Glenn's Ukraine Trip Report: US NatSec Strategy Assessment, Putin's #2, Putin Targeting Trump

📩 Subscribe for Daily Intel - PDB-Style for FREE at ⁠⁠⁠restrictedhandling.com⁠⁠⁠. Stay ahead of the world's most critical flashpoints with the Restricted Handling Daily Intelligence Brief — a PDB-style summary covering Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and the Middle East. You'll also get two companion daily podcasts focused exclusively on Russia and China. Today's Episode Get ready for an eye-opening, on-the-ground breakdown from former CIA officers Ryan Fugit and Glenn Korn as they dive deep into Glenn's latest trip to Ukraine, the evolving Russia–Ukraine war, shifting U.S. national security strategy, and the global geopolitical chessboard shaping 2025 and beyond. Fresh off his eighth trip to Ukraine, Glenn shares raw, unfiltered observations from Kyiv and Lviv, including the mood of the Ukrainian people, the Midas corruption scandal shaking political leadership, Russia's escalated airstrikes, critical shortages in air defense systems, and what Ukraine truly needs to withstand the winter. The conversation then shifts into the explosive 28-point peace plan, the stalled Moscow meeting with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Putin's classic diplomatic power plays, Russian disinformation, European hesitations, China's strategic position, and how the new U.S. National Security Strategy reframes threats in the Western Hemisphere, Eurasia, and beyond. If you care about geopolitics, intelligence analysis, or understanding the reality behind headline narratives, this episode is an absolute must-watch. 🎯 Topics Covered Glenn's firsthand insights from Ukraine How Russia is adjusting tactics on the battlefield Ukrainian political turmoil: the Midas corruption case Europe's role: UK, France, Germany, Baltics, Nordics Why Russia made Witkoff & Kushner wait 5 hours China's influence inside Russia How the new U.S. national security strategy shifts America's priorities What Putin fears most Why the West must communicate directly to the Russian people Timeline 00:00 — Opening + Introductions 00:26 — Glenn returns from Ukraine: trip overview 00:51 — Conditions on the ground in Kyiv & Lviv 01:54 — How Ukrainians are coping with winter + political scandal 04:30 — The stalled 28-point plan & Moscow visit fallout 06:21 — Russia's propaganda tactics & disrespect signals 07:21 — Europe's support: who's helping, who's not 08:30 — EU frozen Russian assets debate explained 11:07 — What the U.S. should do next with Russia 13:04 — Why "win-win-win economics" doesn't work with Putin 14:47 — New U.S. National Security Strategy: Glenn's take 18:00 — Western Hemisphere focus & Maduro–Putin developments 21:00 — How Europe interprets the new strategy 23:59 — Why Russia is applauding the strategy document 26:09 — Disinformation, media accountability & the BBC case 28:36 — Value of NATO and European partnerships 30:00 — China's threat and why Russia won't break from Beijing 31:48 — Who actually has influence over Putin today? 34:38 — Any hope of breakthroughs before year-end? 35:50 — Final thoughts: Why Ukraine needs unwavering U.S. resolve Want more deep-dive episodes with Ryan Fugit & Glenn Korn? Drop your questions in the comments! 🕵️‍♂️ Find Glenn Corn Online: ⁠https://greatsouthbayinc.com/⁠ Former Senior CIA Operations Officer, Member of the Senior Intelligence Service, and Adjunct Professor of Russian/Soviet Studies With 34 years across the CIA, Defense, and State Department, he's served in some of the hardest locations as a multi-time Chief of Station. Today, he advises on global intelligence, risk, and strategic security challenges while teaching at the Institute of World Politics. Find Ryan Fugit Online: Ryan founded Restricted Handling to highlight some of the  authoritarian regimes. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit restrictedhandling.substack.com/subscribe