Trump’s Ukraine pressure raises questions about Putin’s next move

221. Trump Just Gave Putin Exactly What He Wanted

The episode connects pressure on Ukraine, Russia’s tests of NATO, and the emerging political fight over AI safety.

3 key takeaways

1Trump’s demand that Ukraine stop striking Russian refineries overlooks the war’s causes and broader energy consequences.
2Russia’s actions around NATO and Europe suggest hybrid pressure can escalate while remaining below the threshold of open conflict.
3AI leaders’ calls for regulation expose a political tension between competing with China, protecting the public, and preserving industry momentum.

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The hosts connect Russia’s pressure below the threshold of open war with the danger that NATO’s silence could be interpreted as permission to escalate.

The brief

Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci examine Trump’s pressure on Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, challenging his claim that those strikes drive wider energy problems.

The conversation turns to Russia’s tests of NATO and sabotage across Europe, asking whether Western restraint protects against direct war or invites more hybrid attacks.

The sharpest foreign-policy tension is whether Trump’s approach reflects political calculation, naivety, or Russian leverage—and whether Putin reads NATO’s silence as permission.

The episode then shifts to AI, where leaders including Dario Amodei call for safeguards while Trump emphasizes rapid development and competition with China.

The hosts weigh whether AI regulation could become a cross-partisan political opening, or whether industry support for rules is strategic self-protection.

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