Russia’s Victory Day parade, Moscow, May 9, 2025
EA-Ukraine VideoCast: Kyiv Advances Without Trump’s Support
In a 32-minute analysis, I joined Ukrainian journalists Sofia Nazarenko and Daniel Tkiie on Thursday to discuss problems for Vladimir Putin in his 50-month full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Amid stalled frontlines and Ukraine’s resistance against aerial attacks, the Kremlin has downgraded its Victory Day parade on May 9, with no presence of military hardware such as armor and artillery.
That highlights Russia’s concerns about escalating Ukrainian drone and missile strikes on key facilities, notably oil refineries, terminals, and ports. In the name of “security”, the Kremlin is restricting and even cutting off Internet access.
We discuss how, with no prospect of military victory, Putin is seeking to triumph politically by manipulating the Trump Administration, including a phone call with Donald Trump on Wednesday.
We are never going to get to a rational, coherent Donald Trump. The best you can do is work around him, either with others in the Administration — although that is increasingly difficult — or with your true partners.
We also discuss the effectiveness of the visit of King Charles III of the to the US, including his promotion of US-European relations and Ukraine’s security and sovereignty.
