Cheat Sheet | Trump's plan for peace in Ukraine, energy bills cap, The Ashes

0:01Anna Jones:Hello, you're listening to Cheat Sheet, the podcast that gets you up to speed with all you need to know without the doom scrolling. I'm Anna Jones.

0:09Kamali Melbourne:And I'm Kamali Melbourne. We have done all that doom scrolling for you so you don't have to. It's Friday the 21st of November. It is a cold one. The frost on the windscreen as I left the house this morning, Anna. What's been happening?

0:21Anna Jones:Well, President Zelensky says he's received a peace proposal to end the war in Ukraine, put together by just America and Russia, it seems. He's posted on social media that he's ready to work on the plan.

0:33Kamali Melbourne:Yeah, the National Crime Agency are saying that drug deals here in the UK could be helping to fund Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

0:41Anna Jones:And Australia and England are contesting the ashes in Perth. And it's not a very good start for the tourists. You can say that again. So Ukraine's President Zelensky says he's received a draft of a US peace plan reportedly put together by Just America and Russia to end the war in Ukraine. And he's posted on social media that he's ready to work with the US on the proposals to make them a reality.

1:10Anna Jones:He said that he won't be making any rash decisions, though, and is committed to clear, honest work. The 28-point proposal reportedly includes some significant concessions for Ukraine, including giving up the Donbass region and reducing the size of its military. And it's not clear if any concessions are being asked of Moscow.

1:31Kamali Melbourne:Yeah, I mean, concessions from Moscow will come potentially in the form of them signing into law a promise that they won't invade Ukraine or another European country. I mean, you can imagine the weight that can be given to a promise from the Putin administration. And what else do we know about these proposals? They're not favourable to Ukraine. They seem to be all Russia's maximalist proposals from the very beginning of the war, including that reduction in territory size, including the fact that they can never join NATO again. I mean, the territory thing is really key because they're going to have to give up territory that they haven't actually lost yet.

2:05Kamali Melbourne:Territory that Russia hasn't yet been able to take. They'll have to massively reduce the size of their armed forces. And they're going to have this promise on paper that's going to be signed into Russian law that Russia won't invade again. Now, the European Union have come out and said that they are concerned about this, that any agreement should not be made without the EU and Ukraine's involvement. Of course, we haven't yet heard what the UK government has to say about all of this. Remember that Keir Starmer is one of the key members of this Coalition of the Willing alongside Emmanuel Macron in France.

2:38Kamali Melbourne:We'll perhaps hear from Starmer later on today and see what he thinks about this plan. But as you mentioned, Anna, President Zelensky seems kind of keen to do something, at least rhetorically.

2:51Anna Jones:Well, yeah, it's so interesting, isn't it, to see how Ukraine will respond. Clearly, this plan, from what we know of it, doesn't look like it's in Ukraine's interest, quite the opposite. But President Zelensky will be really mindful of not angering the American president and risk him pulling its military intelligence assistance for the country as well.

3:10Kamali Melbourne:Yes, most important. He wants peace and he'll do many things to get to it. Now, the National Crime Agency have been speaking overnight, saying that buying cocaine in Britain could be indirectly helping fund Russia's invasion of Ukraine. How are you asking? Well, they said they've uncovered a billion dollar money laundering network that involves a bank in Kyrgyzstan and a bunch of cryptocurrency. Now, cash from drug deals here in the UK is then converted into crypto and it's sent through banks in Russia. And eventually it finds its way into Russia's military industrial complex. Now, 45 people have been arrested here in the last 12 months and more than£5 million in cash has been seized.

3:49Kamali Melbourne:It's a big network that they've uncovered.

3:50Anna Jones:Yeah, it's fascinating. The NCA are talking about how we shouldn't ignore this sheer scale of the threat. And they say it's not as simple as, OK, I'll pay my drug dealer and that's the end of it. They say this is actually a vast criminal ecosystem that's funding some what they describe as really bad things around the world. And clearly they're going to go after the main perpetrators here. They've made those arrests, as you say. But it's also interesting that they're looking at the bottom rung of the ladders as well. And the fact that money launderers need couriers to move criminal cash around the country.

4:22Anna Jones:And they face prison sentences of five years or more. And so they're putting adverts up in the urinals in motorway service stations, for example, in Russian and in English, warning that moving money for organised criminals might seem like easy work, but it ends with hard time. Their message, they say, is we know who you are and we're coming for you. Also here in the UK, we're feeling the cost of Putin's war in Ukraine ourselves through our energy bills. And I reckon that most people in the UK will have reached for that thermostat this week.

4:51Kamali Melbourne:I definitely did.

4:52Anna Jones:Given that frost on your windscreen this morning, temperatures dropping massively. Parts of Scotland and the North York moors are covered in snow at the moment. But there are an awful lot of people that are going to be really worried about the price of their heating every time they put it on, aren't they? Well, today, the energy regulator Ofgem is announcing its latest price cap. And the price cap, just to explain, is that limit set on how much suppliers can charge households for gas and electricity. So there's going to be a lot of eyes on the Chancellor next Wednesday to see if she can do anything to make life a little bit easier for the bill pay.

5:23Kamali Melbourne:Some rumours that she may well try and do something to take a little bit off the bills. But I think people will still be shocked that we are still feeling the effects of that price spike that we saw after Russia invaded Ukraine back in 2022. I mean, 35 % higher than before that invasion. Everyone is feeling it. And you do have that question every time you turn on the heating as to how much it's going to cost you to run the heating to keep your house warm. And of course, people on limited means as well will be really concerned about having to turn on the heating. And they don't have to be making that really tough decision at a time when it is very, very cold out there.

5:55Kamali Melbourne:Now, we've got plenty more coverage about the price cap, of course. That's going to come out at around 7am. And you'll find all that detail at SkyNews.com or on our YouTube channel. Yesterday evening, there was a big news conference. There's a scathing report found that 23 ,000 lives could have been saved in England alone during COVID had the government at the time under Boris Johnson brought in lockdown just a week early, just seven days early would have saved all those lives. It's astounding. The findings from the inquiry into the pandemic concluded the government was in chaos and the disease took hold of the UK and more people died than essentially needed to.

6:33Kamali Melbourne:They said, Baroness Hallett, who was leading this inquiry, said that it was too little, too late for the government response. And she also talked about toxic culture in Downing Street. I mean, and it was a time of such confusion for so many people. We had no idea how to deal with this thing. And it seems as if the government of the day had no idea either.

6:55Anna Jones:Yeah, and the report is going to bring back some really horrible memories for people. Not a pleasant time, but especially for those, of course, who lost loved ones. It's going to be pretty devastating for a lot of people to hear that conclusion that the government could have prevented 23 ,000 deaths had it acted sooner. And I noticed that family members of those who have died have called the findings devastating and unforgivable. They're calling for safeguards if anything similar was to happen again. And I guess that's the test of all of this, where the lessons are actually learned.

7:27Kamali Melbourne:And that is the test, isn't it? Because it was such a unique experience. And it would seem, I mean, this report dropped yesterday evening. The findings are to make sure that we do better next time. I wonder if those who have actually lost someone will feel that that is adequate. It was so extraordinary what we all had to go through. And no one really knew what they were doing. The fear is that if something like this happened again, we may not know again.

7:47Anna Jones:Well, Sakhir Sama said the government will carefully consider the report and said there had been improvements in the way the government would respond to a major crisis. He's actually at the G20 Leaders Summit in South Africa this weekend. He's had to defend his decision to fly out again. He's always on the road. He's been on a lot of trips. And especially now, before a very difficult budget next week, he's actually coming back early ahead of that. But he says that the international issues being discussed in South Africa have an impact at home, while the G20 nations are important to Britain's economy.

8:22Anna Jones:And this G20 summit is one that brings together 20 of the world's biggest economies, but minus President Trump this time around. At the time of recording, certainly he's not expected to be there.

8:34Kamali Melbourne:Not expected to go there. I mean, some rumour that he might turn up, but I don't think at this stage it would be such a late call for him to have to go. And he's got meetings in DC as well. Now, one thing I don't think Kirsten will be looking at with much delight, Anna, is the beginning of the Ashes. They're underweight in Perth. Going to have a quick look at the current score. What time is it? 5.28 UK time. England are 138 for five on day one. That's not great. I don't know much about cricket.

9:03Anna Jones:I'm telling you that's not a good score. No.

9:04Kamali Melbourne:For now, Mitchell Stark, the Australian fast bowler, has been ploughing into the England opening batsman and giving them a really, really tough time. Now, it's not easy for England to go to Australia and try and win the Ashes. They're looking to regain them. They haven't done that for 55 years on the road. They haven't won in Australia for some 15 years. It's been a terrible start. Let's hope that they can do a bit better if you're an England cricket fan. If you're an Australian cricket fan, you are having the time of your life in the sun in Perth right now.

9:33Anna Jones:Early days. Early days. Before we go, Wicked Part 2 out this weekend. Ken, are you heading to the cinema?

9:39Kamali Melbourne:I haven't got my tickets yet, Anna. I haven't got my tickets yet. I'm not a massive Wicked movie fan. I did watch the play and that was very, very good. But no, I haven't seen the movies. Are you going to be going?

9:49Anna Jones:I'm not, to be brief. But a lot of people will be. They will. It's expected to wreck in millions and millions. That's it for today's Cheat Sheet. If you've got a story that you think we should cover, do get in touch with us and let us know about it. The email address is cheatsheet at sky.uk. And remember to follow the feed so you never miss an episode. Thanks for listening.

10:07Kamali Melbourne:See you again soon.

10:13Anna Jones:How does a banana trigger a CIA-backed coup? Do AirPods herald the arrival of a new global order? What do LED lights say about the future of humanity? I'm Ed Conway, and in each episode of my new podcast, Stuff Matters, I take an object, crack it open, and reveal the world-shaping forces hidden inside. This is economics told through the things we think we understand. Search Stuff Matters on your podcast app to listen and follow.