February 25, 2025 • 40 mins
This week the U.S. split from its European allies when refusing to blame Russia for its invasion of Ukraine in votes on three U.N. resolutions seeking an end to the war in Ukraine. This comes at a time when tensions have already been rising between the U.S. and Ukraine…President Donald Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator without elections," after Zelensky said Trump was being influenced by Russian disinformation. We discussed the United States’ changing view on the war in Ukraine and hear your thoughts on a possible solution.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's night Side with Dan Ray.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm going easy Boston News Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Well, my thanks again to US Attorney Lea Foley, uh
if having spent that hour with us. And again, one
of the things that I think is important about Nightside
is to have folks in her position come in and
explain the office. A lot of people really don't understand
how important the Office of United States Attorney is. I
(00:27):
think again it's the most important office prosecutions prosecuted, prosecutorial
office in the come off, whether it's a state, local,
or federal, and by virtue of the fact that it
is federal, it is most important. We now want to
open up a different conversation. We try to follow all
(00:52):
of the developments, not only locally but nationally, and there's
been some developments this afternoon dealing with the United States
relationship with Ukraine. Now, I think all of us know
that in the last few weeks, the US position visa
the Ukraine has changed. The Trump administration has taken a
(01:20):
very different posture. Donald Trump has called the president of
Ukraine a dictator because he has not held elections. Well,
his country is at war with Russia and also under
attack from Russia. So it's very difficult to hold elections
under those circumstances. We've never been in a position where
(01:41):
while we're our homeland was under attack. We certainly held
elections in nineteen forty four during World War Two, and
we've held elections when other wars were ongoing, including the
Vietnam War in nineteen sixty eight and then again in
(02:02):
nineteen seventy two, and the wars in the Middle East
after nine to eleven. But today there has been all reports,
and I'm reading from the New York Times an agreement
between the United States and the Trump administration, which is
now the United States government. US and Ukraine agreed to
(02:24):
minerals deal. Officials say. This is in the New York Times,
declared tonight about seven seventeen PM. And let me try
to give you some idea about what this deal reportedly
is and what it might suggest is going to happen
in the not too distant future. Apparently a final draft
(02:46):
of this agreement still has to be worked out between
the US and Ukraine. But what this agreement does. The
draft agreement says that Ukraine, now, after all of this
problem with the Trump administration, including the comments that the
(03:06):
President has made about Zolensky, which shocked a lot of people.
The draft agreement said Ukraine would contribute to a fund
half of his revenues from the future monetization of natural resources,
including critical minerals, oil and gas. The United States would
own the maximum financial interest in the fund allowed under
(03:28):
American law, which I think is fifty percent, though not
necessarily all, and the fund would be designed to reinvest
some revenues into Ukraine. The US would also commit to
supporting Ukraine's future economic development. The discussions about mineral rights,
which are very important, by the way, have occurred as
Russia has seized the advantage on the battlefield. Mister Trump
(03:52):
has also aligned himself with this Accordings in The New
York Times with President Putin while excoriating mister Zelensky Trump,
mister Trump has called Ukrainian the Ukrainian president a dictator
and falseley said that Ukraine had started the war, though
the conflict began with Russia's full scale invasion actually three
(04:12):
years ago yesterday, February twenty fourth of twenty twenty two.
The President has prodded, according to The Times, miss Ski
designed the deal, saying he better move fast. He's not
going to have a country left. In response, mister Zelensky
said that mister Trump was trapped in a Russian disinformation bubble.
(04:32):
So what's interesting to me and what it might portend
for the future, is that this deal has, I think,
tied our economic success to an independent Ukraine. And that
might be not only the payback that this administration, meaning
(04:58):
the Trump administration, was looking for for the support that
our country has given Ukraine for the last three years
to these minerals. He must also, I assume, I assume
that President Trump must have some sort of a of
(05:20):
an agreement with Putin to have at least a cease fire,
if not a more permanent cessation of hostilities. Now, I
know that there are some of you who listen to
this program who worship the ground that Donald Trump walks on.
I know some of you see him as the worst
(05:45):
thing since Hitler. But I'd like to see if I
could get a wide cross section of my audience tonight
to participate in this conversation. I think this is an
amazing breakthrough. Now I may rue the day that I
(06:06):
say that, but if this is true, and it appears
the President has said that he expects or he would
be more than happy to have Zelensky join him at
the White House to finalize this agreement by Friday. I
mean that's less than seventy two hours from now. This
(06:27):
is moving at a very very fast speed, and I
think that it's good news for a lot of people.
It's good news for the Ukrainian population, which might for
the first time in three years wake up in the
morning without Russian drones attacking their cities and towns. It
(06:49):
might be good news for the United States that we
now have a financial and an economic relieflationship with Ukraine,
which will force us to stand up for their continued
right to exist independently of Russia. And it might give
(07:10):
putin a way to basically end this war in which
he can claim somehow that he has some territorial advantage.
I don't know how it's all going to find out.
This was a day or so ago. This is the
(07:31):
French President Emmanuel McCrone in the Oval Office, sitting next
to President Trump, making firm a statement, making a firm
statement about who is the aggressor in the Russia Ukraine war.
This is cut number nine. Please, Brett Tran's going.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
To lift the block on the three hundred billion in
frozen Russian assets in Belgium.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
France has opposed on freezing it to pay Ukraine and
compensate the US for its work.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Is friends going to lift its opposition to that.
Speaker 5 (08:03):
This is from I mean we speak about frozen assets,
we already use them to back precisely is the loans
negotiated at the G seven and it's part of the sanctions.
So it will depend on the follow up of the discussions.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
But clearly, with.
Speaker 5 (08:15):
Respect international law, it's just frozen assets. Now you can
take the proceeds of the frozen assets, but you cannot
take the assets themselves because it's not respecting international law
and we want to respect in.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Terms that is one different than the other. You can
take the proceeds from it.
Speaker 5 (08:30):
How can you not because it's very different. You keep
the assets, you take the proceeds because they are parave
in a certain way, you think the proceeds during the wartime,
But you keep the assets. And it's part of the
negotiation at the end of the war, because I mean,
this war costed offers a lot of money, and this
is the responsibility of Russia because the aggressor is Russia
should be so at the end of the day. This
frozen asset should be part of the negotiation.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
It's interesting that that exchange with the reporter. It is
very clear from that back and forth that there are
now negotiations underway, and I assume the negotiations have to
include both Russia and Ukraine to conclude the hostilities. Now,
there was a meeting in Ukraine of world leaders early
(09:14):
this week. Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, made
it very clear that Russia was the aggressor. I don't
think anyone disagrees with that. The President was asked. President
Trump was asked that, and he sort of danced around
the question yesterday. But this is Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime minister,
(09:36):
speaking at a summit of world leaders in Ukraine. This
is cut number ten, Please, Brent.
Speaker 6 (09:41):
Regardless of the great distance separating our two countries, Canada
knows this is a war that we cannot afford to ignore.
I know the stakes. Canadians know the stakes. All of
you around this table know the stakes, and most of
all Ukrainians know the stakes. This is a war of
(10:03):
aggression on Ukraine's people, culture, identity, and very existence. But
it's also a war on our way of life. It's
a war on democracy, on the rule of law, on
self determination, a war on justice, a war on truth.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
I would agree with Justin Trudeau, I don't necessarily agree
with him on a lot. So what I want to
do is open up the conversation and has President Trump,
in the matter of a few weeks five weeks, maneuvered
Putin and Zelensky in some form of a delicate vallet,
(10:51):
if you will, where somehow they're like fighters who have
gone to fifteen rounds and they can throw more punches,
but the punches are not going to have an impact. Uh.
And and that it's and it is time to call
this thing off. Uh And if Donald Trump can do that,
(11:12):
should what credit should he receive? I think he should
deserve a lot of credit. But he's still it's not
yet a done deal. Six one seven, two ten thirty
six one seven, nine three one ten thirty. Let's light
the lines up. I want to talk some real significant
politics here that involves Zelensky, Putin and Trump back on
(11:36):
Night's side. After this, we're talking about what might be
a breakthrough in the now three year war of aggression
by Russia on Ukraine. UH in Ukraine with US help
has has stood up for three years when this war
first started. To remember many people, including myself, I thought,
you know, if this is going to be over more
(11:58):
like in three days or three weeks as opposed to
three years, let's get to phones. Gonna go first, up too,
Bernie up in New Hampshire. Hey, Bernie, welcome back. How
are you, sir?
Speaker 7 (12:09):
I'm doing well, Daniel so doing great.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
So what's your thought on these developments out of Washington
Lake today?
Speaker 7 (12:17):
Well, I read the article a little bit ago, and
I at first I had a jaded point of view
when I says, oh, here we go. You know, you
always hear war's over business, not over morality. And then
I heard what you said, and I took and I
took it in. And this was Trump's way to tie
it in that we have a vested interest in ending
(12:40):
this war and being a partner with Ukraine. But he
had also worked out a deal with Putin so that
it all comes together. You know, Putin will get what
he wants, we'll be a we'll be able to be
a partner with Ukraine and see this through because they
had to be some type of end to this war, because,
(13:03):
like you said, I remember me and my wife watching
this the like the news before, right before the invasion,
and they're showing like citizens with with wooden guns just practicing.
And my wife says, they're not going to use wooden
like guns against the Russians ave and I said no,
they just they were mobilizing the whole population. And and
(13:25):
and it's been a horrible war and there's been a
lot of a lot of death and destruction. And Trump's
Biden did nothing, not not nothing that's the wrong with he.
He gave them support, but there was no end to it.
Now there seems to be some type of end to
it that the US is gonna partner up with them
(13:49):
in some way so that there's a way out for
every Well.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
The other the other thing too is that Putin would
never allow Ukraine to join NATO, and uh and Zelensky
was essentially saying that one of the conditions for him
to agree to end the war would be the security
of a membership in NATO. So if this deal is true,
(14:17):
this economic deal of US owning mineral and oil and
gas rights in Ukraine, that should give some security to
the Ukrainian people to know that we're not going to
sit around a year from now, or five years from
now or ten years from now, and watch Russia attempt
to take over Ukraine again because they would now be
going after minerals and oil and gas that the United
(14:40):
States owns.
Speaker 7 (14:43):
Correct, And Trump's sent in a precarious position because He's
just trying to find a way out. He's just trying
to find a way out for everybody, and as we
all well know, there's no easy way out in this conflict.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Well, it will be interesting this is I mean, if
President Zelensky shows at the White House as it appears
he might on Friday to sign this deal. And obviously
the deal could go south at any point. But this
is this is quite a coupe for Donald Trump. And
it's funny, you know, you talk about the quote unquote
(15:21):
art of the deal. Uh, maybe this is the way
in which everybody saves face. Putin saves face, Zelensky saves face,
and and and Donald Trump gets nominated for the Pilpies Prize.
I know it sounds crazy, but I could see that scenario.
Speaker 7 (15:43):
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely, And thank you for taking my opinion.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
You bet you. You're always welcome here, Bertie, Thank you
so much, appreciate it.
Speaker 7 (15:51):
You have a good night.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Let me go next to Bill is in Danvers. Bill,
you were next to Night Sag.
Speaker 8 (15:57):
Go right ahead, yes, then, I I mean I.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
Say they're about halfway there. It's definitely positive, you know.
And I don't think they'll give Trump the Nobel Peace Prize,
no matter. He could end all the wars and the
and the whole planet and they wouldn't give it to him.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
But uh, by the way, you might be right on that. Obviously,
Donald Trump is not seen by European leaders as as
part of their community. Uh and uh, and they are
the people who in large part decide the Peace Prize.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
But go right ahead, Yeah, and uh, you know, I'm
I'm I'm I'm so far you know, happy, I'm reserved.
You know, I like to and and the main thing is,
Dan you look back and I think on previous calls
over the last year, I called that when tensions were
real high and the and the doomsday clock was moving close.
I mean, there was really a feeling that, you know,
(16:51):
if something went the wrong way, it could really escalate
the wrong way and be a big problem. And you know,
I get the feeling that, you know, maybe that's being
pushed back now you know what I mean that ten.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Well, I think also I think in fairness, you've got
to give a little credit to the Biden administration. I'm
not a fan of the Biden administration, as you know. However,
they gave the Ukrainians enough weaponry that held the Russians
at bay without bringing us into a confrontation with the Russians.
(17:24):
So that was a bit of a type wrote that
the Biden administration had to walk, and it really does
set the stage maybe putin fields somehow that he can
that he can trust Trump. I don't know. I mean,
I don't know what goes through his mind, but his
his country is tired of this war. They've lost. I
(17:46):
guess they're talking about a million soldiers. I mean, some
crazy number they have North Korean troops who have gone
in there to basically be Russian Hessians if you will,
like you know, soldiers of fortune from North Korea. They
don't make any fortune. But I'm sure that the head
of North Korea got some payoff for for that.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
Oh yeah, yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
It had It had the potential to get out of control,
and the Biden administration kept it under control. That's one
of the things that you know that that that they did.
If can you imagine if we had a plane that
got shot down by Russia or something like that, it
could get it could have got pretty hot pretty quickly.
Speaker 7 (18:32):
Oh I know.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
And I was very I was, you know, I mean,
you know, watch it and with a while, you're here crazy.
A missile went off. It was by the Polish border.
I'm like, oh, this is the stot. You know, something's going.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
To happen, you know, Yeah, yeah, there was. There was
a couple of those that there. You know, there were
some anti aircraft missiles that went awry, and I think
one of them landed in Poland. So the question was
as a Russian anti aircraft missiles struck territory. But yeah,
that everyone kept their heads about them. I hope this
(19:05):
is the end of it. I maybe there are some
people out there who are going to be disappointed. I
have never on this program heard a lot of people
who wanted this water go on, because in reality, the
people who were paying the price were you know, Russian
soldiers and Ukrainian civilians.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
And in the country Ukram. You look at some of
the buildings, the structures that they had and stuff. There
were beautiful places there in the cities and they seem
turned in the rubble was terrible.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Yeah, he doesn't look as bad as Gaza, but it's
pretty close.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
No, no, yeah, it's pretty quel. Gaza is that's basically
level and you know, just clean up and start over that.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I agree. Hey, Bill, appreciate you call much. Thank you
an thank you very much. Taught to you soon. Okay,
we've got the ten thirty news coming up. Now it
is time for you to join the conversation. Six point
seven two four ten thirty or we got two lines
at six one seven nine thirty. Is this are we
now in the final hours of the Ukraine Russian War.
(20:11):
I'm beginning to think we might be. I don't want
to be overly optimistic. Uh, if you think I'm wrong,
let me know. I just look at this, as you know.
A week ago, Donald Trump was calling Zolensky a dictator
who refused to have elections. Certainly understandable under the circumstances.
(20:35):
But Donald Trump used that terminology, and it appears now
he may. President Trump may welcome President Zelensky to the
White House as early as Friday to sign an agreement
between Ukraine and the US in which the US would
take ownership of minerals, certain minerals and percentage of minerals,
(20:56):
oil and gas in Ukraine. Things are moving quickly. Feel
free to join the conversation back after the news at
the bottom of the hour. We're talking about it's possible
that we are seeing the first steps in the end
of the Russian Ukraine War. I'm assurprised as you, Bob
(21:18):
and Rain and Bob you were next door nightside. Welcome
Hey Dan, Hey Bob, welcome back.
Speaker 9 (21:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (21:27):
Thanks, Hey.
Speaker 9 (21:29):
I guess I have to say that did President Biden
ever send a team to either location to try to
negotiate any kind of peace in his whole term? And
that that you can remember, because I don't.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
No, there wasn't remember Joe Biden actually took a trip
to Ukraine. Remember he took a train I think from
Poland into you crane and spent a half a day there.
Uh so he was there, Zolensky had visited the White House.
I don't know what conversations they had, Uh there was.
There were no conversations to the best of my knowledge,
(22:13):
between Putin and President Biden.
Speaker 9 (22:17):
So no, but I mean put a put a team
together to try to negotiate a peace with.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
These I have no idea, because I don't know if
at some point Jake Sullivan or the other members of UH,
the you know, the Biden foreign policy team UH met
with Zelensky and said, hey, look, you're going up against UH,
a country that's ten times your size, and UH has
a population that is significantly, you know, bigger than yours.
(22:47):
UH and UH, and you can't win. What what can
we do? I don't know. I don't know, but it
looks as if Trump has tried to play both Putin,
tried to work both with Putin and and Zelensky to
some extent, I don't know. I mean, it could be
that that Trump realizes that Putin is in a position
(23:09):
where he can't win this war, and the best he
can do is UH, you know, come across as someone
who's willing to end the war. I just think that
my sense is, and that's my only sentence. People can
disagree with me. The fact that that Zelensky has, apparently,
according to the New York Times, is going to sign
this agreement with President Trump now a week after Trump
(23:35):
called him a dictator. He must have some some pressure
points or some leverage points on Zelensky.
Speaker 9 (23:43):
Well, well, I think that's another point is that both
Zolensky and Putin respect President Trump as a leader as
opposed to Biden. Biden, you know, Biden. I don't believe
Putin had any respect for Biden. And I think Zolensky
just saw Biden as a cash cow and uh, he
(24:05):
just you know, Zolensky just wanted to keep the cash flowing.
And again, Biden had.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
No I think that's a I think that's a little harsh.
I mean, his country was under attack from Russia for
three years. Uh heck of a way to make a buck.
Speaker 9 (24:22):
You know, well, you well you want, well, you watch
what happens, because Zolensky will ride off into the sunset,
just as Biden has with all the cash, and we'll
never hear from him again at some point, and Putin
will remain in power. And and in fact, Biden actually
instigated He's as much responsible as Putin or Zolensky for
(24:47):
the war that happened there, for trying to tell uh
Zolensky that he was going to be a pot of
NATO and stuff on that in Putin's face, which he
never was going to allow to happen.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
So that's I disagree with your analysis. But again I
gave you, I give you, you know, credit for you know,
making an effort. You know. I don't know what histories
go to show here, but I do think that the
one thing I would fall Biden on was I think
he was asleep at the switch when all of us
(25:21):
saw those Russian troops massing on the eastern border of
Ukraine in December, well January of twenty twenty two, in
advance of the invasion in February. I think that at
that point the President Biden kind of missed an opportunity
(25:41):
and said to should have said to Putin, look, you're
making a huge mistake, and if you make this mistake,
you're going to have to deal with us directly.
Speaker 9 (25:50):
But Putin had no respect for Biden's Maybe Biden is
as much responsible for the deaths in Ukraine in Russia
as pultn Lensky is.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I'm not going to prevent you from expressing your opinion.
I'm just going to tell you I disagree with it,
fair enough, sure, okay, take doctor soon. Let me go
next to Gary and Wouber and Gary, you were next
on Nightside. Your thoughts on what may be a big
breakthrough here. That's that's what I am thinking. Left to
know what you think?
Speaker 8 (26:22):
Well, shake, rattle and roll, as Jerry Lee Lewis would say, Uh, Trump, Uh,
he is getting things moving on. One thing about you,
Dan Ray, there's something that you have said the last
couple of years, and I've heard intent like that. You said.
It was a famous quote for you. It was about
nuclear war. Do you know what that expression was?
Speaker 1 (26:46):
No, I'm dying to here what I said.
Speaker 8 (26:49):
You said, we had it's a nuclear war. So now
I asked you, Yeah, I asked you, Dan Ray, combination
of christ What do you think of Trump now being
negotiator where everybody us in the world is just saying, wow,
we can go a little bit at ease right now
because we've got the two superpowers getting along.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Well, I don't think that there's anything wrong with the
two superpowers getting along. When I was talking about stumbling
into nuclear war, that was a moment in time where
we had US troops in Poland armed and ready just
in case, and not knowing how rational Putin might be
(27:35):
on any given day. You know, there was some if
you might remember during the last three years, there was
a period of time where our intelligence services suspected that
Putin was terminally ill. Do you remember that a couple
of years ago.
Speaker 8 (27:49):
Yes, And my.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Concern at that time, and I remembered pretty clearly, was
that desperate people, desperate men, do desperate things. And when
he moved some of his nukes down to Belarus, which
is his most loyal stepchild, that bothered me too. And
you know, I just think that sometimes people who are crazy,
(28:16):
when all of a sudden the doctor tells him you
don't have too much time left, they you know, political
leaders might do something crazy. That's what I was concerned about.
But guess what we could have stumbled in the nuclear war.
It looks as if things are going in the last
twenty four to forty eight hours remarkably in the right direction.
I would not have expected this a week ago, when
(28:38):
President Trump was calling Zelensky a dictator. I don't think
that's fair of what he said, But I guess what.
It must have caught Zelinski's attention, because Lyinski now says
he's ready to go to Washington and sign this deal.
Speaker 8 (28:52):
I have two more things for you, and I want
your comments. One is the real reason Russia? When is
the Ukraine is about these minerals, because I had no
idea about this.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
I had heard that there were minerals there. I don't
know how rare the minerals are. I don't know exactly
what the minerals are, and I don't know if in
that part of the world Russia owns an immense amount
of territory, if they have, if Ukraine has an inordinate
amount of the minerals that we're talking about, I don't
know the answer to that. I think that Russia wanted
(29:27):
to go into the eastern part of the country because
that was predominantly a Russian based area. People there almost
felt more Russian than they did Ukrainian. Although the world
Map said that they lived in Ukraine. It's apparently everybody
in that part of the so called Dombas region their
(29:48):
primary language is Russian, not Ukraine. I assume those languages
have some similarities. But I think that I think this
is looking to looking to be putin get whatever territory
he can. He's probably gonna get some territory here. He's
probably gonna walk away and his prize he will have
(30:09):
excised again. He took Crimea in twenty fourteen without a
fight and he's going to take this. He will probably
get part of the territory that he invaded, although he
had to lose a lot of soldiers as a result.
And also Ukraine still occupies part of Russia, believe it
(30:30):
or not, Little Leary called the Kursk Region, which is
only I think about one hundred and fifty square miles.
But right Nowine there are Ukrainian troops inside Russia.
Speaker 8 (30:42):
Right, one last comma and I'll take it off the
air and I'll go back to my chocolate sip ice cream.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
Good for you?
Speaker 8 (30:50):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Is this?
Speaker 7 (30:51):
You know me?
Speaker 8 (30:52):
I always tell you the same thing. I hate political talk.
You're doing political talk right now, but it's with issues
and which makes it interesting and so forth.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
I'll take that as a compliment. Yes, thank you.
Speaker 8 (31:04):
I let me tell you well, because when you have
ed Flynn on, I mean, he's he's great this stat
You guys are talking about issues different people.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
You know. You know what I found out in my audience, Gary,
I found out that there's that different issues interests different people.
And I try to h I really do try to
appeal to as broad an audience as possible. That's kind
of what my view is to be honest with you.
It's like a baseball team. If you had the greatest
pitching staff in the world, you've got twenty great pitchers,
(31:33):
but you don't have any hitters. You're not going to
win many games. So I'm just trying to try to
do the best the best job I can after all
these years. So give me a break.
Speaker 8 (31:43):
Okay, since you said that and so forth, and I
made my point. I have one last thing, and I'm
going to go back to the old Dean Mountain comedy
how when he was at the Dom Deloise when he
was a pet shop owner, and Dean Mountain went in
with a tuxedo. And I'll end on this note as
they go back to thank you. Do animals have happy marriages?
Speaker 7 (32:04):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Yeah, that's a that's our thoughts of the day. Some
people will wake up tomorrow morning or at five o'clock
in the morning and you've implanted that in their mind.
Quick quick break six one, seven, two, four, ten thirty.
I got one line open at six one, seven, nine three,
one ten thirty. I think this is an important development.
I'd like to talk about this into the next hour.
(32:27):
Let's go next to John, who is in Boston. John,
your thoughts on what's going on and what might be
going on now between Trump and Zilinski.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
John Well, I'm wondering if you could have somebody come on,
like a professor and outsider who knows the situation, because
what this really is. The media has told us this
is a war between Russia and Ukraine. Not really. I
don't believe that it's really a war between the United
States and Russia because from what I understand I was reading,
Ukrainian soldiers were brought into the United States, they were
(32:56):
trained hard to fly and fight, fight a jetsy, how
to use fighter jets. Then they were sent back with
those fighter jets into Ukraine to use them, and so
and hundreds of billions of dollars have been given to Ukraine. Biden,
the President, and the administration should have told the American
taxpayer in public, why it's not about freedom. It has
(33:17):
to be about money. It has to be about rarer minerals,
it has to be about control. It's not about the
freedom of those people. It's just like Biden did say
he would send you or sold as to Taiwan. Hey,
we don't want them, we don't want trying to get
control of the computer chips and the chip industry over there.
So I wish you would have somebody come on one
of these days and really tell the American people why
(33:40):
why you know, America has given hundreds of billions of dollars,
which is really Biden really threw wood into the fire
by keeping this golling for three years because without the help,
Ukraine would have been crushed almost immediately. So if you
could do that, I would really appreciate that, and I
think the audience would appreciate hearing from a professor or
somebody like that who could explain why.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
Yeah, and again, you know I have a pretty audience. Yeah,
I'm always willing, we you know, to take suggestions from people.
And sometimes there are great professors at Tufts or Harvard
or Boston College who would have a perspective of this. Sometimes,
as you know, there are different perspectives that different professors have.
(34:26):
It's like almost you can have the sports experts. So
football experts tell you who's going to be the next
Super Bowl champion, and more often than not they're wrong
because there's thirty two teams competing for the one spot.
But yeah, anybody out there who might have a suggestion,
who has some specific.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
I don't believe it's about the freedom. We'll get a
free those most poor people poor. Russia's taken over. It's
all about money and power and control. And you know,
you don't see Switzerland getting involved, you know, in the
countries and your you.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
Know, in the native The only thing that Switzerland gets
the banking Switzerland.
Speaker 2 (35:03):
But I mean, you don't see the European country. America
is the ring leader and all this and getting you know,
giving them hundreds of billions of dollars. And you know, Biden,
the President, should have been telling telling the American people why, well,
I don't understand really why. I hope you can get
something like that.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
You put me in the position to defend the Biden administration,
and I'll be happy to do that on this point.
If if by fighting Russia to a standstill, we have
taught Russia a lesson that they this sphere of influence
will never in our lifetimes extend beyond the borders that
(35:39):
it currently has. I mean, if you know, putin on
we said the dissolution of the Soviet Union was the
greatest christ greatest tragedy of the twentieth century. I don't
see it that way. And that way.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Yeah, America really pushed Putin into a corner because when
the fall of the Soviet Ewan came, you know, the
promise was, We're not going to go east any further
than Germany. And then they kept pushing east and east
and further and frost. How we you.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Know, hold on, hold on, how have we pushed east?
I mean we those countries now wait a.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
Second, in this country. That wasn't the original plan. Those
these countries have become NATO members. It was only Germany
at that time.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
Those countries are all democratic countries. Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Latfia, Estonia, Finland.
All of those countries that are that border Russia in
any way, shape or form are democratic countries. And they
have elected you know, democratic not democratic and the Democratic Party,
(36:42):
but they've elected people who have run for that office.
And if they asked NATO to become a member of
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization because they were fearful that
Russia ten years, twenty years from now, I might decide
to invade them. What's what's wrong with that? I mean
from our perspective.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Well, well, well, the original promise, starting with Bush, the
old Man was that we're not going east. And then
finally in the corner, when did a NATO country right
next to his borner? What US troops there?
Speaker 1 (37:17):
Point? It's not a NATO country at this point.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
Oh, I know it. But that that's what you know.
That's what you know. The units has been pushing forward.
They'd love to have.
Speaker 1 (37:27):
Hear you. I hear your point. I disagree with that.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
I don't agree with what the United Stys has done.
You know, I don't agree with its policy at all,
and some should explain to the America hundreds of billions
of dollars.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Guess what. I'm glad that you called and express that
point of view. But I also got out the callers
who I got to grab here. Okay, I told you.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Get somebody on that will give us an explanation of
why hundreds of billions of dollars that.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
I will make that John, John, thank you. Listen to
me just for one second. I will make that effort.
But as someone who has a staff of like one person, Marita, Okay,
anyone out there who would like to suggest someone who
could fulfill what you've suggested, They're welcome to contact me
and and we will reach out to that person.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
Okay, well, let's not forget the wall between United States.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
You make the speech, you make speech. I don't need you.
I'm just I was trying to assure you that we'll
make every effort to do what you what you requested. Okay,
thanks buddy, talk to you later. Bye. Bye. Let me
get Terry in Boston. Terry, you're next on nights. I
go right ahead.
Speaker 3 (38:33):
Hide. Can you hear me?
Speaker 1 (38:34):
Okay, I can hear you perfectly, Go right ahead, Terry.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
Great. I went to I guess you'd call it a
lecture tonight. It was a speaker Faeries, yes, and it
was Admiral James to Ritas, and he's always I guess
pretty much almost in charge your NATO. But he was excellent.
He just first he said, what's so hot about saying
Russia invaded Ukraine? And then he went on to say,
(39:00):
it's very similar to what you said that you know,
Donald Trump has come in and the United States will
get minerals and some of mice, different things, but also
that most likely Russia will get twenty percent of Ukraine,
the area that they actually destroyed, and they'll be able
to build it up again.
Speaker 1 (39:18):
So it's you know where was that lecturetarian I'm curious.
Speaker 3 (39:24):
Symphony Hall. It's called the lecture series. That's the speaker
Boston Speaker Series.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
Okay, great? And is he is he active duty or retired?
Speaker 3 (39:38):
He just retired, but he was active to like something
like it says he was the sixteenth NATO Supreme Allied
Commanda and he was in. Yeah, so it was he
gave it far.
Speaker 1 (39:52):
Do me a favor when we finished the call, which
I got to finish fairly quickly, do me the favor
of taking my email. Brett will give you my email. Uh,
send me the name and I'll see if we can
track him down.
Speaker 3 (40:07):
Okay, Yeah, he's really he was excellent and I think
he came to everyone's level that you can understand. But
he really gave a lot.
Speaker 2 (40:14):
Of good points.
Speaker 8 (40:15):
So I'll do that. You think
It's night Side with Dan Ray.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm going easy Boston News Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Well, my thanks again to US Attorney Lea Foley, uh
if having spent that hour with us. And again, one
of the things that I think is important about Nightside
is to have folks in her position come in and
explain the office. A lot of people really don't understand
how important the Office of United States Attorney is. I
(00:27):
think again it's the most important office prosecutions prosecuted, prosecutorial
office in the come off, whether it's a state, local,
or federal, and by virtue of the fact that it
is federal, it is most important. We now want to
open up a different conversation. We try to follow all
(00:52):
of the developments, not only locally but nationally, and there's
been some developments this afternoon dealing with the United States
relationship with Ukraine. Now, I think all of us know
that in the last few weeks, the US position visa
the Ukraine has changed. The Trump administration has taken a
(01:20):
very different posture. Donald Trump has called the president of
Ukraine a dictator because he has not held elections. Well,
his country is at war with Russia and also under
attack from Russia. So it's very difficult to hold elections
under those circumstances. We've never been in a position where
(01:41):
while we're our homeland was under attack. We certainly held
elections in nineteen forty four during World War Two, and
we've held elections when other wars were ongoing, including the
Vietnam War in nineteen sixty eight and then again in
(02:02):
nineteen seventy two, and the wars in the Middle East
after nine to eleven. But today there has been all reports,
and I'm reading from the New York Times an agreement
between the United States and the Trump administration, which is
now the United States government. US and Ukraine agreed to
(02:24):
minerals deal. Officials say. This is in the New York Times,
declared tonight about seven seventeen PM. And let me try
to give you some idea about what this deal reportedly
is and what it might suggest is going to happen
in the not too distant future. Apparently a final draft
(02:46):
of this agreement still has to be worked out between
the US and Ukraine. But what this agreement does. The
draft agreement says that Ukraine, now, after all of this
problem with the Trump administration, including the comments that the
(03:06):
President has made about Zolensky, which shocked a lot of people.
The draft agreement said Ukraine would contribute to a fund
half of his revenues from the future monetization of natural resources,
including critical minerals, oil and gas. The United States would
own the maximum financial interest in the fund allowed under
(03:28):
American law, which I think is fifty percent, though not
necessarily all, and the fund would be designed to reinvest
some revenues into Ukraine. The US would also commit to
supporting Ukraine's future economic development. The discussions about mineral rights,
which are very important, by the way, have occurred as
Russia has seized the advantage on the battlefield. Mister Trump
(03:52):
has also aligned himself with this Accordings in The New
York Times with President Putin while excoriating mister Zelensky Trump,
mister Trump has called Ukrainian the Ukrainian president a dictator
and falseley said that Ukraine had started the war, though
the conflict began with Russia's full scale invasion actually three
(04:12):
years ago yesterday, February twenty fourth of twenty twenty two.
The President has prodded, according to The Times, miss Ski
designed the deal, saying he better move fast. He's not
going to have a country left. In response, mister Zelensky
said that mister Trump was trapped in a Russian disinformation bubble.
(04:32):
So what's interesting to me and what it might portend
for the future, is that this deal has, I think,
tied our economic success to an independent Ukraine. And that
might be not only the payback that this administration, meaning
(04:58):
the Trump administration, was looking for for the support that
our country has given Ukraine for the last three years
to these minerals. He must also, I assume, I assume
that President Trump must have some sort of a of
(05:20):
an agreement with Putin to have at least a cease fire,
if not a more permanent cessation of hostilities. Now, I
know that there are some of you who listen to
this program who worship the ground that Donald Trump walks on.
I know some of you see him as the worst
(05:45):
thing since Hitler. But I'd like to see if I
could get a wide cross section of my audience tonight
to participate in this conversation. I think this is an
amazing breakthrough. Now I may rue the day that I
(06:06):
say that, but if this is true, and it appears
the President has said that he expects or he would
be more than happy to have Zelensky join him at
the White House to finalize this agreement by Friday. I
mean that's less than seventy two hours from now. This
(06:27):
is moving at a very very fast speed, and I
think that it's good news for a lot of people.
It's good news for the Ukrainian population, which might for
the first time in three years wake up in the
morning without Russian drones attacking their cities and towns. It
(06:49):
might be good news for the United States that we
now have a financial and an economic relieflationship with Ukraine,
which will force us to stand up for their continued
right to exist independently of Russia. And it might give
(07:10):
putin a way to basically end this war in which
he can claim somehow that he has some territorial advantage.
I don't know how it's all going to find out.
This was a day or so ago. This is the
(07:31):
French President Emmanuel McCrone in the Oval Office, sitting next
to President Trump, making firm a statement, making a firm
statement about who is the aggressor in the Russia Ukraine war.
This is cut number nine. Please, Brett Tran's going.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
To lift the block on the three hundred billion in
frozen Russian assets in Belgium.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
France has opposed on freezing it to pay Ukraine and
compensate the US for its work.
Speaker 4 (08:00):
Is friends going to lift its opposition to that.
Speaker 5 (08:03):
This is from I mean we speak about frozen assets,
we already use them to back precisely is the loans
negotiated at the G seven and it's part of the sanctions.
So it will depend on the follow up of the discussions.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
But clearly, with.
Speaker 5 (08:15):
Respect international law, it's just frozen assets. Now you can
take the proceeds of the frozen assets, but you cannot
take the assets themselves because it's not respecting international law
and we want to respect in.
Speaker 4 (08:27):
Terms that is one different than the other. You can
take the proceeds from it.
Speaker 5 (08:30):
How can you not because it's very different. You keep
the assets, you take the proceeds because they are parave
in a certain way, you think the proceeds during the wartime,
But you keep the assets. And it's part of the
negotiation at the end of the war, because I mean,
this war costed offers a lot of money, and this
is the responsibility of Russia because the aggressor is Russia
should be so at the end of the day. This
frozen asset should be part of the negotiation.
Speaker 1 (08:52):
It's interesting that that exchange with the reporter. It is
very clear from that back and forth that there are
now negotiations underway, and I assume the negotiations have to
include both Russia and Ukraine to conclude the hostilities. Now,
there was a meeting in Ukraine of world leaders early
(09:14):
this week. Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada, made
it very clear that Russia was the aggressor. I don't
think anyone disagrees with that. The President was asked. President
Trump was asked that, and he sort of danced around
the question yesterday. But this is Justin Trudeau, Canadian Prime minister,
(09:36):
speaking at a summit of world leaders in Ukraine. This
is cut number ten, Please, Brent.
Speaker 6 (09:41):
Regardless of the great distance separating our two countries, Canada
knows this is a war that we cannot afford to ignore.
I know the stakes. Canadians know the stakes. All of
you around this table know the stakes, and most of
all Ukrainians know the stakes. This is a war of
(10:03):
aggression on Ukraine's people, culture, identity, and very existence. But
it's also a war on our way of life. It's
a war on democracy, on the rule of law, on
self determination, a war on justice, a war on truth.
Speaker 1 (10:25):
I would agree with Justin Trudeau, I don't necessarily agree
with him on a lot. So what I want to
do is open up the conversation and has President Trump,
in the matter of a few weeks five weeks, maneuvered
Putin and Zelensky in some form of a delicate vallet,
(10:51):
if you will, where somehow they're like fighters who have
gone to fifteen rounds and they can throw more punches,
but the punches are not going to have an impact. Uh.
And and that it's and it is time to call
this thing off. Uh And if Donald Trump can do that,
(11:12):
should what credit should he receive? I think he should
deserve a lot of credit. But he's still it's not
yet a done deal. Six one seven, two ten thirty
six one seven, nine three one ten thirty. Let's light
the lines up. I want to talk some real significant
politics here that involves Zelensky, Putin and Trump back on
(11:36):
Night's side. After this, we're talking about what might be
a breakthrough in the now three year war of aggression
by Russia on Ukraine. UH in Ukraine with US help
has has stood up for three years when this war
first started. To remember many people, including myself, I thought,
you know, if this is going to be over more
(11:58):
like in three days or three weeks as opposed to
three years, let's get to phones. Gonna go first, up too,
Bernie up in New Hampshire. Hey, Bernie, welcome back. How
are you, sir?
Speaker 7 (12:09):
I'm doing well, Daniel so doing great.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
So what's your thought on these developments out of Washington
Lake today?
Speaker 7 (12:17):
Well, I read the article a little bit ago, and
I at first I had a jaded point of view
when I says, oh, here we go. You know, you
always hear war's over business, not over morality. And then
I heard what you said, and I took and I
took it in. And this was Trump's way to tie
it in that we have a vested interest in ending
(12:40):
this war and being a partner with Ukraine. But he
had also worked out a deal with Putin so that
it all comes together. You know, Putin will get what
he wants, we'll be a we'll be able to be
a partner with Ukraine and see this through because they
had to be some type of end to this war, because,
(13:03):
like you said, I remember me and my wife watching
this the like the news before, right before the invasion,
and they're showing like citizens with with wooden guns just practicing.
And my wife says, they're not going to use wooden
like guns against the Russians ave and I said no,
they just they were mobilizing the whole population. And and
(13:25):
and it's been a horrible war and there's been a
lot of a lot of death and destruction. And Trump's
Biden did nothing, not not nothing that's the wrong with he.
He gave them support, but there was no end to it.
Now there seems to be some type of end to
it that the US is gonna partner up with them
(13:49):
in some way so that there's a way out for
every Well.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
The other the other thing too is that Putin would
never allow Ukraine to join NATO, and uh and Zelensky
was essentially saying that one of the conditions for him
to agree to end the war would be the security
of a membership in NATO. So if this deal is true,
(14:17):
this economic deal of US owning mineral and oil and
gas rights in Ukraine, that should give some security to
the Ukrainian people to know that we're not going to
sit around a year from now, or five years from
now or ten years from now, and watch Russia attempt
to take over Ukraine again because they would now be
going after minerals and oil and gas that the United
(14:40):
States owns.
Speaker 7 (14:43):
Correct, And Trump's sent in a precarious position because He's
just trying to find a way out. He's just trying
to find a way out for everybody, and as we
all well know, there's no easy way out in this conflict.
Speaker 1 (15:00):
Well, it will be interesting this is I mean, if
President Zelensky shows at the White House as it appears
he might on Friday to sign this deal. And obviously
the deal could go south at any point. But this
is this is quite a coupe for Donald Trump. And
it's funny, you know, you talk about the quote unquote
(15:21):
art of the deal. Uh, maybe this is the way
in which everybody saves face. Putin saves face, Zelensky saves face,
and and and Donald Trump gets nominated for the Pilpies Prize.
I know it sounds crazy, but I could see that scenario.
Speaker 7 (15:43):
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely, And thank you for taking my opinion.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
You bet you. You're always welcome here, Bertie, Thank you
so much, appreciate it.
Speaker 7 (15:51):
You have a good night.
Speaker 1 (15:53):
Let me go next to Bill is in Danvers. Bill,
you were next to Night Sag.
Speaker 8 (15:57):
Go right ahead, yes, then, I I mean I.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
Say they're about halfway there. It's definitely positive, you know.
And I don't think they'll give Trump the Nobel Peace Prize,
no matter. He could end all the wars and the
and the whole planet and they wouldn't give it to him.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
But uh, by the way, you might be right on that. Obviously,
Donald Trump is not seen by European leaders as as
part of their community. Uh and uh, and they are
the people who in large part decide the Peace Prize.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
But go right ahead, Yeah, and uh, you know, I'm
I'm I'm I'm so far you know, happy, I'm reserved.
You know, I like to and and the main thing is,
Dan you look back and I think on previous calls
over the last year, I called that when tensions were
real high and the and the doomsday clock was moving close.
I mean, there was really a feeling that, you know,
(16:51):
if something went the wrong way, it could really escalate
the wrong way and be a big problem. And you know,
I get the feeling that, you know, maybe that's being
pushed back now you know what I mean that ten.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Well, I think also I think in fairness, you've got
to give a little credit to the Biden administration. I'm
not a fan of the Biden administration, as you know. However,
they gave the Ukrainians enough weaponry that held the Russians
at bay without bringing us into a confrontation with the Russians.
(17:24):
So that was a bit of a type wrote that
the Biden administration had to walk, and it really does
set the stage maybe putin fields somehow that he can
that he can trust Trump. I don't know. I mean,
I don't know what goes through his mind, but his
his country is tired of this war. They've lost. I
(17:46):
guess they're talking about a million soldiers. I mean, some
crazy number they have North Korean troops who have gone
in there to basically be Russian Hessians if you will,
like you know, soldiers of fortune from North Korea. They
don't make any fortune. But I'm sure that the head
of North Korea got some payoff for for that.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
Oh yeah, yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
It had It had the potential to get out of control,
and the Biden administration kept it under control. That's one
of the things that you know that that that they did.
If can you imagine if we had a plane that
got shot down by Russia or something like that, it
could get it could have got pretty hot pretty quickly.
Speaker 7 (18:32):
Oh I know.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
And I was very I was, you know, I mean,
you know, watch it and with a while, you're here crazy.
A missile went off. It was by the Polish border.
I'm like, oh, this is the stot. You know, something's going.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
To happen, you know, Yeah, yeah, there was. There was
a couple of those that there. You know, there were
some anti aircraft missiles that went awry, and I think
one of them landed in Poland. So the question was
as a Russian anti aircraft missiles struck territory. But yeah,
that everyone kept their heads about them. I hope this
(19:05):
is the end of it. I maybe there are some
people out there who are going to be disappointed. I
have never on this program heard a lot of people
who wanted this water go on, because in reality, the
people who were paying the price were you know, Russian
soldiers and Ukrainian civilians.
Speaker 4 (19:23):
And in the country Ukram. You look at some of
the buildings, the structures that they had and stuff. There
were beautiful places there in the cities and they seem
turned in the rubble was terrible.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Yeah, he doesn't look as bad as Gaza, but it's
pretty close.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
No, no, yeah, it's pretty quel. Gaza is that's basically
level and you know, just clean up and start over that.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
I agree. Hey, Bill, appreciate you call much. Thank you
an thank you very much. Taught to you soon. Okay,
we've got the ten thirty news coming up. Now it
is time for you to join the conversation. Six point
seven two four ten thirty or we got two lines
at six one seven nine thirty. Is this are we
now in the final hours of the Ukraine Russian War.
(20:11):
I'm beginning to think we might be. I don't want
to be overly optimistic. Uh, if you think I'm wrong,
let me know. I just look at this, as you know.
A week ago, Donald Trump was calling Zolensky a dictator
who refused to have elections. Certainly understandable under the circumstances.
(20:35):
But Donald Trump used that terminology, and it appears now
he may. President Trump may welcome President Zelensky to the
White House as early as Friday to sign an agreement
between Ukraine and the US in which the US would
take ownership of minerals, certain minerals and percentage of minerals,
(20:56):
oil and gas in Ukraine. Things are moving quickly. Feel
free to join the conversation back after the news at
the bottom of the hour. We're talking about it's possible
that we are seeing the first steps in the end
of the Russian Ukraine War. I'm assurprised as you, Bob
(21:18):
and Rain and Bob you were next door nightside. Welcome
Hey Dan, Hey Bob, welcome back.
Speaker 9 (21:26):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (21:27):
Thanks, Hey.
Speaker 9 (21:29):
I guess I have to say that did President Biden
ever send a team to either location to try to
negotiate any kind of peace in his whole term? And
that that you can remember, because I don't.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
No, there wasn't remember Joe Biden actually took a trip
to Ukraine. Remember he took a train I think from
Poland into you crane and spent a half a day there.
Uh so he was there, Zolensky had visited the White House.
I don't know what conversations they had, Uh there was.
There were no conversations to the best of my knowledge,
(22:13):
between Putin and President Biden.
Speaker 9 (22:17):
So no, but I mean put a put a team
together to try to negotiate a peace with.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
These I have no idea, because I don't know if
at some point Jake Sullivan or the other members of UH,
the you know, the Biden foreign policy team UH met
with Zelensky and said, hey, look, you're going up against UH,
a country that's ten times your size, and UH has
a population that is significantly, you know, bigger than yours.
(22:47):
UH and UH, and you can't win. What what can
we do? I don't know. I don't know, but it
looks as if Trump has tried to play both Putin,
tried to work both with Putin and and Zelensky to
some extent, I don't know. I mean, it could be
that that Trump realizes that Putin is in a position
(23:09):
where he can't win this war, and the best he
can do is UH, you know, come across as someone
who's willing to end the war. I just think that
my sense is, and that's my only sentence. People can
disagree with me. The fact that that Zelensky has, apparently,
according to the New York Times, is going to sign
this agreement with President Trump now a week after Trump
(23:35):
called him a dictator. He must have some some pressure
points or some leverage points on Zelensky.
Speaker 9 (23:43):
Well, well, I think that's another point is that both
Zolensky and Putin respect President Trump as a leader as
opposed to Biden. Biden, you know, Biden. I don't believe
Putin had any respect for Biden. And I think Zolensky
just saw Biden as a cash cow and uh, he
(24:05):
just you know, Zolensky just wanted to keep the cash flowing.
And again, Biden had.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
No I think that's a I think that's a little harsh.
I mean, his country was under attack from Russia for
three years. Uh heck of a way to make a buck.
Speaker 9 (24:22):
You know, well, you well you want, well, you watch
what happens, because Zolensky will ride off into the sunset,
just as Biden has with all the cash, and we'll
never hear from him again at some point, and Putin
will remain in power. And and in fact, Biden actually
instigated He's as much responsible as Putin or Zolensky for
(24:47):
the war that happened there, for trying to tell uh
Zolensky that he was going to be a pot of
NATO and stuff on that in Putin's face, which he
never was going to allow to happen.
Speaker 1 (24:59):
So that's I disagree with your analysis. But again I
gave you, I give you, you know, credit for you know,
making an effort. You know. I don't know what histories
go to show here, but I do think that the
one thing I would fall Biden on was I think
he was asleep at the switch when all of us
(25:21):
saw those Russian troops massing on the eastern border of
Ukraine in December, well January of twenty twenty two, in
advance of the invasion in February. I think that at
that point the President Biden kind of missed an opportunity
(25:41):
and said to should have said to Putin, look, you're
making a huge mistake, and if you make this mistake,
you're going to have to deal with us directly.
Speaker 9 (25:50):
But Putin had no respect for Biden's Maybe Biden is
as much responsible for the deaths in Ukraine in Russia
as pultn Lensky is.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I'm not going to prevent you from expressing your opinion.
I'm just going to tell you I disagree with it,
fair enough, sure, okay, take doctor soon. Let me go
next to Gary and Wouber and Gary, you were next
on Nightside. Your thoughts on what may be a big
breakthrough here. That's that's what I am thinking. Left to
know what you think?
Speaker 8 (26:22):
Well, shake, rattle and roll, as Jerry Lee Lewis would say, Uh, Trump, Uh,
he is getting things moving on. One thing about you,
Dan Ray, there's something that you have said the last
couple of years, and I've heard intent like that. You said.
It was a famous quote for you. It was about
nuclear war. Do you know what that expression was?
Speaker 1 (26:46):
No, I'm dying to here what I said.
Speaker 8 (26:49):
You said, we had it's a nuclear war. So now
I asked you, Yeah, I asked you, Dan Ray, combination
of christ What do you think of Trump now being
negotiator where everybody us in the world is just saying, wow,
we can go a little bit at ease right now
because we've got the two superpowers getting along.
Speaker 1 (27:12):
Well, I don't think that there's anything wrong with the
two superpowers getting along. When I was talking about stumbling
into nuclear war, that was a moment in time where
we had US troops in Poland armed and ready just
in case, and not knowing how rational Putin might be
(27:35):
on any given day. You know, there was some if
you might remember during the last three years, there was
a period of time where our intelligence services suspected that
Putin was terminally ill. Do you remember that a couple
of years ago.
Speaker 8 (27:49):
Yes, And my.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Concern at that time, and I remembered pretty clearly, was
that desperate people, desperate men, do desperate things. And when
he moved some of his nukes down to Belarus, which
is his most loyal stepchild, that bothered me too. And
you know, I just think that sometimes people who are crazy,
(28:16):
when all of a sudden the doctor tells him you
don't have too much time left, they you know, political
leaders might do something crazy. That's what I was concerned about.
But guess what we could have stumbled in the nuclear war.
It looks as if things are going in the last
twenty four to forty eight hours remarkably in the right direction.
I would not have expected this a week ago, when
(28:38):
President Trump was calling Zelensky a dictator. I don't think
that's fair of what he said, But I guess what.
It must have caught Zelinski's attention, because Lyinski now says
he's ready to go to Washington and sign this deal.
Speaker 8 (28:52):
I have two more things for you, and I want
your comments. One is the real reason Russia? When is
the Ukraine is about these minerals, because I had no
idea about this.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
I had heard that there were minerals there. I don't
know how rare the minerals are. I don't know exactly
what the minerals are, and I don't know if in
that part of the world Russia owns an immense amount
of territory, if they have, if Ukraine has an inordinate
amount of the minerals that we're talking about, I don't
know the answer to that. I think that Russia wanted
(29:27):
to go into the eastern part of the country because
that was predominantly a Russian based area. People there almost
felt more Russian than they did Ukrainian. Although the world
Map said that they lived in Ukraine. It's apparently everybody
in that part of the so called Dombas region their
(29:48):
primary language is Russian, not Ukraine. I assume those languages
have some similarities. But I think that I think this
is looking to looking to be putin get whatever territory
he can. He's probably gonna get some territory here. He's
probably gonna walk away and his prize he will have
(30:09):
excised again. He took Crimea in twenty fourteen without a
fight and he's going to take this. He will probably
get part of the territory that he invaded, although he
had to lose a lot of soldiers as a result.
And also Ukraine still occupies part of Russia, believe it
(30:30):
or not, Little Leary called the Kursk Region, which is
only I think about one hundred and fifty square miles.
But right Nowine there are Ukrainian troops inside Russia.
Speaker 8 (30:42):
Right, one last comma and I'll take it off the
air and I'll go back to my chocolate sip ice cream.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
Good for you?
Speaker 8 (30:50):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (30:51):
Is this?
Speaker 7 (30:51):
You know me?
Speaker 8 (30:52):
I always tell you the same thing. I hate political talk.
You're doing political talk right now, but it's with issues
and which makes it interesting and so forth.
Speaker 1 (31:01):
I'll take that as a compliment. Yes, thank you.
Speaker 8 (31:04):
I let me tell you well, because when you have
ed Flynn on, I mean, he's he's great this stat
You guys are talking about issues different people.
Speaker 1 (31:11):
You know. You know what I found out in my audience, Gary,
I found out that there's that different issues interests different people.
And I try to h I really do try to
appeal to as broad an audience as possible. That's kind
of what my view is to be honest with you.
It's like a baseball team. If you had the greatest
pitching staff in the world, you've got twenty great pitchers,
(31:33):
but you don't have any hitters. You're not going to
win many games. So I'm just trying to try to
do the best the best job I can after all
these years. So give me a break.
Speaker 8 (31:43):
Okay, since you said that and so forth, and I
made my point. I have one last thing, and I'm
going to go back to the old Dean Mountain comedy
how when he was at the Dom Deloise when he
was a pet shop owner, and Dean Mountain went in
with a tuxedo. And I'll end on this note as
they go back to thank you. Do animals have happy marriages?
Speaker 7 (32:04):
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Yeah, that's a that's our thoughts of the day. Some
people will wake up tomorrow morning or at five o'clock
in the morning and you've implanted that in their mind.
Quick quick break six one, seven, two, four, ten thirty.
I got one line open at six one, seven, nine three,
one ten thirty. I think this is an important development.
I'd like to talk about this into the next hour.
(32:27):
Let's go next to John, who is in Boston. John,
your thoughts on what's going on and what might be
going on now between Trump and Zilinski.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
John Well, I'm wondering if you could have somebody come on,
like a professor and outsider who knows the situation, because
what this really is. The media has told us this
is a war between Russia and Ukraine. Not really. I
don't believe that it's really a war between the United
States and Russia because from what I understand I was reading,
Ukrainian soldiers were brought into the United States, they were
(32:56):
trained hard to fly and fight, fight a jetsy, how
to use fighter jets. Then they were sent back with
those fighter jets into Ukraine to use them, and so
and hundreds of billions of dollars have been given to Ukraine. Biden,
the President, and the administration should have told the American
taxpayer in public, why it's not about freedom. It has
(33:17):
to be about money. It has to be about rarer minerals,
it has to be about control. It's not about the
freedom of those people. It's just like Biden did say
he would send you or sold as to Taiwan. Hey,
we don't want them, we don't want trying to get
control of the computer chips and the chip industry over there.
So I wish you would have somebody come on one
of these days and really tell the American people why
(33:40):
why you know, America has given hundreds of billions of dollars,
which is really Biden really threw wood into the fire
by keeping this golling for three years because without the help,
Ukraine would have been crushed almost immediately. So if you
could do that, I would really appreciate that, and I
think the audience would appreciate hearing from a professor or
somebody like that who could explain why.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
Yeah, and again, you know I have a pretty audience. Yeah,
I'm always willing, we you know, to take suggestions from people.
And sometimes there are great professors at Tufts or Harvard
or Boston College who would have a perspective of this. Sometimes,
as you know, there are different perspectives that different professors have.
(34:26):
It's like almost you can have the sports experts. So
football experts tell you who's going to be the next
Super Bowl champion, and more often than not they're wrong
because there's thirty two teams competing for the one spot.
But yeah, anybody out there who might have a suggestion,
who has some specific.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
I don't believe it's about the freedom. We'll get a
free those most poor people poor. Russia's taken over. It's
all about money and power and control. And you know,
you don't see Switzerland getting involved, you know, in the
countries and your you.
Speaker 1 (34:57):
Know, in the native The only thing that Switzerland gets
the banking Switzerland.
Speaker 2 (35:03):
But I mean, you don't see the European country. America
is the ring leader and all this and getting you know,
giving them hundreds of billions of dollars. And you know, Biden,
the President, should have been telling telling the American people why, well,
I don't understand really why. I hope you can get
something like that.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
You put me in the position to defend the Biden administration,
and I'll be happy to do that on this point.
If if by fighting Russia to a standstill, we have
taught Russia a lesson that they this sphere of influence
will never in our lifetimes extend beyond the borders that
(35:39):
it currently has. I mean, if you know, putin on
we said the dissolution of the Soviet Union was the
greatest christ greatest tragedy of the twentieth century. I don't
see it that way. And that way.
Speaker 2 (35:50):
Yeah, America really pushed Putin into a corner because when
the fall of the Soviet Ewan came, you know, the
promise was, We're not going to go east any further
than Germany. And then they kept pushing east and east
and further and frost. How we you.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Know, hold on, hold on, how have we pushed east?
I mean we those countries now wait a.
Speaker 2 (36:12):
Second, in this country. That wasn't the original plan. Those
these countries have become NATO members. It was only Germany
at that time.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
Those countries are all democratic countries. Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Latfia, Estonia, Finland.
All of those countries that are that border Russia in
any way, shape or form are democratic countries. And they
have elected you know, democratic not democratic and the Democratic Party,
(36:42):
but they've elected people who have run for that office.
And if they asked NATO to become a member of
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization because they were fearful that
Russia ten years, twenty years from now, I might decide
to invade them. What's what's wrong with that? I mean
from our perspective.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Well, well, well, the original promise, starting with Bush, the
old Man was that we're not going east. And then
finally in the corner, when did a NATO country right
next to his borner? What US troops there?
Speaker 1 (37:17):
Point? It's not a NATO country at this point.
Speaker 2 (37:19):
Oh, I know it. But that that's what you know.
That's what you know. The units has been pushing forward.
They'd love to have.
Speaker 1 (37:27):
Hear you. I hear your point. I disagree with that.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
I don't agree with what the United Stys has done.
You know, I don't agree with its policy at all,
and some should explain to the America hundreds of billions
of dollars.
Speaker 1 (37:38):
Guess what. I'm glad that you called and express that
point of view. But I also got out the callers
who I got to grab here. Okay, I told you.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Get somebody on that will give us an explanation of
why hundreds of billions of dollars that.
Speaker 1 (37:49):
I will make that John, John, thank you. Listen to
me just for one second. I will make that effort.
But as someone who has a staff of like one person, Marita, Okay,
anyone out there who would like to suggest someone who
could fulfill what you've suggested, They're welcome to contact me
and and we will reach out to that person.
Speaker 2 (38:12):
Okay, well, let's not forget the wall between United States.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
You make the speech, you make speech. I don't need you.
I'm just I was trying to assure you that we'll
make every effort to do what you what you requested. Okay,
thanks buddy, talk to you later. Bye. Bye. Let me
get Terry in Boston. Terry, you're next on nights. I
go right ahead.
Speaker 3 (38:33):
Hide. Can you hear me?
Speaker 1 (38:34):
Okay, I can hear you perfectly, Go right ahead, Terry.
Speaker 3 (38:38):
Great. I went to I guess you'd call it a
lecture tonight. It was a speaker Faeries, yes, and it
was Admiral James to Ritas, and he's always I guess
pretty much almost in charge your NATO. But he was excellent.
He just first he said, what's so hot about saying
Russia invaded Ukraine? And then he went on to say,
(39:00):
it's very similar to what you said that you know,
Donald Trump has come in and the United States will
get minerals and some of mice, different things, but also
that most likely Russia will get twenty percent of Ukraine,
the area that they actually destroyed, and they'll be able
to build it up again.
Speaker 1 (39:18):
So it's you know where was that lecturetarian I'm curious.
Speaker 3 (39:24):
Symphony Hall. It's called the lecture series. That's the speaker
Boston Speaker Series.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
Okay, great? And is he is he active duty or retired?
Speaker 3 (39:38):
He just retired, but he was active to like something
like it says he was the sixteenth NATO Supreme Allied
Commanda and he was in. Yeah, so it was he
gave it far.
Speaker 1 (39:52):
Do me a favor when we finished the call, which
I got to finish fairly quickly, do me the favor
of taking my email. Brett will give you my email. Uh,
send me the name and I'll see if we can
track him down.
Speaker 3 (40:07):
Okay, Yeah, he's really he was excellent and I think
he came to everyone's level that you can understand. But
he really gave a lot.
Speaker 2 (40:14):
Of good points.
Speaker 8 (40:15):
So I'll do that. You think
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