SCOTT RITTER: PUTIN CAN'T BACK DOWN AND TRUMP ISN'T INTERESTED IN PEACE. WHERE ARE THE DIPLOMATS? скачать в хорошем качестве

SCOTT RITTER: PUTIN CAN'T BACK DOWN AND TRUMP ISN'T INTERESTED IN PEACE. WHERE ARE THE DIPLOMATS?

I was delighted to meet Scott Ritter for the first time, and, if I'm being completely honest, slightly intrigued given his often outspoken demeanour. As I often found, he was quite different from the way I had imagined, quieter and more modest. What is clear, is that he has come to know Russia quite well, having visited several cities and studied Putin and his style of government carefully. His view, which I completely share, is that western mainstream pundits always call Putin wrong, principally because the look at him through a good-v-evil lens which obviates the need for actual study and rational analysis. Russia is - and this is my assessment too - a far better governed country that you might ever believe from western propaganda. It is for this reason that Russia always defies the logic of media reporting which claim on a regular basis that its economy is going to collapse at any moment, its military is running out of steam, Putin is losing political support and is about to die from a terrible illness (which I've been hearing since 2014, by the way). The political reality is that PUTIN CAN'T BACK DOWN without a credible deal on the table to end the war. Too much Russian blood has been spilled for him to make concessions that step over his red lines. Where did western diplomats stop getting out, meeting ordinary Russian people, travelling far and wide across the country, to send back more accurate diplomatic reporting to their western capitals about this reality? I actually answered that question for Scott - in February 2019 when I left, because that is precisely what I used to do all the time! Of course, the wider point is that as Embassies get more toothless, it is doubtful that Whitehall etc would listen to advice anyway, even if diplomats were doing their jobs properly. Depressing. We also discussed whether Trump is serious about peace in Ukraine. Here Scott was sceptical, arguing that he wants to impose a Nineties style economic plan on Russia which simply won't work. As a result, and this sadly continues to be my assessment, the war will drag on possibly into 2027. Again, where are the diplomats?? Zelensky has nowhere to go, so why should he strike for peace? He likely faces a grim end and will never be able to live in peace after the war ends. We also dwelled on Iran, and how Trump is increasingly painting himself into a corner. Over-confident after Venezuela, possibly assured by the CIA that the pieces are in place for an easy overthrow, before the US Armada starts to run out of ammunition stocks for a protracted engagement. Like Scott, I am not buying this at all. And if Iran hits just one US destroyer or, even, aircraft carrier, Trump may feel that he has to escalate further, because of the nature of his personality. The US is in a deeper constitutional crisis right now, given Trump's erratic behaviour. Will he end up in shackles if he continues on this track? Please LIKE and SUBSCRIBE if you found this discussion as thought provoking as I did, and leave any comments or questions in the chat. Wherever you are in the world, I wish you very much peace!