The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | November 20th, 2024: Zelensky's Stark Warning To America & Iran Accelerates Pursuit Of Nuclear Weapons
Wed, 20 Nov 2024
In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: First, President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a stark warning about Ukraine’s fate should the incoming Trump administration cut aid to Kyiv, as President Joe Biden doubles down on military support, greenlighting the use of antipersonnel land mines to slow Russia’s advances on the battlefield. Then, an update on Iran’s nuclear program, as a confidential report reveals the regime has significantly increased its stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium, despite ongoing efforts by the UN’s nuclear watchdog to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President’s Daily Brief by visiting PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief. YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief Patriot Gold: Call 1-888-870-5457 for a free investor guide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Chapter 1: What warning did President Zelensky issue about Ukraine?
I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First up, President Zelensky has issued a stark warning about Ukraine's fate should the incoming Trump administration cut aid to Kyiv, as President Biden doubles down on military support, greenlighting the use of anti-personnel landmines to slow Russia's advances on the battlefield.
Then, an update on Iran's nuclear program as a confidential report reveals the regime has significantly increased its stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium, despite ongoing efforts by the UN's nuclear watchdog to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table. But first, our afternoon spotlight.
President Zelensky is warning that the fate of Ukraine hangs in the balance and hinges on long-term support from the U.S. to sustain their defensive war against Russia. In an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Zelensky said Ukraine will not survive the Putin regime's current onslaught if America does not continue to fund Kiev's military needs at current levels.
Now, that is likely a cautionary statement meant for President-elect Donald Trump, as he prepares for a second term. The statement comes as the war passes the 1,000-day mark, and Moscow escalates their missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities. Addressing the possibility of military aid drying up in the new year, Zelensky told Fox News, "...if they will cut, we will, I think we will, lose.
We have our production, but it is not enough to prevail, and I think it is not enough to survive." End quote. Still, Zelensky said the incoming Trump administration could provide opportunities to change the current direction of the conflict, saying he believes Trump is, quote, much stronger than Putin and could potentially influence the dictator to end the war.
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Chapter 2: How is the Biden administration supporting Ukraine?
Regarding future negotiations with Moscow, Zelensky said, quote, it depends on Putin, but it also depends on the United States of America much more. Putin is weaker than the United States. The president of the U.S. has the strength and authorities and the weapons.
Speaking of weapons, President Biden, or whomever is running the White House, authorized on Tuesday the use of anti-personnel landmines for the Ukrainian military to blunt Russia's advances in the eastern Donetsk region. The approval came just two days after the U.S.
Chapter 3: What are the implications of the use of anti-personnel landmines?
greenlit Ukraine's use of U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russian territory, and that's obviously a controversial decision that has raised fears of escalation. Now, obviously, the use of anti-personnel landmines is also not without controversy.
More than 160 countries have signed an international treaty banning their use, citing, of course, the extreme risks that they pose to civilians. But Russia has been using them liberally since the war began, significantly impacting Ukrainian efforts to retake captured territory in the east.
Ukraine has long sought approval to use these mines in order to be on relatively equal footing with the Russian aggressors. Pentagon officials said the decision was prompted by Russia's renewed offensive push on the front lines in Donetsk in recent weeks, saying that the land mines are the best way to slow down Russian forces and ensure more towns and cities don't fall into Moscow's hands. U.S.
officials also stressed that these landmines are, quote, nonpersistent, meaning that they either lose battery charge or self-destruct after several days or weeks, limiting any long-term danger to civilians. Unless, of course, civilians are there in the vicinity when the landmines self-destruct. An anonymous U.S.
source told The Washington Post, quote, Russia is attacking Ukrainian lines in the east with waves of troops, regardless of the casualties that they're suffering. These mines were made specifically to combat exactly this, end quote.
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Chapter 4: What is the current status of Iran's nuclear program?
Next, an update on Iran's nuclear program, as a confidential report reveals the regime has significantly accelerated its enrichment of near-weapons-grade uranium, despite increasingly desperate attempts by the UN's nuclear watchdog to bring Iran into compliance. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here. Let's talk about trees, shall we? And plants. Oh, and don't forget shrubs.
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According to a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency , Iran continues to defy international demands to limit its nuclear program, significantly increasing its stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium.
In a confidential report obtained by the Associated Press on Tuesday, the United Nations nuclear watchdog revealed that as of October 26, Iran possesses over 400 pounds of uranium enriched to 60% purity. Now, that's a dramatic tenfold increase since the last report in August. Again, that's a tenfold increase in just two months. For context, uranium becomes weapons-grade at 90% purity.
The leap from 60% to 90% is technically straightforward and could take only weeks or even days with advanced centrifuges. To put this in perspective, 400 pounds of highly enriched uranium is enough for Tehran to produce roughly seven nuclear weapons, each comparable in size to the one dropped on Hiroshima.
While Iran maintains its nuclear program is just for peaceful purposes, nothing to see here, folks, it's just for civilian use, its actions, well, they do tell a different story Since September 2023, Tehran has barred several of the IAEA's most experienced inspectors, severely hindering the agency's ability to monitor nuclear activities
IAEA efforts to reinstall monitoring equipment removed in June 2022 remain stalled, and Iran continues to deny access to critical data from cameras installed at key nuclear sites. It's almost like they're hiding something. What could that be?
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