00:00This is Peter Zalmayev. If I can bring you back in on these developments in terms of the Russian assets. The fact that Belgium is still so worried legally in terms of the repercussions, what it could mean for the Belgian taxpayers if Russia wins the law, if Russia wins the war, sorry. Does that not tell you that Europe is not confident?
00:20Not only that, not only just this part of his rhetoric, but if you listen to what he said at that little talk that was televised by the Belgian prime minister, he actually repeated Kremlin's lines about how it is predestined to win this war, that Russia is a sure winner, and as the winner, that it would be able to have a claim on this.
00:45And Belgium would be in a hole, let's say. I was very distraught to hear this sort of defeatist rhetoric, even if he, you know, the prime minister of this country may believe that or have a suspicion.
01:00It seems to me that is a radical departure from the position of the European Union, such as we are with Europe, I'm sorry, with Ukraine, as long as it takes.
01:08This is defeatist. This is not very helpful. Back in the United States during World War II, there was a term for that, surrender monkey.
01:16I'm not calling the Belgian prime minister a monkey. I'm just saying this is not very helpful to the men and women who are now, you know, fighting in the trenches, resisting bravely, and let's not forget, for years now.
01:27And as to the legal repercussions, once again, desperate times call for desperate measures.
01:33There's nothing less is at stake than the very identity and the survival of the liberal democratic idea of the European Union.
01:42You know, over a year ago, there was a report that came out under the authorship of, collective authorship of American and European professors, you know, that was headed by the Lawrence tribe, the professor of the Harvard University, that actually set out this case.
02:04That's how it is a sui generis, exceptional case, and Russia deserves this action taken against it as a violator of international norms.
02:13So now we're bickering about the legal niceties and nuances here, when this is the most, you know, fateful moment, probably, in this entire war.
02:27I mean, we are going to be throwing the baby out with the bathwater, as they say.
02:32No time for prevarication.
02:35Yes, Belgium should have guarantees that, you know, the rest of the European Union will pack it up.
02:42But this is no time for these legal niceties.
02:45Europe is looking at it.
02:46The Trump administration is looking at it, and they're laughing at Europe as weak, and while they're dithering about this,
02:55in fact, Trump is ready to divide the spoils, the very assets we're talking about, with his partner, Vladimir Putin.
03:02And this is all coming as Zelensky is trying to make concessions, at least in terms of showing Washington,
03:08listen, we're ready to have elections, we're ready to talk territory, but it has to be on Ukrainian terms and speaking with the Ukrainian people.
03:16You talk about the front lines there.
03:18You know, if you have to speak to the soldiers right now, and they had to hold that referendum on territories,
03:24I can only imagine it would go in one direction.
03:28Well, indeed.
03:29And once again, how do you hold a referendum?
03:32How do you hold a presidential election in time of war?
03:34The Constitution does not grant that luxury, right?
03:37And in the absence of security guarantees, Ukraine would be walking into a Russia-set trap.
03:45Putin knows this very well.
03:46This is a recipe for chaos.
03:48I think Zelensky made quite a capable move here.
03:50He put the ball back in America's court.
03:53Okay, you provide us with security guarantees so we can hold these elections.
03:57When it comes to territorial concessions, very right, you put it correctly.
04:01This is not up to the president.
04:04Contrary to what Trump thinks, this is up to the people.
04:07It has to be done in a national referendum, just signing off on the transfer of Ukraine land.
04:14And let's not forget, also, we're looking at these 28 points.
04:17We're looking at these 20-point peace formulas.
04:20None of the parties, other than Ukraine, I'm talking about the Russian side,
04:24it's not obligated under the terms of this peace agreement as it's being proposed.
04:28It's not held legally to any sort of agreement.
04:31It just goes basically by Trump's word and like Putin's word.
04:35Ukraine is the only party in all of this that will have to be bound legally
04:39to all the promises it makes under the conditions of this document.
04:43On that bleak outlook, Peter Zalmayev, thank you as always for just bringing that to us.
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