Episode 1012: Inside the Ukraine War – Drones, Diplomacy, and the Risk of Escalation

The Ukraine war has now outlasted World War I — and there's no clear end in sight. Former CIA Russia analysis director George Beebe joins Newt for a sobering assessment of where things stand. They dig into how AI-guided drones costing $17,500 apiece are reshaping the battlefield and challenging a century of military doctrine, why Ukraine's deep strikes on Russian oil infrastructure are more effective than previous campaigns but still can't win the war alone, and what it would actually take to get Putin to the negotiating table. Beebe argues the conflict is not just a bilateral Russia-Ukraine dispute — it's a larger confrontation over the foundations of European security that requires the United States at the table, not just as mediator. He also warns that the window for a negotiated compromise may be closing, and that the escalatory risks — including nuclear — are higher than most people realize.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.