The Duran Podcast - Money flow running low, Germany on the hook

Episode Date: January 2, 2026

Money flow running low, Germany on the hook

All right, Alexander, let's talk about the money situation for Project Ukraine, and Zelensky is looking for more money. This is after he has received some sort of a loan or assurances of a loan from the EU of 90 billion euros, which we still don't have much insight as to exactly how that is going to work, or if it even is 90 billion going to Zelensky or going to his administration. So we still don't understand what's going on with the EU money to Ukraine, but Zelensky is looking for more money. He got $2.5 billion from Canada, or at least Canada, is pledging to give him $2.5 billion. He's traveling around Europe in the collective West trying to gather as much money as he can. And his big ask from Trump was around $800 billion up until 2040, and it looks like Trump did not give him that amount or even.

consider taking that proposal seriously. But it looks like Zelensky is running out of money. And if he runs out of money and he's unable to keep the coffers in Kiev full, he's not going to have problems with keeping the war going or at least keeping everything running with Project Ukraine. I mean, he's going to have problems internally in Kiev and problems with opposition and military commanders and as-off guys and oligarchs. I mean, this is the big problem for Zelensky because for the four years, he's been keeping the coffers full and everyone's been happy to keep him in as president because he was bringing money into the state. If he can't do that, he's, he's in big trouble. Absolutely. That's exactly correct.

And now, we discussed, we already discussed this 90 billion euro loan in previous programs. We've pointed out that it's going to be a, if according to the European Council, it's going to be floated through bonds in the international financial markets. But there's no, there's no date given for when the bonds are going to be paid. the capital on the bonds is going to be paid because it's all conditional on the Russians paying reparations, which no one ever believes is going to happen. So this 90 billion euro loan has a massive question mark against it. And no sign at the moment, by the way, that anybody's addressing these problems with this loan. But put that all aside, we said all along, whenever all these numbers, 140 billion or 90 billion euros that were being floated around were being, you know, were being put

forward, that this idea that Ukraine would only need amounts of money on that scale to get through two years was fanciful. Ukraine is going to run through this 90 billion euro loan. very fast. I've seen some reports say that they'll be run through it by September. I think much earlier than that, early late summer at best. So this is nowhere near enough for Ukraine and for Zelensky if he's going to keep everybody in Kiev paid and loyal and up to a point happy. So As soon as this euro loan, this 90 billion euro loan is agreed, formally agreed, what does he do? He immediately starts demanding more money over and above and beyond that. He's managed to get the Canadians to carve up the sum.

He's not going to be able to get money from the Americans. I think this is now looking increasingly unlikely. even Congress only gave him $800 million over two years, which for him is nothing. $800 million over two years is nothing. $800 billion would, well, that might work, but $800 million is not really enough, nowhere near enough. Kyr Stama is trying to give him $2.5 billion of pounds of Roman Abramovich's money, that there's already court cases starting over that, and it's unlikely that that will happen for various reasons, which we will probably discuss at some future time. And so Zelensky is facing,

for the first time, I think, in this conflict, a serious situation where the money flow is going to start to run out. The Europeans are all but tapped out. It's going to be very, very difficult to assemble enough support within the European Council to continue to give money to the Ukrainians. In Germany, Mouts is determined to go on giving money and the Germans will give money to the extent that they still can, but Germany's problems are accumulating and that is becoming problematic as well. And the Germans by themselves can never give enough. So at some point, this next year, it looks to me, it's increasingly looking to me, that Zelensky is going to run out of money, at which point all of the things that you said are going to start to happen.

Because what has bound together the loyalty of the political class in Kiev to Zelensky is that he has guaranteed the money flows. This is what this whole thing up to now has been all about. And, you know, to you and me, 90 billion euros sounds like an enormous amount of money. When you're talking about thousands of people in the political class in Ukraine with voracious advertise, and at the same day, you also have to pay the army and other people further down in the civil service and all that. It is nowhere near enough.

And, of course, you've got to also look after people closer to yourself and perhaps yourself to. So at that point, it doesn't seem anywhere close enough. So what we're going to start to see, and there's already rumors about this, is a reactivation of the anti-corruption scandals. And to be absolutely clear, the real purpose of these is not, in my opinion, to put pressure on Zelensky to compromise with the Russians or anything of that kind or to fall in line with what the Americans demand. I've seen now very, very carefully researched commentaries that show that the Americans do not control Naboo and Sarpal

to the extent that some people believe. They did during Biden's time, but they don't any longer. The reason we're going to see these anti-corruption scandals resume is because they are symptoms of a deeper, power struggle, the power struggle to try to get closer to the money flows whilst the tap is still open. So they will try to push Zelensky aside, get closer to the stream so that they can help themselves from the stream whilst the stream is still coming. Or try to find someone who can get the stream to start moving the way it was before all.

all the mess that Alensky got himself into. Exactly. Right? Yeah. He's lost his magic, Zelensky. There was a time when he would travel around Europe and the European elite, Ursula and Kayakales, Annalina. They were mesmerized with Zelensky and Macron, Trudeau.

They were mesmerized with Zelensky. Trump said it. He goes to a country and he leaves with $60 billion in his hand, right? That's what Trump said. The greatest sales salesman in all of history, the highest paid actor in all of history. And that's what kept them in power. And it's not about keeping the war going per se. It's more about keeping the money flowing.

Yes, money is directed towards the war. But everyone in and around Zelensky, they want to be sure that the money is flowing. That's what's important to them, especially the people that have not jumped ship yet. You know, I'm not talking about the Kulebos or the Resnick. or these guys. There are people that are depending on the last amount of money to get to Kiev before they eventually do jump ship. So they're very dependent on this money. That might explain Zillusioning coming into the picture as well. Well, that's exactly what I suspect that is all about. I mean, there are, we are going to see in January and February and intensification

of the political crisis in Kiev because there's a sense that everything is falling apart. Russians are closing in, and the taps are going to turn off. And that is going to trigger both a rush to get closer to the stream, the money stream, before it is switched off completely, and then a dash for the exits. Yeah, government in exile perhaps, but maybe Zelensky may not be a part of that government in exile. Exactly. He has allegedly fired many of his people, right? We've talked about this in a previous video. Perhaps they're preparing for his exit as well, preparing for him to make a clean exit. Well, indeed, I mean, that's the other thing to say is that I mean people are fired, they go abroad. But of course, when they're abroad, when and if Zelensky himself goes abroad,

There's no reason why they can't reconnect with him. So this is the way this works. But in order for that to happen, he needs to be able, as you absolutely rightly say, he needs to be able to reassure them that he's able to keep the money flows still moving. And the fact that they're not moving, or they're going to start switch turning off, is going to precipitate major problems. Now, as I said, he's got, I mean, I'm going to assume he's going to get his 90 billion euros one way or the other. I mean, I don't know how the Europeans are going to get around.

I was going to ask you that. That was my next question, actually. Do you actually believe that he's going to get 90 billion? Well, it would be an absolute humiliation for maths and Ursula if he didn't. I mean, they've now pledged this money. I suspect, and given how committed they are to this project, that they will move heaven and earth to get this 90 billion euros to him. And I think they will manage it. I mean, I don't know how.

I mean, there are major problems. I mean, a flotation, as I said on the international financial markets is going to be very difficult. I mean, the people who are there, the institutional investors, and the high net worth, individuals who buy bonds, then they are some of the toughest-minded, cleverest people on planet Earth. They can see the direction of travel in Ukraine. They know that the Russians are advancing. They are able to figure out that the money flows from Europe are becoming exhausted, and

they are going to be very, very concerned about the fact that they will only get their money back, the capital on their money back, if the Russians pay a reparation loan according to the present theory behind this loan. And they know the Russians are not going to pay this reparations loan because they're going to win the war. So they are going to be very, very wary of buying these bonds. It's exactly what you said. They're going to demand guarantees. And they're going to demand guarantees, not just from the European Union itself, but from member states. And if the member states are starting to give out guarantees, I don't see myself how that can be done without consulting European parliaments. I mean, the parliaments of the member states.

Because remember, this is a pledge of taxpayers' money. So at that point, Mattz and the others who stand behind this loan are going to have to go to the Bundestag and to the other parliaments. And they're going to have to say, look, we have to support Zelensky, we have to support Ukraine, we need to float this loan. We're having problems with the international investors. They want some guarantees. We need to give those guarantees. Now, what happens then is problematic. I think that at the moment in Germany, there is at least enough support still for Project Ukraine

to get this through. I think there might be some people with the CDU who might peel off, but I think the Greens will back this loan. I think with the Greens, the SPD, perhaps even the left party backing this loan or maybe abstaining, it will just squeak through. Other parliaments more difficult. I mean, Italy, I would have thought was a dead loss. France, I would have thought was a dead loss. But a loan, a 90 billion euro loan, backed by Germany, German backing by itself, together with that as the other, you know, the Nordic core, Scandinavia, the Scandinavian states,

the Baltic States, not that they count for much. But a loan of that kind, backed by Germany, probably would get through the financial markets. It would obviously have another massive liability onto the many debts of liability is that Mouts is stacking up. But I think it would get through and it would give Zelensky, he's 90 billion euros. And that would tie him over for a few more months. The big question is what happens then? A few more months, yeah.

Say goodbye to 90 billion, Germany. Oh, absolutely. Yeah, kiss it goodbye. Zelensky did say to Brett Baer on Fox News in an interview the other day that without the U.S. support and without the U.S. money, Ukraine has no chance. So he did make that admission. A bit of truth from Zelensky. Whatever the Europeans give, whatever they have to give.

which is not much, it's not going to make any difference in the outcome of this conflict. Even the U.S., it's doubtful that they can actually make a difference in the trajectory and the outcome of this conflict. But Zelensky did admit without the United States to Brett Baer, he said, without the U.S., we have no chance, zero chance. Exactly. Exactly. I don't think the U.S. is coming back, by the way. I do think I get the sense that even the Democrats now are losing.

confidence in this. Certainly, I don't think the Democrats are going to want to go into the midterms, saying, oh, we've got to give another 150 billion euros or dollars to our dear friend, Vladimir Zelensky. I don't think that will play well with their voters at all. So there is no chance of Zelensky getting a big loan from the United States or further funding from the United States in any big way before January 2027 at the earliest. And of course, by that sign, well, who knows what the situation in Ukraine would be. Yeah. All right. We will end the video there. The durand. Dot locals.com. We're on X-Wron rumble. We're on telegram. We are also on substack. So check us out on Substack and go to Durant. Shall pick up some merch. Link is in the

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