'll be a good opportunity to do this live stream because I can stop thinking about that.
>> All right. 30 degrees you said?
>> 33, I believe, is what. 33.
>> Yeah. But in Cyprus, a spring day in Cyprus, but as I said, come to London and experience it here, and you'll see the difference.
>> Yeah. All right. Uh, before we get started, Alexander, let's just say a quick hello to everyone that's watching us on Rumble, on Odyssey, on YouTube, and on Locals, the Duran.locals.com.
>> And thank you to our moderators as well in the YouTube chat. Let me just see if we have any, any moderators so far.
>> Uh, no one's come in yet, but uh...
>> But I'll be moderating. Oh, Harry. Harry is with us. How you doing, Harry? Good to have you with us.
>> All right, Alexander, let's uh, let's talk about what's happening in the news. Um, Ukraine, Iran, NATO meeting on the 7th and 8th.
>> I believe, is when the big NATO Anchora conference takes place. Yeah.
>> We have the, the big plan from Zalinski and Co to isolate Crimea.
>> Yeah.
>> Um, a 40, a 40-day.
>> Yeah.
>> What did, what did Zilinsky call it?
>> A 40-day uh, operation, operate, right?
>> To force Russia to the negotiating...
>> To the negotiating table's question.
>> Yeah. What happens after the 40 days was quite interesting. But anyway,
>> The 40-day terror campaign, right? I mean, yes, it's 40 days of, of, of, of terror, I guess, is basically...
>> Absolutely, that's exactly what they're agreeing on.
>> Uh, um, but I, for me, the single most important thing is the rise and rise of the otherwise invisible Mr. Rubio, who is now obviously, um, in overall charge of US foreign policy. Um, he said that which we all of us knew, which is that Anchorage is dead. He's pretended that there was no agreement in Anchorage, which is clearly wrong. Um, but it means that, you know, whatever it was that they did agree is finished, and he's now the person who's clearly making the big statements from now on.
>> I, I mean, may, maybe you can give Rubio a little bit of, cut him some slack. Maybe there wasn't an agreement, like a written agreement.
>> Yeah. Your lawyer speak, like Rubio is using some, exactly right. Yes. Yes.
>> Something, something was agreed to, a framework, a structure, a proposal, but maybe there was no like official document.
>> Which is probably correct, would you say? So, I, I don't know, maybe, maybe Rubio's being a bit, a bit clever, a bit squirmy in, in the use of his words.
>> As, as he always is. He's very skilled at this. But it was more than uh, it was clearly more than just an understanding. I mean, there was, I, I, I remember going through all the texts and trying to get what each of them were saying. But, um, clearly there was some kind of agreement between Putin and Trump. Um, it was never reduced to writing, and Rubio says it was only an offer. It clearly went well beyond an offer. I mean, there, that's, that's the thing to say. I mean, uh, Trump and Putin, they did this press conference, and it was quite obvious that they both came away thinking that they'd at least reached some kind of basic agreement about something. And bear in mind, I mean, you know, Anchorage is now almost a year in the past. The Russians have been repeatedly saying that an agreement was reached and understandings were reached in Anchorage. And up to now, the Americans have never come out and said that that is wrong. Clearly, they're now saying it, or at least Rubio is now saying it.
>> Yeah. So, um, the whole strategy of, of, is of separating the United States from uh, from Europe was, was just a bad idea. It, it was, it was a non, it was a no-go, a non-starter. I mean, I understand, I understand the Kremlin's thinking on it.
>> But, but the problem with that thinking is that you're never going to separate the vassals from the master, right?
>> It was, it was a failed policy, and, and, and Putin went along with it, and, and we did a video on this, which will go up maybe, maybe today if I, if I have the energy, maybe tomorrow. But, um, you know, Putin built an entire architecture and infrastructure.
>> In order to, to accommodate Witoff and, and Kushner, to accommodate these talks.
>> And to, and to try to, to, to separate or to create division between Europe and, and the United States. It was not...
>> Well, well, to some extent, he has succeeded. I mean, there is considerable dissonance now between the Europeans and the Americans, and, um, the Americans are continuing to pull forces out of Europe, and I think that's going to continue. And the Americans also have got themselves bogged down with Iran, which we will, which we will, um, discuss also. Um, about Anchorage and the Anchorage process, uh, that died in December when there was the drone strike on Val I'll die. I don't think even Putin has really taken it seriously since then. He's kept a sort of lingering thing out there about, you know, having contacts with Trump and all of that, but the Americans have been trying to send Witkoff and Kushner to Moscow. The Russians say, you know, they're welcome to come, but they never agree at the date.
>> Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So, so one more big news, uh, story, and then we'll get to, to questions, and of course, we'll talk more about what's happening in, in the news off of, uh, people's questions. But, um, the IRGC, let's look at Iran and, and Hormuz. The IRGC, they hit a tanker.
>> Because that, uh, that tanker was using the southern route, the Oman route.
>> Now, the IRGC has, uh, has said that, that this is unacceptable. The, there's only one route out of Hormuz, according to Iran, and that is, that is their route. It's, it's clear to see what's happening here. Very clear to see what's going on. Uh, the Trump administration, with coordination with the go-ahead from Oman, in conjunction with Oman.
>> Yeah.
>> They're trying to, to, to, to use this southern Oman route so that they can make that the default safe route.
>> Yes.
>> For Hormuz. Therefore, you remove Iran's leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, or at least you believe...
>> Yeah.
>> That you remove the leverage from Iran on Hormuz. Of course, Iran can obviously hit any ships in, going, passing through the Strait of Hormuz, or threaten to, to strike the ships through Hormuz. You're not looking at a huge distance. And, and then you have all of the insurance and, and those costs as well. The fear that Iran might actually go after ships if they decide to use the southern route. But, but it's clear to see the game that, that the Trump administration is trying to play, which is to try and, and add more legitimacy or to make the exclusive route to be that southern Oman route, and, uh, and then you tell Iran to just buzz off. That's going to be the route of...
>> That's exactly right. Can I say all of this confirms two things? Firstly, that this is a Minsk agreement that we've had. The OU is a Minsk agreement. It was entered into in total bad faith. The Americans never had any intention of complying with any part of it. They're never going to pay back to the Iranians frozen assets. They're never going to lift sanctions. They needed to get the Strait of Hormuz in some form reopened, and they thought they could trick the Iranians into, um, reopening the Strait of Hormuz by getting the signatures to the OU. And the Russians, and I, here I, I mean, I'm not talking from opinion. I know this. I mean, I, I've seen actually some of the messages that went backwards and forwards. The Russians warned the Iranians that this was going to happen. Iran itself, there are divisions within it. There are some groups that still want to try to come to some kind of understanding with the Americans. There is the IRGC, which takes a much harder line and is much more skeptical of the Americans. And there's also China as well, which, by the way, from what I understand, supports those who want to come in, within Iran, who want to come to a deal with the Americans as well. So there are tensions on the Iranian side. The IRGC took the decision, and I think they did it probably by themselves, that they would hit this tanker, and if that means the collapse of the OU, so be it. Can I just ask a question about the Oman route, the southern route?
>> Yeah.
>> Uh, if the IRGC did not hit that tanker to send that message to not take the, the southern route, um, would, would this plan actually work? Can you separate, can you separate Hormuz? Can you divide Hormuz and then, and then say, you know what, uh, Iran, you can say or do whatever you want with Hormuz. Close it, open it. We don't care because we now have this southern Oman route that's open and maybe under the protection of, of the United States and Oman. I mean, was that something that, that was actually, I mean, is that an actual viable plan?
>> Well, as a plan, it's not viable. I mean, we're talking about a very narrow passage, 27 kilometers wide, and apparently the, the, the pathways through which ships can pass through the Straits of Hormuz is very, very narrow indeed. So there is no Oman route and Iran route or anything of that kind. Not really, but what the American intention was, I think, to get shipping moving through the Strait of Hormuz. You can say it's the Oman route or you can say something else, but get the Iranians to accept the tankers are going through the Strait of Hormuz. And the American calculation was that the longer that continues and the longer the Iranians let it happen, the more likely it is that what has become temporary will become permanent. In other words, that if you establish traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, it will be much more difficult for the Iranians to close it. The IRGC saw the risk, the danger of that, and they took the decision to strike the, to strike the tanker. So, this obviously changes the calculus completely and shifts the balance of advantage back to Iran. But bear in mind, it is increasingly looking as if the Iranians themselves are not fully united here.
>> All right. Minsk agreement.
>> Minsk agreement. But I mean, you know, we said this from the first moment. The moment I saw the text of the OU, I said, "This simply can't be true." I mean, it, it is inconceivable that the United States would sign in good faith an agreement like that and set out to implement it. Now, there may be some people in the US who see it, as I do, as ultimately a good deal for the United States because it extracts the United States and the Middle East. I'm prepared to believe, for example, the JD Vance, about whom I've heard those sort of things, he might have signed it in good faith, but Trump, Rubio, all of those sort of people, absolutely not. And I have to say that after what's been happening, I also don't take particularly seriously these arguments between Netanyahaku and Trump that we've been hearing so much about. That too has been part of this deception to create the impression that there is a real movement in the US towards, um, implementing the OU where there clearly hasn't been.
>> It's all Wrestlemania, Alexander. I'm just coming to that conclusion. Trump, Maloney, Trump, Netanyahu, it's all Wrestlemania.
>> It's, it's, it's...
>> That's all it is. Yeah.
>> It's, it's theater. It's, it's deception. You said it months ago. This is a very, very duplicitous administration who goes in for an awful lot of trickery and deception, and that's what they've just tried with the Iranians. All right, let's, uh, let's get to the questions.
>> Haruko, thank you for that, uh, membership gifted five memberships to the Duran. Thank you for that. Nikos, one second, Nikos, let me see. Yeah, Nikos says, "I want Alex to answer my question because Alexander, with all due respect, I'm sorry, but you are coping and making excuses, and it's getting tiresome." Okay, let's see here. Nico says, "Yes, I am back because Scott Ritter came back from Russia and said that their losses, including the Wagner and the Donbas militias, are a million men."
>> Okay. Uh, he is the biggest Russian cheerleader, and yet he admits that there are whole villages that have no men and that there are graveyards as big as Ukraine's. Turns out all the Western propaganda is true. The Kremlin is BSing us. Why the hell has the West lost when they've killed a million Russians? I'm not familiar with Scott saying that. So I'll just, I'm not saying he didn't, Nikos. I'm not saying he did or he didn't, but, um, that's the first time I've, I've heard this. I don't know how else to, to answer your question. I mean, I just, I've seen the, the Mediazona numbers.
>> I've, I think I have a pretty good idea, as Alexander does, as to...
>> What the casualties are on both sides.
>> But I can't confirm this. I don't think anyone can.
>> Including Scott. I don't think anyone can confirm the, the casualties. Um, no one's saying they're not high for Russia.
>> Yeah.
>> I mean, I was, I was in Russia, and people said that Russia is, is taking losses.
>> Mhm.
>> And then they're not, these are not small, but it's not, I'll say right now, I don't, the numbers that I have, it's not in, it's not a million. I'll say that right now.
>> Um, and the Ukraine casualties are, are much higher.
>> Yeah. So I will say that as well, according to the sources and the information that I have.
>> And, uh, I'll, I'll continue to, to go by the one metric, Nikos and Alexander, that is confirmed, and, and you may want to, um, talk about this as well, Alexander. The metric that is 100% confirmed is the exchange of fallen soldiers.
>> Exactly.
>> 100% confirmed.
>> Yes. Yes. And those numbers over the past 20 months now have been pretty much the same, almost exactly the same, actually.
>> 1,000 to about 30 or 40.
>> Exactly.
>> Every single month. And the argument is made, Russia is advancing. That's why there are more Ukrainian soldiers that are being returned. Okay. But, but say, say that is the case, and I'm not arguing that it isn't the case. How much would it bring those numbers down? If you have a 10 to 1 or an 11 to 1 ratio, then it would be what? An 8 to 1 or 7 to 1. And isn't that an admission that over the past 20 months, Russia is advancing?
>> Yes.
>> Which goes against the entire narrative that we're hearing from the collective West, which is that this is a stalemate.
>> So, which one is it? Anyway, that's, that's my thoughts on that. Uh, Nikos, once again, I haven't, uh, I haven't seen or, or heard those statements from, from Scott, so I'm not going to comment on them. Nor have I heard those statements. And Nicholas, I would suggest that the best way to get a sense of what is going on in Russia is for you to go there. I don't know how practical an option it is, but I think if you did go to Russia, a lot of your assumptions, um, and worries would be reassured. Just to say,
>> Yeah.
>> It's not hard.
>> You get the, get the electronic visa actually, and...
>> Yeah.
>> You can, you can fly over there. Go there. I, I'm going to say straight away, I mean, I get it. I, I, I haven't listened to, watched what, um, Scott has been saying, but, um, I, I, I don't know where he's got these figures from, but certainly they, they bear no relation to anything that I...
>> I, I don't think he said that. I would be shocked if he said that, but maybe he did.
>> But, um...
>> Well, Scott has said many things many times, and, uh, sometimes, I mean, he's a very emotional man, if I may say. I, I, I don't believe these figures that he's given.
>> Yeah.
>> Westwolf Esquire says, "Nikos, that is complete lie. Scott said that close..." Okay, here we go. "Scott said that close to 800,000 Russians had been injured since the coup, since 2014. Vast majority are civilians."
>> Well, there you go.
>> So then there you go.
>> All right. Uh...
>> Thank you. Thank you, West Wolf. Yeah.
>> Ela says, "Are there voices in the US government that demand Rubio be replaced as the national security adviser? What is needed to make it happen?"
>> I haven't heard any such voices at all. Perhaps there are. Perhaps that's what should happen. But at the moment, he seems to be firmly in control. Despite the fact that as Secretary of State, he's not doing his job. He's not traveling. He's not meeting world leaders. He, well, I say he's not traveling. He does travel from time to time, but the people he always meets are his friends. Just to say,
>> Westwolf says, "Alexander, can you, can you speak to the CRMA issue in some detail? How the Russian military doesn't use this highway in Ukraine, are murdering civilian truck drivers and attacking tourist resorts."
>> Yeah. I mean, to repeat again, and I've said this already, um, Russian military logistics go by train. They don't go, they don't use highways. This is, by the way, very much the style of, um, you know, military logistics in this part of the world. The Ukrainians also use trains for their military logistics. At the very front lines, of course, they have to use trucks because that's, you know, that's, uh, closer to the front lines, and trains can only obviously go where railway tracks are, whereas trucks inherently are more flexible. But, um, there is no evidence whatsoever that the Russian military in, um, Zaporozhye or Kherson regions are significantly affected by the attacks on the Novorossiya highway. For what it's worth, I understand that those problems, the problems with the drone attacks on the highway itself, have abated. What Ukraine is now doing is conducting strikes directly against infrastructure within Crimea itself. I've always felt, I felt that the attacks on the highway, just as the attacks on Crimea now, were always intended to disrupt civilian life in Crimea, to create fuel shortages and those sort of things in Crimea. Crimea is relatively close to the launch point of Ukrainian drones. Ukrainian drones are therefore able to carry much heavier explosive charges when they hit Crimea. The warning times are shorter. Crimea has had to absorb many Ukrainian attacks over the course, not just of this war, but of the conflict going all the way back to 2014. That does not excuse the fact that the Russians have not sorted out a proper system of defense, as they apparently have in Donbas, to protect Crimea from drones. Uh, my M2X says, "They have no reverse gear. The nature of empire is such."
>> Westwolf says, "The Crimea drones are having no effect on the front line and won't save Lyman, won't save Sumy, won't save Zaporozhye."
>> That's absolutely right. You've, you've, you've answered the question.
>> Mr. Jabawok says, "I feel that Israel will force the West to hit rock bottom. It is a gift to Iran because Israel will be blamed for Iran not opening the strait."
>> Yes.
>> Zariel says, "Europe is bats crazy and provoking more war."
>> Yes, absolutely. I mean, uh, to a degree that I have to say I find extremely disturbing. And Gordon Hahn wrote a very fine piece about this, that there is an element of the European leadership that is irrational and at the same time very powerful. Nico says, "Is this what victory looks like to you for Iran and Russia? Iran lost so many civilians, including 170 school girls, while the US sat comfortably afar. You think that Iran by making some Lego video swayed the American hatred towards it? Has it changed anything in Europe or like sheep we marched on? Did anyone do anything to stop the US from committing these atrocities? Has the big bad China done something or did they sell them rare earths?" Well, I mean, by the way, on that, on that, the Chinese are apparently increasingly restricting sales of rare earths, and they've just sanctioned two American companies that produce rare earths. But anyway, let's put China to one side. Um, if you're talking about Iran, um, I've always, we have always said on the Duran that this agreement that Iran signed, it may look like a victory for Iran. And Iran did succeed in stopping militarily the United States in its tracks. But it is not a final victory at all. It is simply a truce before the next round. So again, I mean, you know, please report what we say, discuss what we say in an accurate way because this isn't, this isn't, this is what we have always been saying right from the start, and what we just said at the start of this program too, by the way. Now, on civilian casualties, Iran says that over the course of the fighting, in other words, from the 28th of February right up until, um, the end of the fighting, the total number of civilian casualties who were killed in Iran was around 3,000. Now that is a lot of people, and it does include 170 school girls, as you say, but in terms of losses in a war, well, for a country of 93 million, well, you can, you can do the maths.
>> Westwolf says, "Ana, could you both please speak to the condition of Moscow compared to London and Cyprus, cleanliness, homelessness, criminality, functioning of government services, general happiness of the population?"
>> Well, I, I, I, I, I'm not, I'm going to leave it to Alex to speak about, um, Cyprus. Coming to London from Moscow was a very depressing experience. Moscow is much richer, far better run, immeasurably cleaner. I mean, when I say cleaner, I mean, it's the cleanest capital city I have ever seen. It's cleaner than Shanghai, where I was some years ago. It's immeasurably cleaner. There's hardly any graffiti. Well, in, in Moscow itself, I didn't see any graffiti anywhere. Um, living standards have significantly improved since I was previously there, which is in 2019. Um, and the electronic infrastructure has reached, achieved levels that I could not have imagined. So I mean, we are, we are comparing a city, London, which is in decline, with a city, Moscow, which is on a very, very big upswing.
>> As far as, well, as far as comparing Cyprus to Moscow, I don't think you can compare because, I mean, it's, it's better to compare London.
>> To Moscow because you're talking about cities of, of similar size.
>> Yes.
>> I mean...
>> Cyprus is a population of, of what, 800,000? It's like a neighborhood in, uh, in Moscow or even, or in London as well. So, it's hard to compare, and Cyprus is an island. It's very, very different vibe here. But, but I will say this, you, you see my videos.
>> Yes.
>> You can see, you know, my videos from walking around Moscow.
>> You can see my videos from walking around Athens and, and Cyprus.
>> And I think you could see the, the differences.
>> And I document it all. It's all, it's all there in the videos, in the walk talks.
>> British people who went to Moscow would be shocked, and in fact, if you spent some time on YouTube and, uh, go to various YouTubes, YouTube, uh, programs that have been made by British visitors and sometimes American visitors to Moscow, you will see what they say. I mean, they are shocked. I am not sure, by the way, that British people would be very happy living in Moscow because the style of life is very different. I mean, Russians live in apartments and apartment blocks. That isn't the British way. So, the pattern of life is very different, but there is absolutely no doubt at all as to which city at the moment is, um, doing better. And by the way, you asked about the people again. Um, if you, and people in Moscow look much more relaxed now than I have ever seen them to be. And you don't get the sense, I mean, to an, to an almost disturbing degree, you do not get the sense of the capital of a country at war. It's very strange, almost unsettling.
>> Yeah. That's a, that's a good point. Look, the, the reason that, that Ursula closed off the, the travel in the airspace, the first thing that she did, that was the first thing that the EU did. The very first thing when the SMO started was to, to, to cancel, to cut off travel.
>> There's a reason that they did that.
>> Because they don't want people to go and see what it's like. That's why they do stuff like that. They want to separate.
>> The, the people, separate the communication. They want to, they want to cut off the travel because they don't want people to go to, to Moscow and see that for a big city.
>> It's very well run. Doesn't mean it doesn't have problems. It's a big city. It has, it has a lot of problems. Problems that we probably have no idea about, right? Because we don't live there.
>> No.
>> And so, I'm sure if you're a resident of, of Moscow, you probably have a whole bunch of, of issues that, that you would like to, absolutely.
>> To, to see sorted out. But, um, as far as a big mega city, Moscow, London, New York, you know, these types of cities, Moscow is very well run and very well-maintained.
>> Absolutely. And by the way, the traffic problems have abated, and I can't speak about the crime situation, but I didn't get the sense that there was much, that it was out of control or anything like that.
>> Yeah. Anyway, uh, big, big wine man. Thank you for that super sticker. From, uh, Matthew. "Will Europe strike Russia from its own territory?"
>> Well, Putin has said that if they do, the Russians will strike back at their, um, at the launch points, and that the Europeans understand that, and that they don't. For that reason, they're avoiding doing it. That was what Putin said. Um, for the moment, they're not doing it. I think it's only a matter of time, by the way, before they do. Uh, from Nikos, as for Russia, like I said before, "What was the point of the SMO? To not have nukes and missiles near them. They had nukes near them in Turkey. Now a million Russians are gone, and the demographics will collapse. Nothing was achieved except delaying an inevitable nuclear war the West will cause."
>> I, I, I'm going to repeat again, Nicholas. I think you will revise your views very substantially if you do go to Russia and go, go to Moscow and see the situation there for yourself. And by the way, if you can try and go outside Moscow as well. I mean, I, one of the places I went to was very much a military town. There is a major barracks there of an airborne division, by the way, and you do not get the sense of the overwhelming losses that you were talking about. And as I said, we saw what West Wolf had to say about this. Now, about the missiles, the nuclear weapons in Turkey, Russia, of course, has very good relations with Turkey, at least, I mean, you, they're very complicated, very strange relations, but I don't think they would have the same fear about nuclear weapons in Turkey, which have been there for, well, since the 50s, as they do about nuclear weapons in Ukraine, which, of course, is not only much closer to Moscow, but which has a government that is extremely hostile to the one in Russia.
>> Uh, Denise says, "Hi, guys, what do you think is the possibility of Turkey Israel conflict, and if it were to happen and the US backs Israel, would that be definitive proof that Israel controls US foreign policy?"
>> Well, the answer is none. The idea that Erdogan is going to get into a battle with Israel, um, he, he might talk in that way, but it's, it's not happening. And I think people do need to understand that Erdogan is very good at, you know, talking up these things, and he can be very aggressive when the moment of opportunity comes, but he's never going to take on an adversary like Israel.
>> Nor does he want to.
>> Nor does he want to.
>> Yeah. Keep, keep in mind that, keep in mind that it was...
>> Yeah. Exactly. And, and, and who carved up Syria? No.
>> It was a cooperation between Turkey, Israel.
>> Israel.
>> And the United States. Yeah.
>> Yeah.
>> No, the theater. It's all theater. The whole Turkey Israel thing is, is, is complete theater.
>> Absolutely.
>> That's it. And Erdogan uses it for political, for domestic political reasons.
>> Yes. Yes.
>> Uh, ZC Karayanis, thank you for that super sticker. Matthew says, "This 2030 war plan is utter nonsense. Europe has nothing. Just all a wealth transfer scam for the MIC."
>> We agree with you. We absolutely agree with you.
>> Yes. But...
>> Yeah.
>> I, I, I do, I, I do know people who, who say, who tell me that.
>> In Europe.
>> There are.
>> There are.
>> People in very high positions that actually do believe they can take on Russia in a war and win. And, and it's, it's not acting. It's not theater, they tell me.
>> No, they absolutely believe it.
>> Yes. Not everybody.
>> There are people that do believe it in high positions.
>> Positions. In the militaries, they don't believe it. Um, uh, I know that in the German military, they don't. And at least the middle ranking officers know that this is impossible and that it's BS. I mean, and I understand that it's the same in the British military also.
>> Ladoska gifted the Duran 10 community, 10 Duran memberships to the community. Thank you for that. Uh, Ladoska Razer Yu says, "Imagine if Russia gave America's neighbors FPV drones to launch at the USA. What would be American response? Why is Russia tolerating this behavior and not responding to Western war crimes?"
>> Well, many, many people are asking that question, and many people are asking that question within Russia itself. Um, overall, as I said, I think that in Putin's policy, from Putin's point of view, maintaining normalcy inside Russia and winning the war in Ukraine is the priority, and normalcy in Russia depends on avoiding an extreme escalation of tensions which might spiral into an outright war with the West. So his policy is to keep things at the level they are at the moment. There are some people in Russia, a lot of people in Russia, who are not happy with that. Uh, Kellen Kulina says, "How far the US has fallen in terms of honor, credibility, moral high ground. We are increasingly disgraceful since the 2001 WTC inside job."
>> Yeah.
>> Yes. I mean, this, this, this, sorry, can I just say that this, this game of duplicity, alter, which, by the way, I mean, the Trump administration had, but the Biden administration had it too. The Clinton administration also had it, and the Obama administration took it to Barack lengths. This is not a good thing for a government of a superpower to do. Ultimately, it has consequences. Uh, Nico says, "I am with you, Alex. Russia should strike in Europe. I thought three years ago that it would scare people. Instead, people are more than willing sheep. Keep referencing the Hungarian election because they chanted Russians go home." What does that have to do with Hungary other than hatred for Russia? And three, "In the end, the people of Europe are willing to go to war with Russia because they hate them. They prove they like to serve rather than think." That's a, that's a question.
>> Well, that's, that's a question. Well, I, I, I don't think anybody, either of us, have advocated, uh, strikes by Russia against Europe, at least not at the moment. So, just, just to say, um, again, I can only speak of two countries which I know reasonably well. One is Germany, one is Britain. There is no mass of young men running to join the armies in either country in order to go and fight Russia. In fact, both in Germany and in Britain, the young are opting out of the armies. Recruitment is falling. It is not growing despite the fact that here in Britain, at least, there is a major recruitment campaign underway, and it is not succeeding.
>> Yeah. And as, as far as the, the striking of Europe, none of us have said that Russia should strike Europe and get us into, into a World War III or nuclear war. That's not what, that's not what I'm saying. What I say is that Russia needs to get a handle on, on the drone situation.
>> Yes.
>> Um, they, they need to, to figure out asymmetric ways.
>> Yes.
>> To send the, the message that they will, um, they will reestablish or, or hold their deterrence. I think their deterrence has been, has been pretty much, uh, degraded, but there are asymmetric ways that they can reestablish deterrence.
>> Um, just, just today they, uh, they expelled the Romanian, uh, council in Petersburg, right?
>> Yes.
>> Finally.
>> Yes.
>> After a month, after a month of what Romania did.
>> And the whole nonsense of a drone falling and they blamed Russia. It was a Ukrainian drone, but they blamed Russia. Finally, a month later, Russia said, "Okay, well, we'll expel because you guys expelled our, uh, our council in Constanta, we'll expel the Romanian."
>> Yes.
>> Right. These are things that, that for some reason, uh, Putin delays in, in, in doing.
>> These asymmetric responses like, like, you know, the, the, the App Store issue that also happened, Alexander.
>> Yes.
>> I don't know if you heard about that, that Apple banned the VK apps in the Russian.
>> Apple, uh, app store.
>> Yes. Yes.
>> Right. I mean, you know, there's, there's asymmetric things that Russia could do.
>> Absolutely.
>> In order to respond to that.
>> Absolutely. And I just want to say one thing, which is that if you're looking for advocates of Russian strikes on European targets, the place where you will find them is actually in Russia. There are some people in Russia who do advocate those things. So, um, we have not advocated it, but some people in Russia have, just to say, but yes, I, I, I think that at some point the Russians are going to need to do something. Um, as some people in Russia say, to restore the sense of fear.
>> Yeah. You know, it could be as simple as, as Putin telling Trump.
>> Yeah.
>> Stop it. Yeah.
>> Stop it or else, just like he did with, um, with May 9th.
>> Exactly.
>> And it worked.
>> It worked. Yeah.
>> Yeah. They backed off.
>> Even though they spun it in, in a different way, right? They spun it as, as Putin, um, backing off with the May 9th. What actually happened, and you, and you talked about it in detail, was that Putin called up Trump where they had a telephone conversation, and Putin told him, "If you guys go ahead with this, this is exactly what we're going to do."
>> And Trump got freaked out.
>> Yes. The, a, and then the Russians completely botched it themselves. This is again their media operations, which are so awful. And they announced that they were agreeing to Trump's proposal for a ceasefire. Yeah, they, I don't, I don't understand their information war.
>> It's, it's, it's as if they want to lose the information war.
>> It's very strange.
>> Yeah. Photon 812 says, "How is regime change in Ukraine even possible if Russia annexes the pro-Russian areas? Won't it become a quagmire needing long-term military control?" Well, uh, Medvedev is talking about this, and he was coming up with all kinds of scenarios about how regime change would be achieved. I, I think you actually, um, identify a serious problem, uh, for the Russians. I think the Russians understand, at least some Russians understand, that regime change in Kiev is only possible if you capture Kiev. And Medvedev thinks this. You can see this quite clearly from here. But, um, we'll just have to see what the Russians are thinking.
>> Onion Bro says, "As, as a Russian who lost loved ones, hearing Alexander minimize the impact of drone strikes is delusional."
>> Well, I mean, I, I...
>> I mean, you're not minimizing it. You're, you're...
>> No, it's accurate.
>> I'm contextualizing it.
>> Yeah. Uh, Nikos says, "Oh, no, wait. I read that." Nikos Westwolf says, "Alexander, you spent significant time in a Russian military town, spoke, spoke to tens of people from many walks of life, and if it didn't come across, any, any who had lost family, close friends, I think it puts, puts to bed the absurd casualties." I think so. Of course, maybe people wouldn't want to talk about those things, but again, I was very surprised in a military town, which is the place where, as I said, one of the air paratroop divisions is located, how calm the whole situation was and how normal it was. I mean, eerily, so. Monty says, "Even if the Ukraine war started to spill into Europe itself, what guarantees do we have that the Europeans won't just start believing even more intensely that the spaceship will come to save them?"
>> Good question. I can't answer that one really.
>> Uh, Axel 007 says, "Many people say Ukraine should not give up land because Russia never got there. Never, never got there. I always wonder what they think about World War I, Germany, Hungary. Your ideas."
>> Well, I, I, I, I, I think that the point is not whether the Russians have got there, but whether they will get there. And this is where I think the big mistake was with Donbas. I mean, to say that Ukraine should not withdraw from parts of Donbas which the Russians haven't yet captured simply sets Ukraine up for a situation where it is going to lose those places in Donbas because the Russians are going to capture them, and the result is that Ukraine itself will lose leverage.
>> Mr. Jabawak says, "The West is strategically weak because the leaders can't let go of grudges, whereas Russia has learned its mistake in treating China as little bro." Well, I, I don't think Russia, uh, oh, I see what you mean. Yes. I mean, this is in the past when the Russians did treat China as little bro. Um, which they did. I mean, this is, this is exactly what happened in the 50s. Russia, this is the formal language. Russia was the big brother. China was the small brother. The Chinese resented that massively. So yes, I agree. I think the Russians learned from that mistake, but they've learned from that mistake very well. In Europe, we have never got through our issues of superiority, and now we're paying the price for them.
>> Alex says, "Zilinsky was taught a lesson by Lucenko."
>> Yes.
>> Yeah.
>> Yes.
>> Yeah. Sometimes that's all it takes.
>> Yes. To just go to these guys, these EU elites, and, and even Trump or Zalinski, and just tell them.
>> Yes.
>> Don't, don't do it or else. And, and they back off. Zilinsky backed off.
>> I mean, they still might start something in Belarus.
>> I'm not saying we're out of the woods there.
>> They still might start something.
>> But there's no doubt that Zilinsky got freaked out, and he started to make the excuse about, well, my intelligence says that they've dismantled their, their radars.
>> Yes.
>> I mean, you know.
>> Yeah. You know, Alexander, there are people though, when you go on X and you listen to, to Zilinsky's, you read Zilinsky's statements, there are people in the comments that actually believe that Zilinsky won that.
>> Luko, Lucenko is, is taking down his radars.
>> I said, the, the Guardian has a whole piece about this. The Guardian today has a whole piece. They just reproduce. They, they take what Zalinski says as true. It's, it astonishes me, but people do this.
>> Uh, Vincenzo, thank you for that super sticker. Jamila says, "Hi, gentlemen. I love to, love to see you both. My question for Alexander, those UK leaders, not engaging for the country, but why are they crying when they resign?"
>> Very good question. Uh, well, um, if you're talking about Star, why do they resign? Because, of course, Starmer has a very high opinion of himself and thinks that you should remain prime minister, and nobody likes to leave a job with everybody telling you that you have completely failed, which is absolutely true of Star, but Starmer won't be crying for very long because before very long, he will be offered a nice job. I, I think that one very likely job is that when Maruta moves on, we could very easily see Karma, the secretary general of NATO. I think it's a real possibility, by the way, not a joke.
>> Yeah. The, uh, the defense minister of the Netherlands, I forgot her name. She got appointed to, to a high position in charge of like the European.
>> Yeah.
>> Security. It's just a revolving door.
>> Exactly. Exactly. So it helps them, the, the, the more, the more they go on about, about Russia and, and project Ukraine, money to Ukraine, going to war with Russia, it's good for their, their resume.
>> Absolutely. Absolutely.
>> It's the test of loyalty.
>> Yeah.
>> If you talk in this way, and if you, I, if you inflict great pain on your people in the process, then that definitely proves that you're one of us.
>> Yeah. And you got to remember, all these people are on a career path.
>> Exactly.
>> From when they're plucked out of, out of high school and put into, into the university to Yale or Harvard or wherever.
>> Yeah.
>> Oxford. They're on a career path.
>> Absolutely.
>> Absolutely. Um, we've had six prime ministers, one after the other, in Britain. One after the other. They all went to Oxford University. Just to say.
>> There you go. Uh, Nico says, "When I speak about will, I'm talking about the people, not politicians. The biggest mistake Russians made was not preparing for strikes in Russia. Ukraine has lost so much, and they haven't even flinched. We see Russians whining constantly even though they signed up for the SMO. That's a problem. It makes it easier to throw away Putin and install a like Medvedev who isn't afraid of nuclear war and will accommodate the West in this." I, I, I again, I don't know where you get this information about people whining, uh, um, um, Nikos. I was in Russia, I was in Moscow and I was in Scorf, and I didn't see that from anyone. Now, about, you know, understating, um, drones, I spoke to people who have seen drones, uh, uh, there was one person who was out riding, and they saw a drone over the sky and was shot, and saw it being shot down, and was finding it extremely frightening. So it, it does frighten people, but talking about, you know, a collapse in morale, um, a breakdown of the economy, mass fear, demands for the government to fall, some of the things that I think you, you do sometimes get and perhaps, um, provide the, you know, the background to your statements of those things, I saw nothing. Matthew says, "Isn't Europe hitting Russia World War II?" Well, um, it is something that has never happened before, and, um, an attack on another country is absolutely an act of war. Sending an armed man, an armed man across a country's border has always been understood to be an act of war. Sending a drone or a missile into another country, um, is an act of war. The Russians, Putin has held back from treating it fully in that way. Seizing ships is acts of, is an act of war, too. Zaryel says, uh, Alex, "Sorry to repudiate you, but you are, but there are even high-ranking officers in Germany who are pushing for war, and they have a word to say. I know this as I still listen to what is happening, and it is freaking me out." High ranking. I agree. I, I, I've heard the same. I, I understand at the very high level there is, uh, now enormous unanimity of it. The people I've been speaking to, um, well, the people I haven't been speaking to, a person I know who speaks to people who are middle and lower rank officers, they themselves say that it isn't going to, that it simply isn't viable, that the politicians talk about, uh, war, but there aren't the men and there aren't the weapons to fight it. Uh, which way says, "Given the hysteria regarding Argnik strikes, where is the aftermath footage?"
>> That's a very good question. Nobody's providing it, which is interesting fact in itself.
>> Uh, Rexos says, "Should, should Putin expel Belle Lazar or Shabbad Lubovich? He hasn't said anything about it, but he is pro-Ukraine since Jews got kicked out of Ukraine." Who, who, I'm not sure who these people are, if I may say, I said.
>> Yeah, I don't, I don't get the question either. Um, Adrian gifted Duran 10 memberships.
>> Uh, Sticky Mark says, "Thanks, lads. Can I shout out..."
To Larry Johnson and Peppa Escobar's new channel, Transition Pro Transition Protocols. Looking forward to their insight.
Thanks again LNPs from this crazy old nana in Yorkshire. Thank you for that sticky marks. Tip Gibson, thank you for that super sticker.
Gro Gro Smurf, Gro Smurf 790 says, "Hey guys, locals water Walter Water here. I am locals Walter Water here. I am still convinced Putin will go for Odessa. Putin gave a speech years ago about Odessa being built by Katarina. Uh Putin is still looking for an excuse to go in there."
Well, uh, um, the journalist, the Russian journalist Marat Khulin, who has provided a very, very interesting summary of the war, which is um on you, which which is a video you can find it on his Substack blog. Anyway, he also pretty much said that eventually the Russians are going to um adapt. He said this about two days ago, and I think he's extremely well informed, by the way.
>> Nico says, "Make no mistake, I support Russia and President Putin. I understand him. He has figured out that the West is willing to use to use nukes to preserve primacy. He doesn't want to lose what he has built, and that's understandable. He has given up because there's no choice but to delay the inevitable. The inevitable is a leader in Russia will come, and he'll strike Europe. Then Europe retaliates or invades Russia, and they have more meat to do so. All All of that will lead to nuclear war, and the elites don't care. Alex, why should they? Europe is a dump. I don't want Russia to strike Europe because I don't want to see it destroyed."
Well, I'm going to answer that question. And that is an argument of despair, if I can say so. It treats nuclear war as inevitable. As I have said many times, councils of despair are bad councils. The risk of war is very real. It has never been more real than it is now. Putin himself told the military just a few days ago, there is uh, Europe is preparing for war, and we must be ready for it. That not just Europe, actually. He said the collective West, which of course includes the United States, is preparing for war against Russia, and we must be ready for it. And he said that to the military. But until war comes, let's not assume that it will.
>> From uh, from Phillip, welcome to the Drram community, Phillip. And from Klouse, the Cuban missile crisis was also an example of asymmetric warfare. The missiles in Turkey were taken down when the Russians were about to do the same in Cuba.
>> Yeah, absolutely. There was a reciprocal deal done, and the Cuban missile crisis, actually, the two leadership and Kennedy handled it extremely well. The person who handled the the person who really handled it best was Kennedy, actually. It was without any question his finest star. Yeah, it's a good point. Claus.
>> From um Pathetic Albian, "I see Trump is now threatening to cut gas supplies to the EU. I trust they have a plan C."
>> I didn't see that, but >> they're they're they're threatening. I'll I'll tell you the story. It's an interesting story. They're >> the US is threatening to cut off LNG because the EU has this methane regulation that they put in place. They're trying to pass this legislation about methane regulation, and the the companies in the US are saying this is BS. We're not going to to go through this regulation and this process. It's going to add to cost. It's going to complicate things. And uh, and they're they're now saying, "Okay, either remove this uh, walk back this proposed legislation and this methane regulation, and if you don't, then we're just not going to take the LG to to Europe. We're going to direct it elsewhere."
>> Interesting. Well, of course, they will walk you back. Everyone else.
>> We're walking back.
>> Just to answer your question, uh, there is no plan B, C, D. There's one game in town when it comes to LG for Europe, and that is the United States.
>> But you know, I thought Alexander Ursula told us that Europe is diversifying when they cut off Russian gas.
>> Yeah, >> that's what she said. It's it's part of Europe's diversification. Was cutting off Russian gas was part of Europe's diversification process.
>> Yes, that's exactly what what she said. And of course, uh, because um, Ursula says it, it must be true.
>> Yeah. They they they diversified to to only US gas, and the US is going to to use that.
>> Absolutely.
>> Uh, Nico says, "There aren't any asymmetrical ways for Russia. Even if they cut off the gas, the loyal India and China will sell that oil and drone parts to the EU. My point, Alex, as much as I agree with you, Russia can't achieve deterrence when the other side is ready and willing to go to nuclear war."
Well, first of all, again, I repeat what I said. That is a council of despair. I don't think any of the leaders in Europe, by the way, seriously believe that there's going to be a nuclear war. Even Kaakalis, and they think they can win without one. That that is what is so dangerous about the situation at the moment. As to asymmetrical um things that the Russians can do, they can do many of them. I actually believe they've done some, but they never talk about it.
>> Yeah. And they can do a lot more.
>> And they can do.
>> But they never do.
>> Yes.
>> Yeah. I mean, they're still all the western, all most of the western media is still operating in in Russia.
>> Absolutely. The West has cut off all of the Russian media.
>> Yeah.
>> Yes.
>> But in Russia, they cut off much of the Western media.
>> Absolutely.
>> Uh, Matthew says, "How does this play out then in Europe?"
>> Well, I'm not sure quite what you mean. The >> Yeah.
>> How does what play out in Europe? I mean, the the um growing economic crisis in Europe.
>> Isn't Europe his first his previous question, Matthew's previous question was, isn't Europe hitting Russia World War II? So then >> Oh, I see. I I I see. Well, c can I say again, this is one of the things that um returning to Britain after being in Russia was the contrast. I mean, we are getting poorer, they are getting richer, we are getting weaker, they are getting stronger, we are becoming more and more hysterical, they they are remaining very, very calm now. Perhaps they're too calm. But um, if we push it all the way towards an actual situation where there is a war, it, whatever it does to to Russia, it will be even worse for us.
>> Principled uncertainty says, "Sorry, your surgery has been delayed. We have to fight Russia now." What?
>> Absolutely. Yes.
>> Uh, Westwolf Esquire says, "Number one, I have found the comparisons Alexander has made between Ukraine drone strikes and the IRA bombings fascinating. But we had the shock and revulsion of Warrington bombings all by all by all Irish."
>> Absolutely. Can I say something about >> and number two? And number two, sorry. Part two. This this put pressure on the IRA to come to the table. Sadly, I can't see a comparable event that would shock, horrify, and disgust Ukrainian society enough.
>> That's that is absolutely true. By the way, I lost friends in the IR bombings. Just a sec. Um, somebody spoke about um um um, you know, not understanding the the drones, but I I this is in the 1970s. I mean, they weren't close friends, but I did lose people I knew in the IRA bombings. The point is that despite that and despite the nervousness and fear, it was never enough to change the pattern of normal life in Britain. And um, for the record, the person who made that point to me first, the comparison with the IRA bombings, it didn't come from me. It came from Eve Smith, who was also in London at that time.
>> Uh, Spock 2306 says, "Is the era of cheap money in the US over? New Fed chair will not cut rates in 2026?"
>> Well, we'll see. Um, I I think probably not, actually. Um, the great advantage the United States has over every other country is the exceptional liquidity of its financial system. And I still think that has some way to go.
>> Uh, Klouse says, "Russia has near monopoly on uranium enrichment. They could threaten to stop sales to France and the UK."
>> I think that overstates it, actually. I don't think they have a near monopoly. They have a very strong position. But I'm sure both the US and China undertake uranium enrichment as well.
>> The point is that Russia can once again do a lot.
>> Oh yeah, of course it can. Yes.
>> Asymmetric a lot.
>> Yes.
>> Uh, Nico says, "You want my advice? Russia has three choices. Strike Europe, use a nuke near Brussels, Ocean, delete Zalinski. The first two options have a 50-50 chance, the nuclear war. But if Silinsky and his people or even Kiev goes, then this situation ends. I'll be proven correct, Alexander. I am sorry."
>> I I I Well, I mean, when it comes to Zalinski, um, Putin has already said that as far as he's concerned, this is the optimal leader for Russia in Ukraine. He keeps Ukraine in the war whilst making every single pos possible decision even worse. Um, you can argue with that, and eventually maybe we will find that the Russians do catch up with Zilinski, but for the moment at least, I I I I could see why they keep him there. One thing I disagree with you, by the way, if the Russians eliminated Zalinski now, it would not in itself result in any change in Kiev because the political system in Kiev is wired to be anti-Russian. And anyway, the decisions are not made in Kiev. They're made in London, Brussels, Paris, and Berlin. In Washington.
>> On Washington, of course. In Washington.
>> That's where they begin. Rubia Pel says, "Ursula is all about diversity, and as Alexander says, if Ursula says it, it must be true."
>> Yeah, absolutely.
>> From West Wolf, "If I may, if I may give a brief shout out to Dolores Oridan, miss you. Beautiful voice and unending voice for peace. Rest in rest in peace."
>> Yes. Uh, Matthew says, "Will this end without destruction across Europe?"
>> It depends on us in Europe. It depends not just on our leaders, but on our um um us as a people. We've been incredibly passive um in these matters. Certainly in Britain, we have um in Germany, people are a bit more active. In France, they're a lot more active. Um in Poland, they're starting to be active. In Britain, they are not. We are being incredibly passive in the face of this crisis, and it is a very, very dangerous one.
>> Alexander, that's >> that's everything.
>> Excellent.
>> Is there anything else you want to add? Let me just do a final check on on all the questions. Make sure we got everything.
>> Yes. I I I think to understand the war um, go to somebody who's been involved in it, who's actually fought in it, which is Karulin. As I said, on his Substack um, on his Substack site, as I said, he's written, he's provided this very interesting summary. It is limited to the situation in Donbass, but it explains it very well, and it explains some of the um politics that led to the end to the SMO. The fact that the economic block of the government opposed it, but also some regional governments in Russia opposed it too. Kulin didn't say which ones, but he said he knew this for a fact, and he had inside information about it at the time. I I'm guessing that it was the regional governments in the Arctic and western Siberia where they supply the oil and the gas. It was clearly a very, very contentious and very difficult decision to make at the time, something we all knew. But he's also discusses the state of the war, the situation in Donbass, and what is going to happen next.
>> Westwolf says, "Speaking of asymmetric options, Russia could withdraw its diplomatic missions from the Baltics. No threats, no comments."
>> I agree. That's actually a very good. That is a very, very good idea. That would spook the Baltics, by the way.
>> What would that do? Why?
>> It would spook them because um, it would it would certainly be seen not just as a um diplomatic messaging, but a threat. The Baltics. I I've been talking to people who know about the Baltics. I met somebody who is, by the way um, married to a Greek diplomat, just to say, and she tells me that in the Baltics, they really do believe that the Russians are coming. If if um, the diplomats are removed, that will um trigger even more alarm, and it will lead to people in the uh Baltics looking to help from Europe, which realistically cannot come, not beyond what already is. So that that would create a sense of fear and of crisis. Just to say.
>> Principled >> It's it's just one asymmetric move, but I think it's I think it's a shrewd one.
>> Principled uncertainty says, "It's very odd to to have to explain why Germany why Germany squaring up to Russia is a bad idea. The lack of common historical knowledge is costing us dearly. Military Keynesianism, Keynesianism will save us."
>> Yeah, which is, I mean, if you know anything about mill military Keynesianism, you will know that it was something that Keynes himself said is wrong. It doesn't work. It's based on a misunderstanding of what happened during the Second World War. From uh, Valyria, "When famine strikes Africa and India in fall and millions of refugees flee into Western Europe, that new war the collective West can instigate. What new war can the collective West instigate?"
>> Well, that's a good question. I I hope that there isn't going to be famine in Africa and India um this year. I know there are some people who think it's possible. I hope it doesn't happen. Okay, that is everything.
>> Marica says, "Another fantastic live stream. Good weekend to all."
>> Thank you.
>> Thank you, Ma, for that. Thank you to everyone that joined us on Odyssey and Rumble, YouTube, and the duran.locals.com. Thank you to Zariel and Harry as well for moderating. I think I think that was everyone that was moderating for today.
>> Yeah, thank you to all the questions. Thank you to all the comments, and wait info live X says, "Russia operates within a different paradigm framework on numerous issues. Have you observed the distinction during your time in Russia?"
>> Absolutely. And they also have a different time um, I mean, they they operate within a much longer time range than we do. I mean, they are not driven by 24-hour news in the same way. I mean, they tend to think in years where we think in days. But having said that, that can be a disadvantage too, because as somebody once said, tactics is more important than strategy.
>> You can have a brilliant strategy, but if you fail at your tactics, you still lose.
>> Pathetic Albian says, "Great show. Alex and Alexander. Thanks to everyone in the live stream."
>> Puppet master fo says, "Thank you, gentlemen." And Ela says, "Best Fridays are with the Duran live. Thanks."
>> And that is that is now everything.
>> Yeah.
>> All right. Thank you everybody for a great live stream, and we will have videos on our channel up very soon.
>> Absolutely.
>> Take care.
>> Take care.