Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with the US outlet CBS News, May 2026
EA on WION and Pakistan TV: Worried Kremlin Threatens to Obliterate Kyiv
EA-Ukraine VideoCast: Why Kremlin’s Threat to Destroy Kyiv Betrays Its Weakness
In a 29-minute analysis, I joined Ukrainian journalists Daniel Tkiie and Sofia Nazarenko last Thursday to assess Vladimir Putin’s threat, amid his stalled invasion, to assassinate Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and Government ministers.
I consider if the Kremlin’s declarations are bluster, expressions of concern, a statement of intent to commit war crimes, or all three. I set them in the context of record-setting Russian airstrikes that have failed to break Ukraine’s resistance, and of Ukrainian counter-attacks causing significant damage inside Russia.
I evaluate Zelensky’s letter to Donald Trump and the US Congress appealing for support against Russia’s ballistic missiles. I note the political objective, trying to ensure that Washington does not back the Kremlin in negotiations, as well as the military dimension.
I look at the issue of Russian manpower and mobilization amid its mounting casualties on the stalled frontlines.
We also review the latest with the Trump Administration’s troubled war on Iran, including if it has similarities with Putin’s failure to break Ukraine.
