The On Deadline Podcast

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The former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO gives his take on Russia's war in Ukraine and what the Ukrainians need to successfully beat back Russian aggression Jun 01, 2022

Show notes

There has been grim news coming out of Eastern Ukraine over the last few days, as the Russian military has picked up its pace of seizing more territory in Ukraine's Donbas region. Its troops are close to completely taking over a key city that would further a Russian foothold ... and Ukrainian president Zelensky has spoken ominously about mounting casualties among his forces.

This comes as Ukraine is waiting for more weapons and aid from the U-S and other Western countries. Among the next cache of weapons on the way are long-range rocket systems ... and there are reports that the U.S. is on the verge of selling Ukraine advanced unmanned drones capable of firing on Russian targets.

Can Ukraine, with the help of the U.S. and others, hold off the Russian offensive? And what does Europe look like after the war ends?

With us is retired Navy Admiral James Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO and author of the new book To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision.

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The European Union finally commits to weaning itself off of Russian oil, but what took so long and what will the effect be on Russia's war-making capabilities? May 31, 2022

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As the war in Ukraine rages into its fourth month, there is intense fighting underway in the eastern part of the country as Russia looks to extend its land grab. And even with international sanctions aimed at Russia that have been described as some of the toughest ever initiated in the modern era, the Kremlin continues to sell oil and gas that helps to bankroll its war effort in Ukraine.

Well the European Union has taken a big step against Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine ... It's agreed to ban most imports of Russian oil. The EU is aiming to cut off 90-percent of Russian oil imports by year's end. Europe is the world's biggest buyer of Russian energy.

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Russia is slowly gaining ground as the war in Ukraine rages on May 27, 2022

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The war in Ukraine is raging on, and Russian forces are slowly gaining ground in the east. There are concerns that the Donbas region could soon look like the besieged port city of Mariupol.

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The first war crimes trial in Ukraine concludes, with many, many more likely to come -- How are China, Taiwan and the U.S. all viewing the Russia-Ukraine conflict through the lens of a future war in Asia? May 23, 2022

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The first war crimes trial out of the Russia-Ukraine war is over. A captured Russian tank commander pleaded guilty to killing a Ukrainian civilian and today inside of a Kyiv courtroom was sentenced to life in prison. But Russian officials today hinted that they'll be conducting their own trials of Ukrainian soldiers, with the recently surrendered defenders from Mariupol the primary targets for tribunals. Will this be the first of many war crimes trials to come out of this conflict?

Then we're going to briefly turn away from Ukraine and look toward another potential conflict that could closely mirror what's been playing out in Eastern Europe since February ... and that's China and Taiwan. During his trip through Asia, President Biden said the U-S will defend Taiwan against a Chinese invasion. We'll take a closer look at what that does to relations with China.

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What it's like covering a war in your home country May 20, 2022

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Russia invaded Ukraine nearly 3 months ago, and there's no end in sight to the fighting. Putin appears focused now on the Donbas region in Ukraine's east, which is home to a number of Russian-backed separatist groups. But as has been the case for much of the war, things aren't going well for Russia. Ukrainian authorities say they recently repelled a Russian attack in the region.

Still, things have been extremely difficult for Ukrainians. Journalists are trying to work while covering a war fought on their home soil. We speak to Illia Ponomarenko, a defense and security reporter at the Kyiv Independent, an English-language media outlet in Ukraine.

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What exactly is Vladimir Putin's endgame? May 19, 2022

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After failing to capture the capital city of Kyiv, the Russian army has shifted it's focus to Eastern Ukraine.

Russia now controls much of Southern Ukraine, including the port city of Mariupol. And it's in the middle of a battle for the Donbas region in Ukraine's east, which is known as the country's "industrial heartland."

But what is it exactly that Vladimir Putin is trying to achieve now?

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Mariupol has officially fallen to the Russians -- But in Kharkiv, the Ukrainian Army not only pushed Russian troops out ... they made it all the way to Russia's border May 17, 2022

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Mariupol has fallen.

The port city in the southeastern corner of Ukraine had arguably received the worst of shelling, bombing and attacks in this war, with much of the city reduced to ruble. A group of several hundred Ukrainian soldiers had been holding out inside of a massive steel plant, refusing to surrender. But now there's word that the last remaining Ukrainians have been evacuated ... and Mariupol is in Russian hands.

So that's one setback on the battlefield for Ukraine; but one doesn't have to look far for success stories. Up in Kharkiv, not only has the Ukrainian Army pushed back the Russians and recaptured territory ... they've managed to drive all the way to the Russian border.

We'll take a look at both battles and the current state of Russia's war in Ukraine as it is on the verge of entering its fourth month.

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Now even infamously neutral Switzerland is thinking about joining NATO?! How Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine could be spectacularly backfiring on Russia May 16, 2022

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Here's how deeply Russia's invasion of Ukraine could be changing the security environment in Europe: even Switzerland, famous for its commitment to neutrality that's been in place through many, many wars .... is considering joining NATO.

With Finland and Sweden, two long time NATO-holdouts now taking formal steps to join the Alliance, Switzerland's defense ministry is calling for closer ties to NATO; and they're pointing to the security threat posed to all of Europe by the Russians.

The invasion of Ukraine could touch off one of the biggest European security realignments since the end of World War II.

NATO's nascent expansion is not without its complications, however. Turkey's president continues to voice his hesitations to approve Finland and Sweden's memberships ... and a bigger NATO could mean a more hectic alliance, with more potential for disagreements.

But one way or another, NATO looks set to become a lot more fearsome as a military alliance ... not exactly what Vladimir Putin had in mind when he launched his war in Ukraine.

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Ukraine's military continues to chip away at Russia's positions in the East and South, but still this war has decidedly entered a stalemate May 13, 2022

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Ukraine's military says it recently did major damage to Russian units looking to cross a key river in the northeastern part of the country, inflicting what it says were hundreds of casualties among Russian soldiers ... and a significant loss of armor and equipment. And yet the situation on the ground in both Eastern and Southern Ukraine hasn't changed much in recent days.

The war has ground into a stalemate that neither side seems totally capable of winning ... and yet neither side is ready to make concessions.

Meanwhile there's a possible fly in the ointment in what looked to be a sure-thing expansion of NATO, by welcoming Finland and Sweden into the alliance. Today Turkey's president raised concerns about allowing the two Nordic countries to join NATO under rushed timetables.

It could all be a negotiating ploy to make sure Turkey, which maintains one of NATO's most powerful militaries, gets something out of the deal.

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Russia threatens Finland, as that Scandinavian country prepares its application to NATO--but does anyone really fear the Russians anymore? May 12, 2022

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Finland is a country that knows a thing or two about Russian aggression. After all, the Finns fought a war against Russia in 1940, as Joseph Stalin tried to pull off a land grab in Finland, in the midst of World War II raging in Europe. And yet, up until this year Finland has maintained a more-or-less neutral position in international affairs and had resisted joining NATO.

Russia's war in Ukraine quickly changed all of that, with the Finns looking set to formally apply for NATO membership in the coming weeks ... on the way to becoming part of the Alliance by the end of this year. Not surprisingly, the Russians are not thrilled about that prospect.

Russia is vowing to take ‘retaliatory steps’ after Finland announced it will move to join NATO without delay; Sweden working on a similar move. It's just some of the unintended consequences of Vladimir Putin's move to seize Ukraine ... as he's managed to increase unity and cooperation among NATO countries to their high levels, perhaps since the Cold War.

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