Alastair Crooke, Judge Napolitano: Russians Believe Europe Wants War; Gaza Peace Plan; Trump’s unpredictability

by Judge Napolitano, Judging Freedom [11-18-2025] Alastair Crooke(bio).

(RAD: Alastair is in Moscow talking with many important leaders. Europe would have to borrow money to rebuild their military and prepare for war, which would make their economy even more fragile. The Russians are clearly winning on the battlefield in Ukraine. For a variety of reasons, it looks like there is no possibility for a negotiated political settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. All of this creates unpredictable situations that could spin out of control into a major conflict, which concerns Russia. It should be clear to anyone who is objectively following this conflict that Russia has no interest in invading Europe. They want to settle the "root causes" of the Ukraine conflict.

Russia & China abstained from a UN vote on the Middle East "Peace Plan". There is an expectation that no concrete follow through of Trump's plan will actually happen.

Trump is unpredictable & becoming more unpredictable. The Russians are fully aware of this & don't take his wild pronouncements seriously. Furthermore, Trump doesn't have agency to follow through. There are no real channels of communication between Russia & the US, which is a real concern. There is currently no prospect for a political solution to the Ukraine conflict. The US keeps presenting 'plans' that are DOA & ignore the "root causes" & military reality. In other words, there are no real negotiations about the fundamental issues. Let's hope that all of this doesn't blow up into a bigger military confrontation. Be sure to listen to Alastair's excellent analysis. — RAD)