The Duran Podcast - Putin new terms, time to discuss new European Security Architecture

Episode Date: January 16, 2026

Putin new terms, time to discuss new European Security Architecture

All right, Alexander, let's talk about Putin's statements yesterday as he was receiving the credentials of about 30 ambassadors, new ambassadors to the Russian Federation, including ambassadors from what Russia terms as unfriendly countries. And Putin said some interesting things, especially with regards to Trump or the negotiations that are taking place. he also talked about a security architecture in Europe. It's been a while since Putin has brought that up, but it does seem like his position is hardening with regards to the negotiations that are taking place between Russia and the United States. Your thoughts?

I thought this was an important and interesting speech, and it is not getting the attention that it should. And to the extent that it is getting attention, I think it has been misreported because I think people are not reading it, at least the media and the West, are not reading it correctly. There were three things that Putin said that I thought were important. There is one that is stand out the most important of all.

But if I can just deal with the other two first, the first thing to say is that there was a long passage in which Putin reprimanded Trump and the United States and did so in very clear terms. He said that unilateral actions are wrong, that might's is right philosophies are wrong, that there is such a thing as international law, and Russia upholds it, and he spoke in defence of the United Nations and of its charter and of the multipolar system, all of which he said are the legacies of the Second World War,

which are fathers and grandfathers and great-grandfathers fought for, not just in other words Russians, but also Americans fought for as well. This was a clear, as I said, rebuke of Trump and of the recent actions in Venezuela and Iran and elsewhere and of the rhetoric that's been coming from the administration and indeed from Trump himself. And again, it's hardly been mentioned, but it was very interesting that Putin said it.

The other thing that I thought was interesting, it's a minor point, but I want to just touch on it. He referred to Cuba as an ally. He said that Cuba is an ally. When we are talking about a country being referred to as an ally by Russia, well, Cuba, as we know, has been on the list of countries that the United States, the Trump administration, has been talking, threatening over the last week. It does suggest to me that the Russians are indicating Cuba who, who, ambassador was one of the ambassadors who was, you know, presenting their credentials, that the Russians are telling the Cubans, look, for heaven's sake, we are here to help you. We're here to provide you

with oil. We're here to provide you with other things. Do finally please accept our help. So those were two things Putin said, which I think were interesting. The far and away, the most important relates to Ukraine and to the situation in Europe. Now, we've discussed in several programs on the Duran, the fact that Putin went invisible for around two weeks over the Christmas New Year holidays, and that this is most unusual. And it seemed to us that some kind of debate

was taking place inside Moscow about the future direction of Russian policy over Ukraine and relative to the United States. And perhaps this speech gave us the first sign of this, because Putin explicitly said that the proximate cause of the Ukrainian crisis was the expansion of NATO towards Russia's borders in contravention of promises made to Russia. And then he went on to link that issue to the question of a Ukrainian settlement in a much more explicit way

and in a different way from the way that the Russians have done up to now. And he said that in order to achieve a Ukrainian settlement, this whole question, not just of NATO and Ukraine, but of NATO in general must be addressed, and it must be addressed by revisiting the question of a new security architecture for Europe. And he talked about going back to the proposals that the Russians had made on this question in the past, which clearly refers to.

to the true draft treaties, the Russians, proposed in December 2021, before the start of the special military operation. And he appeared to make a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine conditional, basically, on these two treaties being accepted, or at least something very like those two treaties being accepted. And he said that negotiations, to get this process going, should begin as soon as possible. And the media misunderstood that.

The media in the West misunderstood that to mean that Putin was talking about a settlement of the conflict in Ukraine happening as soon as possible. But in fact, what Putin was talking about was negotiations to settle, to agree a new security architecture for Europe, needing to happen as soon as possible.

So it seems to me that what Putin is signaling is that when Whitkoff and Kushner or whoever comes to Moscow in a week's time or whenever it is that they come, the Russians are going to say, look, we've gone through all your 28 points, we've discussed all of these things. We're now going beyond Istanbul Plus. What we want in order to settle this conflict in Ukraine is to go back to December 2021, to negotiate the entire security architecture in Europe all over again. And that means, if we go back to the December 2021 proposals, that all NATO forces in Eastern Europe be withdrawn and removed back to the positions they had in 1998

before NATO expansion began. So this, if I am reading Putin's words correctly, which I have no doubt I am, by the way, is a drastic hardening of the Russian position. How does the U.S. even get there? Wikkoff, Kushner, Trump, the Senate, Congress. I mean, they can't even get to Istanbul plus. How would they get to a new security architecture in Europe? Well, they're not. I mean, it's impossible.

what Putin has in effect done, and he must know this, is he's kicked the whole question of a negotiated resolution of the conflict in Ukraine. He's kicked it into the long grass because there is no conceivable way that the United States is going to sit down with the Russians and negotiate these things. A completely new security architecture in Europe, even as the war in Ukraine continues, or even at all. I mean, you know, trying to get a treaty that basically dismantles NATO, as we now know it, and withdraws NATO forces all the way back to Germany, to the positions they had in 1998. Trying to get a treaty like that past the Senate is impossible. I mean, it's just not going to happen. And Putin must know it.

The Russians must know it. Proposing it basically is saying, look, we don't. trust you. We don't really believe that you're serious. We are going to settle this business in Ukraine by ourselves by military means because the various proposals you are presenting us about Ukraine are changing from one day to the next. There is no stability in your proposals. And that tells us that whatever you propose ultimately isn't going to be worth anything. Yeah, I don't even understand Whitkoff and Kushner's trip to Moscow. No, I do.

I don't even know. What are they going to present? I don't even know what they're presenting. The 20-point peace plan from Zelensky, the Paris Summit. I'm looking at this as a trip for Trump to kind of smooth things over after the Novgorod drones. That's the way I'm looking at this. Yeah, I mean, you may be correct. but I don't even know. I mean, I generally do not know now what proposal we've got, amongst the

myriad of proposals we've had over the last, since November. I don't know which proposal they're coming to Moscow with. Is it the 28 points? Is it the 20 points? Is it something in between? I have no idea any longer. I mean, it is so confused and it's so incoherent and muddled by this point. And of course, as you rightly said, there was the attack on Novgorod, which the Russians must feel the Americans have never even bothered to try and address. I can't imagine that the Russians expect anything out of this visit. And I think it's probably right, would you say, that Whitgof and Kushner are trying to go there to smooth ruffle feathers in Moscow after the Novgorod events. and that's all that they're really going for.

Yeah, no hard feelings, President Putin, right? It's business, not personal. It's not personal. As Donvita Corleone might have said. Yeah, that's, that's how I'm picturing the meeting, right? Yeah. Yeah. Might be even Michael Corleone.

Yeah, Michael. Exactly, yeah. Yeah. The Europeans, how, how? How do you think they're going to look at this, given everything that's happening with Greenland and NATO? And they're saying there could be a breakdown in NATO because of Greenland. I don't believe it because I've always looked at NATO as being the United States. So, I mean, I think it's the U.S.'s decision whether to keep NATO or not.

I don't think it's anyone else's decision. Whatever Macron says, whatever the Europeans say, I don't think that matters one Iota. If the U.S. wants NATO. And what I mean the U.S., I mean, Congress, the Senate, the neocons, the deep state, the MIC, the president, whatever. If they want to keep NATO, they're going to keep NATO. If they don't want to keep NATO, we'll get rid of NATO. I think it's that simple.

I don't think the Europeans really have a say in the matter. But how do you think they're going to look at all of this, at least with regards to Putin's statement and a new security architecture? I'm going to say this. I think that probably, privately, what Putin said publicly, has probably already privately been communicated to the Americans and talk about it is now circulating within NATO and within European capitals.

And this perhaps explains why on top of all the issues of Greenland and all of the other issues and the sense that the Americans are coming. And on the topic of Greenland, let's be absolutely clear, one way or the other, Trump is going to get Greenland. It's probably going to happen this year as well. I mean, the rhetoric from Trump and from Washington is so strong on this issue. And the pushback within the US, by the way, from Trump's opponents on this issue is also so disorganized and feeble that one way or the other, the US is going to get Greenland.

They are now fixed on it. And I mean, it's a question whether the Americans, what exactly the Americans are trying to do here, whether they're trying to use Greenland to collapse NATO, whether they're rounding out their sphere of influence, whether it really is because Trump believes that there's a huge number of mines and minerals that can be exploited or any of those. AI, AI and all that, all of those. I mean, but the motivations are really beside the point. some or rather, in some way or rather, the Americans are going to get Greenland. And the fact that the Americans are doing this and talking it this way and are basically brushing the Danes aside, even as the European leaders who want to keep NATO going, which as you absolutely rightly say, is an American enterprise.

It is a wholly owned, wholly control American enterprise. It's the American money that keeps it going. It's the American weapons that keeps it going. It's the presence of American troops in Europe that gives it meaning. If all of those things stop, if it's all withdrawn, then NATO collapses. And any idea of trying to set up an alternative European security and defense architecture without the Americans is ridiculous. and it is going to fail. I mean, if the Americans collapse NATO,

I mean, what we will get is a small group of declining, impoverished countries in Europe that are connected to each other in what is, in effect, a prison, which is the European Union, confronting a far more powerful country to the east, which is, of course, Russia, Russia, I don't believe for one moment has any real plans to conquer Europe.

Why would they do that? Why would they bring on themselves the enormous problems that involves? But nonetheless, there would be a significant shift to have the European balance and power. So the Europeans probably hearing these stories that the Russians are proposing a renegotiation of the security architecture in Europe. demonstrating their military power with the Oresnik, which has clearly rattled the Europeans a lot. The trend of events in Ukraine becoming increasingly clear now. Europe unable even to sort out properly, this 90 billion euro, loan we've talked about. And the Americans becoming increasingly frustrated, increasingly thinking about themselves,

coming after Greenland, humiliating Denmark. We're starting to see the Europeans telling each other, my God, where are we? What can we do? The time has come to start talking to the Russians. So Maloney is saying it. Macron is now saying it. Incredibly, even Friedrich Merz

has now made the first comments, which suggests that in Germany, reality is starting to dawn. He says that Russia is a European country. We must somehow find a way back with them, all of those things. And there's talk about putting together a European envoy to talk to the Russians. None of the names that have been suggested are remotely convincing. Some say Alexander Stubb.

Well, good luck with that. Others are saying, Marlon. Or von is the natural. Absolutely. Absolutely. It's a no-brainer. Exactly. But, you know, others are saying Mario Draghi. I mean, all these unlikely figures. And of course, the British, whose priority is to keep NATO going, no matter what.

US wants Greenland, it can have Greenland. But the one thing we do not want is to see NATO diluted or reduced in any form, because if that ever happens, if the NATO alliance is broken up, if the alliance, the relationship, the security relationship between Britain and the United States, which is anchored since the 1940s in NATO goes, Britain is exposed as what it actually is, a declining, middle-ranking power with no great strategic or military reach. So the British want to keep NATO going. whatever the price, and they're now pushing back

and arguing against any kind of diplomatic outreach to the Russians at all. But you can see that these debates are taking place. They're taking place inside Europe. As I said, sooner or later, they will try and put together some kind of negotiator, I suspect, to go to the Russians.

It's far too late, and they're going to choose almost certainly the wrong person. they don't have a foreign ministry the EU doesn't have a foreign office that that they can rely on that's obvious the countries in in Europe the individual member states do not have a foreign office I don't even know what what the foreign ministries of the foreign ministers of many of the EU states I don't even know who they are they're so they become so insignificant I used to know who they were about you know two three four years ago now I don't even know who they are. I mean, the UK has gone through foreign, foreign secretaries. Like, every month,

they're going through a different foreign secretary. I don't even know what the new, what's her name, Cooper is all about. I don't know. I don't care. It's all the same, right? The one move that Europe could make if they're serious about preserving their future, if they're serious about preserving the state of Europe, even preserving the EU, right, if they're serious about preserving the EU, the one move they could make as a unit, as a collective, they could agree to Istanbul plus. Absolutely. It's impossible, but they could.

That's the only card they have. That is the only card that they have to play is to just bypass Trump, if they're serious. I don't think they are. I think this is all a whole bunch of theater. But if we assume that they're really bothered about Greenland and everything that's going on, then they could just go to Moscow and say, you know what? June 2024, we causes. Let's work on it as Europe.

And we'll advise Zelensky to do the same or whatever. We'll urge Kiev to do the same. Not only would that. be a wise thing for the Europeans to do in the sense that it could lead to some kind of stabilization. And it might even preserve NATO. I mean, it might even... Yeah, that's the weird part. It might preserve the EU and it might preserve NATO. Yeah, that's the weird part. But the Europeans coming to Moscow now and doing that would cause serious trouble in Moscow because Putin still talks every so often about June 2024. He hasn't fully dropped

it. I mean, he's come closer than he has ever done up to now in this speech that he's just given in which he links a Ukrainian settlement to the negotiation of a security architecture for Europe. But if tomorrow

somebody, Mario Draghi, let's say it's Mario Draghi, turns up in Moscow and says, you know, Vladimir, we've thought about it very hard and we now decide that Islam plus is the way forward. Well, Putin might find very difficult, diplomatically speaking, to just say no. And of course, say yes is going to leave

many angry people in Moscow. I mean, I'm not saying it would trigger a political crisis, but it would certainly cause significant political eddies. And it would probably diminish Putin. I mean, it would make his position probably less stable than it has been up to now. So if the Europeans really wanted to make trouble for Putin and create, you know, issues within Russia, within Moscow, suddenly turning around and accepting Istanbul would be the way to do it. But, of course, they are not going to do it. I mean, they are still trying to find ways of gaining leverage over the Russians. They're moving forward with their 20th sanctions package. Macroix is talking about Europe developing its own Oresnik missile system.

Now, that will take years by definition. I mean, developing a system comparable to the Oresheny. Even if it can be done at all, there's not something that's going to happen quickly. You don't even have hypersonic missiles. Exactly. Exactly. I mean, I'm going to get to the Eresonik. But, I mean, Macroin is talking about.

about this. People who talk in these fantastic ways are not really ready for a serious negotiation. But, you know, you can see the signs of nerves starting to appear. Maloney, Macro, maths, and perhaps most indicative of all, Kaya Callas, who now tells us that, you know, looking at the world, even though she's a teetotaler, this is perhaps the moment to start drinking, which is the most interesting. And actually very revealing a comment. It, by the way, does show that she's getting very stressed. I mean, it's an admission of personal stress if it is nothing else.

And there's been rumors that there are people questioning her own position and moves about this in the European Parliament. And I have to say, after a comment like that, I wonder whether those rumors aren't perhaps true, just to say. Well, I mean, all she can do is sanctions. That's it. No, exactly. Every answer to whatever problem is going on in the world, anything that they throw at her, her response is the same sanctions. Sanctions. What's going on in Iran sanctions? Russia sanctions. Sanctions. That's her response to everything. And she can't talk to anybody. She can't even get a meeting with Rubio.

No. She can't get a meeting with Rubio. Exactly. Ruby turns her down. Exactly. So I mean, it's a complete mess. They put themselves in this mess. The Europeans, they put themselves in this mess. They decide. to listen to Biden. They thought they're going to collapse Russia. They thought they're going to collapse the economy. And now they're stuck because they never expected that Trump would talk about taking grievance. And now there's all kinds of panic going on. Exactly.

I'll just quickly say one very last point from my side, which is that if Mario Drag or someone else is appointed to negotiate with the Russians, I mean, that effectively so sidelines Kayakales, that it's difficult to imagine that she could remain in her post for very long. I mean, what would be the point of her then? And even someone like Dragya, I think you're exactly right. They don't have any time either. Draghi, if it's Draghi, or Stub or whoever. Macron, that speech, who cares what Macron said?

He's gone in a year anyway. He couldn't care less. He's just talking nonsense. We need to know, Rajnik and whatever. And now France, what did he say? France provides two-thirds of all. all of Ukraine's intel and defense. Okay, whatever, Macro.

No one believes you. He's gone in a year and he's going to be the president of the IMF or of the World Bank or whatever they're going to make him. But they have to go tomorrow. Yes. I mean, there's not much time left as far as June 2024 goes. We're 2026 now. Yes. That offer is from June 224.

We're about to reach two years of that offer being. on the table. So if the Europeans actually thought strategically, that's the move they make. And there is no other move. No. There really isn't. No other move. The other move is, the other move, Alexander is take Greenland, which is how I think is going to go. Take Greenland. Please continue to be committed to NATO and let's put pressure on Russia. I think that's going to be the move that they're going to make. Well, exactly. Which is what the British advocating and what I suspect ultimately they're going to do. But you're absolutely correct. I mean, logically, looking at the situation in Ukraine, it is, as they say in chess,

check in three moves, five moves or ten moves or whatever it's, but we can see where all of this is going. So what you should do before that happens is you should move quickly, diplomatically, to at least try and settle the game before a checkmate is reached. But of course they're not going to do that. They're going to continue to try to appease the Americans. I call it appeasement. The Chinese government has called it appeasement too, by the way. I mean, they've actually used that word to describe European policy

with respect to the Trump administration. But they're going to tell the Danes, for heaven's sake, give Trump what you. wants, get him Denmark, because we still need the Americans on side to keep the Russians are back to support Ukraine and to preserve NATO. These are too important to be sacrificed or thrown away. And the British Foreign Secretary is a person called Yvette Cooper, a very long-standing, very much a Labour politician who's been around for a very, very long time. She has always been involved, deeply involved in domestic policy. So she was formerly a finance person within the treasury team of the Labour Party. She was for a long time, the Home Secretary, in other words,

our interior minister. She's no history or background in foreign policy. That's not what she's done at all at any point in her career up to now. So she's been put in the place. And of course, she's going to continue to repeat the same conventional mantras and platitudes that you expect coming from the British. And, well, we can see the direction of travel. Give Trump what he wants. Give him Dreamland. Give him the Nobel Prize, if he insists on it. Give him everything.

Give him anything he wants. Just keep NATO going. Just keep the grift, which is NATO going. Trump has that. keep the Americans in and go on giving Zelensky also, whatever he wants. Checkmate in, or checkmate in three moves from the Russians. Checkmate in two moves and one move from Trump. Yeah.

I mean, yeah, and Europe is in the middle. Meanwhile, you have just in a final note, meanwhile you have Carney in Canada saying, I'm Audi 5,000. I'm going to China and I'm going to make a deal because I'm getting surrounded. I mean, this is how things are playing out. And we said many, many times over many live streams. What Canada needs to do during Trudeau, what Canada needs to do because everything is going to fall apart with Project Ukraine.

What Canada needs to do is they need to reach out to the world. And what does Carney do? He's on a plane and he's meeting with Xi Jinping and they're signing all kinds of agreements for energy. Exactly. Well, at least Canada has some agency, which is more than we can say about Europe. As I said, all we're able to do in Europe, it seems, is to discuss whether it should be Alexander Stubb or Mario Draghi.

It's going to speak to Putin. Right. Because Ursula and Kaya can't. Because you learn Kaya can't. What do they pay for then? Exactly. What are they there to do? Exactly.

I mean, if that is not a confession of bankruptcy, tell me what it is. All right. We'll add the video there. The durand.com. We are on X Rumble and Telegram. We are also on substact. So check us out on a substack and go to the Durant shop, 26% off all merch. That's a coupon that we have running.

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