Putin Escalates Threats as Trump’s Envoys Face Growing Pressure

0:00Ben Meiselas:All hell is breaking loose as the Trump regime is making more fatal decisions in connection with Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Specifically, Donald Trump and his unappointed envoys, Steve Whitcoff and Jared Kushner, are admitting that they are scared of Putin and that they are scared of Russia. You see, Kushner and Whitcoff are supposed to visit Zelensky in Kiev on September 6th, but they are terrified that Putin is going to strike within Kyiv while they are there. So they are now asking Zelensky, they're asking Zelensky, stop striking Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other areas in Russia if you want us to visit.

0:46Ben Meiselas:If you want Whitkoff and Kushner to visit Zelensky, you have to stop striking Russia and perhaps this will get Putin to stop striking in Kyiv. This is the ultimate sign of weakness, and that is exactly how Putin sees it. Also, we are learning that when CIA Director John Ratcliffe took that visit, that unannounced visit to Moscow in order to meet with Putin, and Putin didn't take the meeting, and Ratcliffe met with the head of intelligence in Russia, Putin viewed that as the ultimate sign of weakness. of obsequiousness. And Putin viewed that meeting as an invitation to accelerate strikes on Ukraine and to intensify the attacks that were already taking place, including in civilian areas.

1:43Ben Meiselas:I want to go over with you what's going on because this just demonstrates how weak and pathetic the Trump regime looks right now to Putin and on the international stage. And you have Russian reporters calling it out also. They're like, it seems that the Trump regime is just behaving like an arm of Putin at this point. So the Kiev independent got this exclusive. Trump envoys Kushner and Whitcoff's first Kiev trip thrown into doubt after Whitcoff gets scared. How embarrassing. Now, he's specifically getting scared after Russia targeted the main office of Ukraine Security Services, the SBU, in a likely attempt on the head of the agency, in a likely assassination attempt.

2:36Ben Meiselas:There are reportedly seven people who were injured, and in a statement, President Zelensky advised that there will be retribution. Quote, The drone was aimed directly at the office of the head of the SBU in that building. I instructed them to adequately, tangibly, and if possible in kind, respond to this attack from the Russians when everything is prepared, Zelensky wrote. Also should be noted that after CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow, what the perception in Moscow was, was that this was weakness. U.S. officials were apparently warning, Putin, we know that you are in a situation that may be difficult, so we're aware of this.

3:26Ben Meiselas:Putin was convinced that this was a sign of weakness rather than a pressure to actually compromise, and so Putin accelerated his strikes against Ukraine. Now back to the Kyiv Independent exclusive. Another source previously said that despite the fact that Kushner and Witkoff had this trip planned to Moscow, Witkoff started to get scared, prompting discussions about other plans and may be canceling this trip. Quote, the Russians don't want them to come here to Kiev and Whitcoff is always sensitive to the Russian sentiment, the person said. They're being told that it's dangerous and you won't be protected.

4:12Ben Meiselas:As we've been covering here on the Midas Touch Network, Kiev has been subject to a relentless barrage of Russian jet-powered drone strikes, including those Shahi drones, as well as ballistic missile strikes. The Trump regime previously promised Zelensky Patriot interceptors, or at least a Patriot interceptor license, which was never actually delivered to Zelensky. Instead, Trump tapped Zelensky along, and now Putin has built up his arsenal of ballistic missiles, preparing for a winter offensive. In addition, Putin has worked to improve the Shahi drone capabilities and the other drone capabilities, they now travel much faster.

5:01Ben Meiselas:And a lot of the drone interceptors no longer work on the Shahids and the other drones that Russia is using. So while you have Whitcoff and Kushner showing that they are scared of showing up to Kiev to meet with Zelensky, you have Donald Trump also posting and saying things that are very pro-Putin and very pro-Russia and very anti-NATO. And that's how it's being interpreted in Russia as well. One of Russia's top envoys, Kirill Dmitriev, posted the following, the U.S. will demand that Europe return hundreds of billions of dollars spent by the Biden administration on military aid to Ukraine. Donald Trump said that should not be a problem for the brilliant European leaders who think they know what they are doing.

5:58Ben Meiselas:And Kirill Dmitriev, this top envoy from Russia, was quoting Donald Trump. Donald Trump posted the other day for the treasonous scum that refuses to accurately report on the military operation in Iran. Then he goes on to attack them. And then he blames the Biden administration giving far more munitions away to Ukraine at no cost to them whatsoever than we have used in Iran. Hundreds of billions of dollars was given to Ukraine and NATO free of charge that Europe would have paid for if they were only asked. But we will be asking for that money, though somewhat belatedly. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

6:39Ben Meiselas:And of course, that's being interpreted in Russia as an anti-NATO, pro-Russian sentiment. I mean, that's what Trump is saying very clearly. On Friday, Donald Trump was asked in the Oval Office, you said that Putin would never attack NATO territory, but Germany is blaming Russia for an explosive drone that was found in a German airport. Wouldn't you agree that that is an attack on NATO? And what about the attacks in the territorial waters of Romania? What about some of the sabotage operations in Poland and elsewhere in Europe and some of the ballistics that have actually struck within Poland? What about that, Donald?

7:23Ben Meiselas:Listen to what Trump said in response. Let's play it. I know you watched that Putin would never attack NATO territory. Now Germany is blaming Russia for an explosive drone found at a German airport. Isn't that an attack on NATO territory? I don't think that Putin will be, I speak to him, I know him very well. Putin's not looking to attack NATO territory. Mr. President, this is John Stubbers today. Have you spoken with Kevin Warsh and you said that lower the... And then Donald Trump framed the inability to get a peace deal done in Ukraine, between Ukraine and Russia, as a personality problem between Putin and Zelensky.

8:06Ben Meiselas:And he just both sides it. Zelensky and Putin, they hate each other. That's what this is about. That's how Donald Trump frames the issue. Play this clip. For example, Ukraine's sinning. Now, we have an idea for peace. Look, I said late wars. most of them were supposed to be, in my opinion, more difficult than Russia, Ukraine. There's a personality problem in Russia, Ukraine. You have President Zelensky and President Putin, they truly hate each other. You know what hate is? They have serious hate. And it's getting in the way of them. You know, last week they lost 32 ,000 people, mostly. And then while we now know that Whitcoff and Kushner are terrified of going to Kiev, Donald Trump said in the Oval Office on Friday that Whitcoff and Kushner are two great negotiators.

8:54Ben Meiselas:Here play this clip. It's a month. It's got to get settled. So I did. I sent Steve Whitcoff and Jared Kushner, two great negotiators. They've done a great job. And we sent them over to see whether or not we can get something done. And there may be a good chance that we'll do it. Now it's worth noting, as I discussed at the outset of the video, this is the first time that whitkoff and kushner would actually travel to kiev all of the prior trips by whitkoff were to russia he visited with putin five or six times already in russia remember those videos of whitkoff putting his hand on his heart as he saw putin and apparently whitkoff's office has notes that were given to him by putin describing the areas of eastern ukraine that putin wants to take over And there's like a handwritten note in Witkoff's office, which is all about Ukraine surrendering.

9:54Ben Meiselas:And that is how Witkoff and Kushner have been behaving. And it's been quite weak. And Putin has perceived all of this as absolute weakness and an invitation to strike Ukraine harder. Take a listen to this. Russian journalist Dmitry Borsenko says Trump is willingly or unwillingly playing right into the hands of the Russian president. And we couldn't ask for someone who's more helpful to us. We couldn't ask. He's an arm of the Russian president. This is what a top Russian journalist Dmitry Borsenko is saying. Here, play this clip.

10:49Ben Meiselas:And again, this follows the meeting that was just held in Kyrgyzstan in Boshesk where Putin met with the president of Iran and here's what they discuss. So you had the president of Iran, Pazewskian and Putin having the following discussion. Putin admits that Russia is supplying Iran with needed equipment during its conflict with the U.S. During this difficult period, we are trying to provide you with the necessary assistance. We have discussed this issue with you. We are supplying you with the necessary equipment. Putin did not specify what exactly is included in the category of needed equipment, but it's not hard to guess.

11:33Ben Meiselas:I'm confident we will win, said the president of Iran, President Przeskian. Meanwhile, Zelensky sees what's happening with Kushner and Witkoff. And Zelensky says the following. This was Zelensky's post. Today, it has been clearly established that the U.S. envoys will be in Ukraine and Russia in the coming days. We have details from the U.S. team. We discussed it today with Witkoff and Kushner. In other words, he's like, you better show up. And he said the following. Just as we did. This is what Zelensky said. Just as we did during previous diplomatic visits by the American side, we will ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace so that the negotiators can arrive safely.

12:17Ben Meiselas:We are looking out for them, not for Russia. There will be no airstrikes from our side, and Russia must do the same, ensuring there are no airstrikes from its side for the time needed to hold these talks and handle the logistical matters related to the America visit. Do you see what the Trump regime did to Zelensky right here? Russia hasn't made a statement that they're agreeable to this. So now this visit by Witkoff and Kushner basically means Ukraine's not going to strike within Russia. But there's no guarantee or any statement that Russia's not going to strike in Ukraine. And you saw that Russia struck the SBU facility in Kiev.

13:03Ben Meiselas:That's what went down earlier today. So I want you to think about the message that that sends. At the same time, before Kushner and Witkoff arrived in, or before they're planning to arrive in Kiev, we'll see if they actually show up or not. But Zelensky's recognizing, okay, I guess they're scared. So here's what we're going to do. We're saying we're not going to strike Russia. You could come. And there's no guarantee they're going to show up. We'll see what happens. This is what's taken place over the past 24 hours or so. This is the moment of a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian air defense position in Sochi, filmed from a checkpoint on the Abkhazia border.

13:43Ben Meiselas:Play this clip.

14:03Ben Meiselas:You can see another angle right here as a Russian air defense position was destroyed. You can see this other angle.

14:30Ben Meiselas:This was the Sochi port that was hit by an unmanned submersive. Let's play it.

14:58Ben Meiselas:Meanwhile in Kyiv, this is what it looked like when a Russian Shahid drone hit a nine-story apartment building over there. Let's play it.

15:18Ben Meiselas:well there you have it folks that's the status of what's going on the war rages on trump promised he would end this war in 24 hours after the election of course he didn't do that the war is getting more intense there's no upper there's no chance that this is going to result in a peace deal by any means. And we'll see if Kushner and Whitcoff ultimately show up. Let me know what you think in the comments. Hit subscribe. Let's get to 7 million. Thanks for watching, everybody.

16:07Thank you.