Why did Putin invade Ukraine?

Typically the answer to this question relates to geopolitical or historical reasons. However, in this episode, we delve into Putin's psychology and fundamental personal motivations to understand his preoccupation with Ukraine and willingness to unleash horrific levels of violence, sending hundreds of thousands to their deaths (and counting).

To do this, I had the immense pleasure of speaking with Professor Sheldon Solomon, an existential psychologist and philosopher known for his work related to humans' management of the awareness of their mortality. 

Professor Sheldon Solomon is an American social psychologist. He is a professor of psychology and existential philosophy at Skidmore College in New York. His studies of the effects of the uniquely human awareness of death on behavior were featured in the award winning documentary film Flight from Death: The Quest for Immortality. He is co-author of The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life. 

Please do listen in to hear one of the most fascinating discussions I've had in doing this podcast.  

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A very eventful past few days - historic summits in Alaska and DC - and felt the need to give my brief analysis of what it means and where things stand. In short, not bad and could have been alot worse. Not to mention a shocking promise by Trump. Now let's see how Russia responds (can't imagine well!)

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Listen in to an informal chat on all things Ukraine - from the upcoming Trump-Putin summit in Alaska to China to Russian imperialism to the importance of Ukraine to US national security to helping frontline communities devastated by the war - with Yuri Boyechko, a Ukrainian native running an NGO since 2016.

Yuri Boyechko, Founder & CEO at Hope For Ukraine, a leading nonprofit organization focused on delivering humanitarian aid to communities impacted by the war in Ukraine. Since 2016, and especially in response to the full-scale invasion in 2022, Yuri has led efforts to provide life-saving support—including food, medical supplies, shelter, clean water, and power solutions—to some of the hardest-hit regions in the country.

Please consider donating to Hope for Ukraine here: https://hfu.org/

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Can Trump get China to stop supporting Russia?
How will the trade war with the US develop? 
Will China lead an axis of authoritarian regimes against the West?
Has Beijing become more supportive of Russia lately?
Will China be emboldened or deterred from invading Taiwan from the War in Ukraine?

To answer these questions and more I spoke with former colleague Thomas Zhang, long-time China expert and Head of the China department at FrontierView. 

Thomas Zhang, China expert based in Singapore who leads the China team at FrontierView, a political and economic risk consultancy. Earlier, Thomas was on the China desk at the BBC and Financial Times in London. 

China's role in today's world and related to the war are central. On top of the War in Ukraine - the most critical moment in the international security order since 1945 - the US has grafted upon this a global trade war, with China at the center of it. Trump has now turned his sights to China, correctly recognizing that without Beijing's solid support for Russia's war machine, Russia would never have been able to sustain this war these past 3.5 years. So what happens now? Tune in to find out the view from a China expert.

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How will Trump's trade wars impact the War in Ukraine?
What does the trade deal between the US and Europe mean for Ukraine?
What about US-China trade relations and potential US secondary sanctions?
And what happens to the dollar and euro?

To answer these questions, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Michael Strain, a globally renowned macroeconomics and trade expert at the American Enterprise Institute. Mike often writes in the Financial Times, New York Times, Washington Post, Bloomberg, and other media. 

Dr. Michael Strain, Director of Economic Policy Studies and the Arthur F. Burns Scholar in Political Economy at the American Enterprise Institute. His research and writing span a wide range of areas, including labor markets, public finance, social policy, and macroeconomics. He holds a PhD in economics from Cornell University.

Dr. Strain writes frequently for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Financial Times, Bloomberg Opinion, and National Review, among other outlets. He is a columnist for Project Syndicate.

Dr. Strain has testified before Congress and is a frequent guest on radio and television, regularly interviewed by CNBC, MSNBC, NPR, and others.

Listen in to hear Mike's "cautiously optimistic" view of Trump's trade and security policies and how they will help Ukraine. Also be sure to catch his unconventional outlook for the end of the war!

Please also see Mike's article earlier this year on why the US should support Ukraine: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/u-s-support-for-ukraine-advances-americas-interests/ 

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Did you know the head of the Russian Orthodox Church is a former KGB agent and multimillionaire who made his money in smuggling?

Or that its priests routinely bless the missiles, drones, and weapons used against innocent Ukrainian civilians everyday?

Even other Orthodox Church leaders, not to mention Pope Francis and Pope Leo, have condemned the Russian Orthodox Church's actions. 

Hear how Russia has used the church as yet another tool of its imperialistic aggression. 

Rostyslav Pavlenko is a Ukrainian politician, member of Ukrainian parliament, scientist and public figure. In 2015-2019, he was the coordinator of state efforts to assist the Ukrainian Orthodox in unification, recognition and obtaining Tomos (certificate) of Autocephaly (church independence). Successfully led negotiations with the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, Primates and clergy of the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches, and Ukrainian church notables. Upon successful obtaining of the Tomos of Autocephaly, was decorated by the President Petro Poroshenko with the Order of Liberty.

Listen in from the man who helped Ukraine achieve its independence from the Russian Orthodox Church and make it its own Orthodox Church as recognized by Constantinople. 

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It's an unfortunate reality but its true: the primary obstacle in US politics today to supporting Ukraine comes from the Republican Party. It's been strange to see the party of Reagan hesitant to stand up to Russia and support a democratic ally in its quest for freedom. 

Why is that?
And ultimately should the US support Ukraine?

To answer these questions, I had on the show Larry Provost, a conservative columnist, Republican, US veteran, Trump supporter AND major supporter of Ukraine. 

Hear not only all the reasons why the US should support Ukraine, but also why he believes Trump, his administration, and much of the right in the US have been hesitant to support Ukraine to date. Listen in also to hear why Provost is optimistic that the Trump administration will be more supportive going forward.

Larry Provost is a conservative columnist and commentator based in Washington, D.C. A 26 year military Veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, he is a graduate of the U.S. Naval War College, George Washington University, Liberty University and Regent University. His work has appeared in Townhall, Newsmax, The Daily Caller, The American Spectator and other Conservative publications.

You can find the article mentioned in the podcast that Provost wrote here: https://www.newsbreak.com/newsmax-325020896/4084331020836-why-u-s-helping-ukraine-defeat-russia-makes-fiscal-sense 

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Not many people know Canada has one of the largest Ukrainian populations abroad. And this fact has helped make Canada one of the most supportive countries of Ukraine in the Western world. 

To understand the strong level of engagement Canada has here on the ground in Ukraine, I had the pleasure of having a very engaging discussion with Canadian Ambassador to Ukraine Natalka Cmoc, whose positivity and vibrance was thoroughly inspiring. 

Ambassador Natalka Cmoc, Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine. Amb. Cmoc was appointed Canada’s Ambassador to Ukraine in August 2023. Earlier, she completed field research in Ukraine and Russia, including implementing Canadian technical assistance projects in Ukraine in the 1990s. She served as a counsellor for technical cooperation at the Embassy of Canada to Ukraine from 2011 to 2013, working on democracy and human rights programming. She then joined Global Affairs Canada’s Stabilization and Reconstruction Task Force, where she was responsible for establishing the first security programming in Ukraine following Russia’s 2014 invasion. In 2015, she moved to the Department of National Defence and, in 2020, she became director general in the Science and Parliamentary Infrastructure Branch at Public Services and Procurement Canada.

Amb. Cmoc covered loads of topics, from what it's like operating an embassy in Ukraine during the war, to various programs Canada is involved with beyond defense, to women entrepreneurship and women's critical role in the economy at this difficult time.

Here is a link to the fashion brand of Ukrainian clothing started by the Ukrainian woman entrepreneur mentioned in the podcast - https://www.instagram.com/svilamiya/

They ship abroad to please have a look!

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In this episode, I had the great honor of interviewing 4-Star US General Philip Breedlove, former Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO. 

General Philip Breedlove, a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force who served as the commander of U.S. European Command, as well as the 17th Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) of NATO Allied Command Operations, from May 2013 until May 4, 2016.

Listen in to hear his views on:
- Where the War in Ukraine is heading?
- What is the impact of the Israel-Iran War on Ukraine?
- What will be the US's policy towards Ukraine?
- Will Europe step up?
- Is NATO dead?
...and much more. 

Spoiler alert - no, Russia isn't winning.

I had the pleasure of meeting Gen. Breedlove at the GLOBSEC conference in Prague a week prior to this interview at a side event dedicated to Ukraine's reconstruction. He was kind enough to join the show, being the massive supporter of Ukraine that he is. 

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There's alot of talk about Western military support to Ukraine, but what about Ukraine's own capabilities?

To discuss that, I had on the show Arsen Zhumadilov, the head of the Defense Procurement Agency. Arsen discussed some critical developments in Ukraine's ability to defend itself - with a particular focus on drones - while focusing on how the process works in terms of getting Ukrainian-produced military equipment from the producers to the appropriate brigade at the front. 

We also talked about the latest procurement innovation in the DOT-Chain Defense, which serves almost as an Amazon marketplace for brigades seeking drones for the fight. 

Arsen Zhumadilov, In March 2025, he was appointed Director of the Defense Procurement Agency, and on May 2, 2025, he was appointed Chairman of the Commission for the Reorganization of the State Logistics Operator. 

Public administrator, Crimean Tatar public figure, senior lecturer at the Department of Political Science at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. He has extensive experience in building state institutions and reforming public procurement.

In April 2023, he headed the defense procurement reform team within the Office of Change Support at the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. From 2019 to 2023, he served as Director General of the State Enterprise Medical Procurement of Ukraine. From October 2023 to March 2024, he headed the State Enterprise “State Logistics Operator”.

Arsen has several higher education degrees. He graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv with a Master of Laws and a Master of Political Science. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Management from the London School of Economics (UK). He also holds an Executive MBA from Kyiv Mohyla Business School.

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