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‘Licking Putin’s Boot!’ Alastair Campbell | Witkoff’s Russia Deal & Netanyahu’s Iran War Plan
Full original episode. Highlights below summarise the discussion; claims and opinions are attributed to the speakers.Campbell condemns Washington’s approach to Putin
Campbell described US envoy Steve Witkoff’s reported praise of Vladimir Putin as a humanitarian as “boot-licking,” rather than serious diplomacy. He argued that Donald Trump’s administration appeared increasingly sympathetic to Putin while treating Volodymyr Zelensky as an obstacle, despite Ukraine being the invaded country. Campbell speculated—without presenting evidence—that Trump and Putin might envisage a broader future arrangement over regional influence, and said Europe must prepare for the possibility that Washington can no longer be relied upon as an ally on Ukraine.
Trump’s defenders point to sanctions and competing pressures
Will Chamberlain rejected Campbell’s interpretation, citing US sanctions on Russian energy companies, tariffs connected to purchases of Russian oil and years of American support for Ukraine. He characterised Witkoff’s language as diplomacy conducted amid several simultaneous pressures, including conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, domestic politics and fuel prices. The exchange exposed a central disagreement: whether engagement with Moscow represents pragmatic crisis management or an unacceptable tilt towards the aggressor.
A ceasefire need not mean legal territorial surrender
The programme replayed Zelensky saying Ukraine could accept an immediate freeze along the existing front line to stop the killing, while refusing to recognise occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian. Kellogg later endorsed that distinction between Russia’s de facto physical control and legal ownership. He said a ceasefire could allow Putin to claim victory and halt the war without Ukraine formally surrendering its territorial claims. Kellogg believed Zelensky might accept such an arrangement if Ukraine received adequate security guarantees, although he acknowledged not knowing what proposal Witkoff had taken to Moscow.
Iran debate turns on tactical damage versus strategic results
Trita Parsi argued that the Iran war had damaged US strategic standing and had failed to achieve its stated political or military objectives. Jim Hanson disputed that assessment, claiming Iran’s nuclear, military and industrial capabilities had been substantially degraded. Parsi accepted that facilities had been hit but distinguished those tactical effects from durable strategic gains, while Morgan questioned how confidently anyone could assess the nuclear programme’s condition without verification. The discussion became acrimonious when Hanson made personal allegations against Parsi, which Parsi rejected as a substitute for factual argument.
In the later interview, Kellogg defended action intended to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon but also stressed the need for inspectors to examine sites directly as part of any peace process. He said he would have pursued the conflict differently and floated seizing strategically valuable assets to create leverage. Morgan countered that escalation could prompt Iranian attacks on Gulf refineries or desalination infrastructure, with potentially severe consequences.