00:00Three people killed, at least 13 injured after Russia carried out another night of drone strikes on Ukraine.
00:07Monday into Tuesday, Kiev the capital, the main target, one person was killed in Kiev's Oblonsky district.
00:14Over 300 drones were sent by Putin's military aimed at Ukraine's capital.
00:19Odessa in the south was also struck. Two people there were killed, nine injured, a maternity hospital and residential buildings in Odessa were hit.
00:27In all, over 315 drones were launched. Shahed attack units from Iran provided to the Russian military.
00:35President Volodymyr Zelensky described it as one of the biggest strikes of the war.
00:39This follows over 400 drones fired at Ukraine the night before.
00:43Nonetheless, around 1,000 prisoners of war were swapped this Tuesday.
00:48Let's get some broader analysis of the situation and bring in Peter Zalmayev.
00:51Peter joining us live from Kiev. Peter is, as you probably remember, director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative.
00:58Peter, as always, a very good evening to you.
01:00The scale of Russia's attacks over the past two nights and the targets they've chosen.
01:05It's very clear, Russia here escalating the war.
01:09Russia's been escalating the war, obviously, since the get-go.
01:12Vladimir Putin, if anything, has stepped up his terror campaign against the civilians,
01:19pretty much feeling impunity at the hands of the great mediator Donald Trump,
01:25who has threatened to walk away, who has actually refused to put Putin's feet to the fire
01:31and urged him to abstain from retaliating, as evidenced by his comments on that fourth time they spoke over the phone.
01:38So Vladimir Putin is not feeling any heat from Washington.
01:43He feels that he can just continue doing what he's doing and not suffer the consequences,
01:50while at the same time hoping that the summer offensive that he is starting in the north and the east and the southeast
01:59will allow him to deliver a knockout blow against the Ukrainian armed forces this summer.
02:06A tall order, probably not going to happen, but you cannot blame Putin for trying and for believing that his goals are near.
02:17When we first spoke, you and I, March 2022, just after the invasion was launched,
02:23the feeling was, and not in your mind, because you obviously believed that Ukraine could repel Russia,
02:28but I think the feeling amongst most people was that Russia was going to basically overwhelm Ukraine
02:32and capture Zelensky and basically take over the whole country.
02:35That hasn't happened.
02:36So in many ways, that is a success and a feather in Ukraine's cap.
02:40However, the situation as it is, is difficult and delicate for you.
02:44Zelensky calling for concrete action from the United States.
02:48You just alluded to this, Peter.
02:49That's a thing that Trump isn't going to do.
02:51Trump is full of noise, full of wind, but not really taking any action.
02:56Yeah, I mean, if anything, the action that is being taken is actually encouraging Putin to,
03:03in his belief that, you know, just a little time that he needs, and like I said, to deliver that decisive blow.
03:09In the absence of American anti-air defense missiles, Patriot missiles, it's going to be much harder for Ukrainians to continue to resist,
03:21for civilians to, you know, continue to keep a brave face about what is happening.
03:27Just recently, the Pentagon made a decision to reroute the 20,000 air defense missiles from Ukraine to Israel.
03:35Well, that obviously, this is not very encouraging, and whatever plans that are being made between Ukraine and the European allies may come a bit too late.
03:43I hope they don't, but I'm talking about joint, you know, production of weaponry that is being discussed both on the territory of Ukraine with the German chancellor,
03:54but also, actually, and this is what the defense minister of Ukraine just today announced that Ukraine may start production of weaponry outside of its borders in some unnamed European countries.
04:06You know, this could not come too soon.
04:09And once again, we're talking about drones, drones, drones.
04:12I mean, this is all about drones, and drones is the only thing that will allow Ukraine to continue to resist successfully,
04:18asymmetrically against a much larger foe.
04:21And the weapons that Russia is using, Peter, Shahhead drones supplied by Iran.
04:26There have even been North Korean missiles used, according to Ukrainian sources, in the attacks overnight,
04:32indicating that the nature of this war is far beyond how Trump tends to look at it as a local battle.
04:39There are international forces in play here.
04:43And once again, Mark, you know, I've always remarked how I'm, sometimes I don't my Ukrainian hat,
04:51sometimes my American, right now I'm donning my Ukrainian-American hat.
04:55And I'm at a loss to explain the behavior of the American president,
05:00especially that now that we have a uniquely bipartisan consensus in the Senate over 80,
05:08as many as 80 senators out of, you know, a total of 100 are willing to pass along with new sanctions on Russia.
05:15And Donald Trump is prevaricating precisely what you said.
05:20Russia has been able to secure, you know, the assistance of the deplorables of this world.
05:25Let's not mince words here.
05:27I'm talking about North Korea.
05:29We've also seen some evidence that the Chinese might be fighting on behalf of Russia,
05:34while Donald Trump is now openly discussing walking away from Ukraine.
05:39I just hope that, you know, this is a losing strategy for Donald Trump.
05:44I'm hearing, you know, commentary on American medias, including in late night comedy, etc.,
05:52and people are seeing Donald Trump's behavior for what it is,
05:55giving Putin too much, getting nothing in return.
05:58It's to the point where Putin is actually humiliating Trump,
06:01whether Trump sees it that way or not.
06:04And I hope that the senators, both Republican and Democrat,
06:08finally prevail and knock some sense into Donald Trump,
06:11because, you know, we need some concrete action.
06:13So Putin does not feel that sense of, as I said, impunity in his behavior towards Ukraine.
06:20Peter Zalmayev, thank you very much indeed from the Eurasian Democracy Initiative.
06:24Do stay safe there in Kyiv.
06:25Peter Zalmayev, our guest there from Ukraine.
