Vladimir Putin greets Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner (L) and real estate developer Steve Witkoff (C) in the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia, September 5, 2026
EA-Silicon Curtain VideoCast: Is Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine An Attempted “Genocide”?
I joined Ukrainian journalist Daniel Tkiie for a 29-minute analysis of Ukraine’s resistance against Russia’s full-scale invasion, beginning with the Kremlin’s dangling of billion-dollar deals before Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
I lay out the proposal for the overseas assets of Russian oil giant Lukoil to be sold to a consortium including a leading donor to the Trump camp and three Middle Eastern businessmen. Two of those businessmen are connected to Witkoff, his son Zach Witkoff, and Eric and Donald Trump Jr. through the cryptocurrency firm World Liberty Financial. The other is linked to Kushner through a luxury resort project in Albania worth more than $5 billion.
Lukoil’s overseas assets have an estimated worth of $22 billion.
I consider how the Kremlin’s maneuvers will affect the Trump Administration’s push for Ukraine-Russia talks. Can Vladimir Putin manipulate Witkoff and Kushner so Moscow can proceed with its winter airstrikes trying to break Ukraine? Or will another faction within the Administration maintain the effort for a ceasefire on current frontlines?
