As the Russia-Ukraine war opens a new phase in the Donbas, scholar Richard Sakwa on the absence of diplomacy; the Western media's veneration of Zelensky; the European Union's self-implosion over the war; and the crackdown on dissent in both Ukraine and Russia.

Guest: Richard Sakwa. Professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent. His books include "Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands” and his latest, “Deception: Russiagate and the New Cold War."

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Links:

"'One less traitor': Zelensky oversees campaign of assassination, kidnapping and torture of political opposition"

https://thegrayzone.com/2022/04/17/traitor-zelensky-assassination-kidnapping-arrest-political-opposition/

"Siding with Ukraine's far-right, US sabotaged Zelensky's mandate for peace"

https://mate.substack.com/p/siding-with-ukraines-far-right-us?s=w

"'Al Qaeda Is on Our Side': How Obama/Biden Team Empowered Terrorist Networks in Syria"

https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2022/04/20/al_qaeda_is_on_our_side_how_obamabiden_officials_helped_create_a_safe_haven_for_terrorists_in_syria_827477.html