reSee.it Video Transcript AI Summary
Afshun Rataty opens Going Underground from the UAE as Russia marks Victory Day and asserts Russia’s contribution to international peace by defeating fascism and Nazism, while noting the UAE has intercepted missiles and drones aimed by Iran. He claims millions have been killed, wounded, or displaced by the Trump-Netanyahu wars on Iran and Lebanon, and accuses Western Europe of perpetuating lies about the Soviet contribution to World War II in schools and universities. He suggests Trump triangulated over the deaths of Iranian schoolgirls, referencing Miriam Adelson and the midterms, and notes a long phone call with Putin, with Putin allegedly not revealing how war and rising oil prices aid the Russian economy. He mentions Britain and the EU continuing to fund Zelensky, and that Trump may have congratulated Russia on Victory Day.
Dmitry Trenin, former director of the Carnegie Moscow Center and member of Russia’s Foreign and Defense Policy Council, joins from Moscow. He calls Victory Day the most important date on the Russian calendar and says Europe is Russia’s principal adversary for the first time since 1945, framing the Ukraine war as a proxy war with Europe in the front line. He cautions that victory will be a long process, not simply a return to the post‑Cold War era, and that Russia’s triumph will be “against those elements in Ukraine that are branded Nazi,” while European elites have portrayed Russia as a bogeyman for ulterior motives.
The host challenges the notion of a narrow window of opportunity under a Trump presidency, suggesting Trump would provide more arms to Ukraine. Trenin responds that Russia’s war is restrained and that Kyiv and Donbas share similar populations, framing the conflict as driven by Western manipulation. They discuss eight years of Donetsk and Lugansk separatist resistance, Ukrainian operations, and Russian support, noting the Western European countries have shouldered substantial costs to arm and support Kyiv, with the United States still providing substantial aid even as Trump’s involvement wanes.
The discussion touches on Western Europe’s economic strain and militarization as a means to consolidate the EU, while Trenin argues that the United States is guided by a deep state more than any single president, asserting Trump proposed a peace framework in August 2025 that Putin agreed to, but Washington did not press European leaders to accept, indicating limited impact of Trump’s direct influence on the war’s course.
They discuss Putin’s planned visit to Beijing, timed independently of Trump’s visit, and reflect on US-China relations. Trenin suggests China is hardening its stance against the United States and that Moscow does not fear deals between Xi and Trump at Russia’s expense. They also consider Armenia’s balancing act between Russia and the EU, noting Armenia’s heavy Russian trade yet Western-leaning political leadership.
The program closes with well-wishes for Victory Day, acknowledging ongoing NATO-related conflicts and promising further coverage of US wars in West Asia. The closing credits invite viewers to watch on rumble and social media.