Episode 918: Russia-Ukraine War

Newt's World

Gingrich 360

News, Politics

4.7 • 6.3K Ratings

🗓️ 6 December 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Newt talks with George Beebe, Director of Grand Strategy at Quincy Institute about the Russia-Ukraine war. They discuss the Tuesday meeting between President Putin, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, focusing on a potential compromise to end the war in Ukraine. George highlights the necessity for both Ukraine and Russia to make concessions, emphasizing Ukraine's need to secure its sovereignty and rebuild, while Russia seeks assurances against perceived threats from NATO and the United States. The ongoing negotiations aim to address both nations' security concerns, with discussions on military limitations and the status of the Donbas region. The potential for nuclear escalation remains a critical concern, with George asserting that Russia views the conflict as existential, which could lead to nuclear options if pushed into a corner. They conclude their conversation by emphasizing the importance of diplomatic efforts to prevent further escalation and achieve a sustainable peace.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an I-Heart podcast.
0:02.3	Guaranteed Human.
0:08.7	On this episode of Needs World, on Tuesday, President Putin met with special envoy, Steve
0:14.9	Whitkoff and Jared Kushner for nearly five hours to discuss the ongoing plan to end the war in Ukraine.
0:23.1	During the talks, Mr. Putin went through the U.S. proposals that the Kremlin had received in four documents,
0:30.5	ahead of the meeting. Here to discuss what's next in the peace negotiations, I'm really pleased
0:36.6	to welcome my guest, George Beebe.
0:39.4	He's Director of Grand Strategy at the Quincy Institute. He spent more than two decades in
0:44.1	government as an intelligence analyst, diplomat, and policy advisor, including as director of the CIA's
0:51.3	Russian analysis, director of the CIA's Open Source Center,
0:55.8	and as a staff advisor on Russian matters to Vice President Cheney.
1:00.4	His book, The Russia Trap,
1:03.1	How Our Shadow War with Russia Could Spiral in a Nuclear Catastrophe,
1:07.6	warned how the U.S. and Russia could stumble into a dangerous military confrontation.
1:32.3	George, welcome and thank you for joining me again on Newsworld.
1:34.3	It's my pleasure. Thanks for having me.
1:36.3	Let's start with the most recent news.
1:40.4	Steve Whitkoff and Jared Kushner just met with Vladimir Putin.
1:45.9	It was Whitkoff's sixth meeting, but the first time Kushner has joined. This is also the first in-person discussion between Putin and Trump's team since the Alaska Summit. What do you think
1:52.7	is the significance of this meeting? Well, it's clear at this point that we've gotten very
1:58.5	serious about finding a compromise settlement to the war in Ukraine.
2:03.4	And that means that neither side is going to get all the things that it wants.
	...

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