Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Topic 2054
Russia has announced the successful test of the Sarmat ICBM and confirmed its deployment in 2026, as military commanders tell Putin the Donbass will be fully captured by autumn, at which point Moscow is expected to issue sweeping new terms to Ukraine and the West. Alex Christoforou of The Duran breaks down a day packed with geopolitical flashpoints, from the Palantir CEO's visit to Kiev, where he described Ukraine as running its battlefield like a tech company, to the Financial Times reporting that new Russian terms may include Odessa and possibly Kiev itself. In Berlin, Friedrich Merz was loudly booed at the German Trade Union Confederation as he defended pension and health insurance cuts, all while funneling billions toward rearmament and Rheinmetall's rapidly expanding drone and missile production lines. Meanwhile, Trump's high-stakes business trip to Beijing, accompanied by CEOs from Boeing, Apple, Nvidia, and BlackRock, signals a dramatic pivot from the geopolitical pressure campaign that Washington originally planned. Is the collective West actually deterred by Russia's nuclear arsenal, or has that calculation fundamentally changed, and what does the Donbass timeline mean for any ceasefire negotiation? Watch the full update and decide for yourself.
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Amazing music contribution from Peter Brown.
Follow Peter's music: soundcloud.com/peterboy100
00:00:00 Intro & Athens update
00:01:32 Macron at Africa First summit
00:02:01 King Charles pushes digital ID
00:02:35 Starmer refuses to resign
00:03:00 Trump & CEOs travel to China
00:05:11 China's four red lines for Trump
00:07:39 Trump's Iran nuclear gaffe
00:09:38 B9 summit in Bucharest
00:11:57 Palantir CEO meets Zelensky in Kiev
00:14:24 Putin announces Sarmat ICBM deployment
00:16:04 Western media dismisses Sarmat
00:18:48 Russia to capture Donbass by autumn 2026
00:21:12 Merz booed at German trade union conference
00:25:41 Rheinmetall contracts & kamikaze drones
00:30:30 Operation Sledgehammer: Iran name change
00:32:57 Iran missile sites intact NYT report
00:34:27 Clown world: Trump Tower Australia cancelled
00:35:45 Rubio mocks Maduro on Air Force One
00:38:52 Venezuela as 51st state & Greenland deal
Topic 2054
Russia has announced the successful test of the Sarmat ICBM and confirmed its deployment in 2026, as military commanders tell Putin the Donbass will be fully captured by autumn, at which point Moscow is expected to issue sweeping new terms to Ukraine and the West. Alex Christoforou of The Duran breaks down a day packed with geopolitical flashpoints, from the Palantir CEO's visit to Kiev, where he described Ukraine as running its battlefield like a tech company, to the Financial Times reporting that new Russian terms may include Odessa and possibly Kiev itself. In Berlin, Friedrich Merz was loudly booed at the German Trade Union Confederation as he defended pension and health insurance cuts, all while funneling billions toward rearmament and Rheinmetall's rapidly expanding drone and missile production lines. Meanwhile, Trump's high-stakes business trip to Beijing, accompanied by CEOs from Boeing, Apple, Nvidia, and BlackRock, signals a dramatic pivot from the geopolitical pressure campaign that Washington originally planned. Is the collective West actually deterred by Russia's nuclear arsenal, or has that calculation fundamentally changed, and what does the Donbass timeline mean for any ceasefire negotiation? Watch the full update and decide for yourself.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE:
╔═╦╗╔╦╗╔═╦═╦╦╦╦╗╔═╗
║╚╣║║║╚╣╚╣╔╣╔╣║╚╣═╣
╠╗║╚╝║║╠╗║╚╣║║║║║═╣
╚═╩══╩═╩═╩═╩╝╚╩═╩═╝
BUY ME A COFFEE: buymeacoffee.com/alexchristoforou
BTC: bc1q7ff0r8mnt04a4cj3krakzn4fmar28pv43ds2xe
ETH: 0x96ee7fedae52f3a263bb499300ab0f641faef496
LTC: ltc1qs333rf24gwh6tnusl60at7m77way0q4699vule
XRP: rH6WnYnLP3MwKqJMapoofyxCeNbMEK3pp6
THE DURAN: youtube.com/@TheDuran
ALEXANDER: youtube.com/AlexanderMercourisReal
SUBSTACK: theduran.substack.com
X: https://x.com/AXChristoforou
LOCALS: theduran.locals.com (1 Month Free Trial)
RUMBLE:
rumble.com/c/theduran
rumble.com/c/AlexChristoforou
rumble.com/c/AlexanderMercouris
SPOTIFY: creators.spotify.com/pod/show/the-duran
APPLE PODCASTS: apple.co/2H9Hk0a
THE DURAN SHOP: theduranshop.com
SUBSCRIBE STAR: subscribestar.com/theduran
PATREON: patreon.com/theduran
Amazing music contribution from Peter Brown.
Follow Peter's music: soundcloud.com/peterboy100
00:00:00 Intro & Athens update
00:01:32 Macron at Africa First summit
00:02:01 King Charles pushes digital ID
00:02:35 Starmer refuses to resign
00:03:00 Trump & CEOs travel to China
00:05:11 China's four red lines for Trump
00:07:39 Trump's Iran nuclear gaffe
00:09:38 B9 summit in Bucharest
00:11:57 Palantir CEO meets Zelensky in Kiev
00:14:24 Putin announces Sarmat ICBM deployment
00:16:04 Western media dismisses Sarmat
00:18:48 Russia to capture Donbass by autumn 2026
00:21:12 Merz booed at German trade union conference
00:25:41 Rheinmetall contracts & kamikaze drones
00:30:30 Operation Sledgehammer: Iran name change
00:32:57 Iran missile sites intact NYT report
00:34:27 Clown world: Trump Tower Australia cancelled
00:35:45 Rubio mocks Maduro on Air Force One
00:38:52 Venezuela as 51st state & Greenland deal
