US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and their delegations in a 35-minute meeting, Manila, Philippines, July 23, 2026
EA-Ukraine VideoCast: Will Kyiv’s Political Turmoil Undermine Its Success v. Russia?
I joined Poland’s TVP World on Thursday for a 12-minute examination of the Trump camp, Europe, and Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s 53-month full-scale invasion.
Host Sascha Fahrbach and I begin with a snap analysis of the 35-minute meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. I explain that the Trump Administration showed no inclination to return to brokering Ukraine-Russia talks, let alone support the Kremlin’s maximalist demands for territory and a weakened neighbor.
But does that mean a shift towards support of Kyiv? I cautiously note signals over Ukraine’s air defenses, drone talks between Washington and Kyiv, and the US Congress considering tougher sanctions on Moscow. All of that is overlaid by the campaign to convince Donald Trump that he needs to side with the “winners” in Ukraine, as Kyiv carries out damaging counter-attacks inside Russia and Russian-occupied territory.
We also offer an immediate reaction to the European Union’s adoption of a 21st set of sanctions against Russia. While welcoming measures over Russian financial institutions and its “shadow fleet”, I note how the EU — because of Greek objections — pulled back from measures against Russian export of liquefied natural gas. Will Brussels stick to its schedule of banning all imports of Russian energy by January 2027?
