Author: Mark McNamee

Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify Formal talks are now imminent, and US rhetoric in the lead-up to that has unfortunately caused alot of worry, and justifiably so. But it is only a start in what will be a long process. In this episode, I provided my quick view on how we should interpret what has transpired over the past week, including at the Munich Security Conference.And yes, I remain cautiously optimistic. To learn more, visit: https://ubn.network/ Listen to more episodes on Mission Matters: https://missionmatters.com/author/Mark-McNamee/

Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify Now that we know who the US president is and more about US policy towards Russia, I brought back on the show again my professor from graduate school, John Harper. Last time we spoke late in 2024, we didn’t know who would be in the White House, much less what the US policy towards the war would be this year. Now we do know, so what know? What does history tell us as we enter this inflection point in the new Cold War? Can Trump end the war this year, as promised? Professor John Harper is an expert on…

Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify “Jake Sullivan used to give the bully (Putin) his lunch money. We’re not going to do that” – Mike Waltz, US National Security AdvisorComforting words shared on my latest podcast!Good to have a former Green Beret instead of a lawyer driving US foreign policy.I had the pleasure of sitting down with Steven Moore, a DC insider fresh off of trips to DC and Davos, where he’s gained a solid understanding of Trump’s developing policy towards Russia and Ukraine.In Moore’s belief, he’s increasingly optimistic about Trump’s support for Ukraine and an end to the war this year – a view…

Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify Approaching the 4th year of this war, polls have consistently shown that an overwhelming majority of Russians still support the war. How do Russians stay supportive of the war despite everything – not only the unending atrocities inflicted on Ukrainians but also the extreme level of Russian casualties? What is it about the Kremlin’s ideology that convinces tens and tens of millions to continue to support this horrible war?To answer these questions and more, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. James Pearce to discuss the foundations of Russian political culture. Dr. Pearce shared his thoughts on the imperialistic…

Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify And in the 2nd part of this episode, we will dive into the question: Who is set to emerge as the new leader of Europe? My guest and I have some ideas…I had the pleasure of interviewing my former colleague and Europe political and economic expert, Martin Belchev, to discuss Europe’s future and its policy towards Ukraine security future in this Trump era?Europe couldn’t be weaker than it is is at the moment. Weak economies across most of the primary countries while political crises are flourishing. A leaderless Europe in political disarray now faces an aggressive Russia trying to…

Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify We’ve heard enough about Trump, but what about Europe and its policy towards Ukraine? And what about Europe’s own security future in this Trump era?Europe couldn’t be weaker than it is is at the moment. Weak economies across most of the primary countries while political crises are flourishing. A leaderless Europe in political disarray now faces an aggressive Russia trying to destroy the Western order while across the Atlantic the new US president seems eager to sever existing political and security ties to Europe. Where is Europe going and how will it impact Ukraine?Martin Belchev, Senior Economist, International Wine and…

Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify Did you know Kyiv is nearly 1,000 years older than Moscow?Did you know Ukrainian is far older than the Russian language?Did you know Russians can’t understand Ukrainian?Did you know Russia even stole its name “Russia” from Ukraine?In this episode, I greatly enjoyed speaking with Igor Osypenko, the director of OLOS-Foundation, which is devoted to the development and popularization of Ukrainian culture and history. We did our best to dispel the endless myths Moscow has created to justify its imperial expansion into Ukraine. Learn about Ukraine’s distinct history, language, and culture, proving how unique and separate it has been from…

Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify This one is a bit of a Christmas special, recorded right before the holidays and touches on a number of remarkable – perhaps mystical – moments of a soldier at war. Listen to the story of Angel (his call sign, not revealing his real name to protect his and his family’s identity), a soldier who joined the Ukraine foreign legion at the outset of the full-scale invasion in February 2022. He had a dream and felt a calling to come fight for Ukraine. We unfortunately could not finish the entire interview, with so many more fascinating stories, as our time…

Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify 2.5 years as a POW under Russian captivity. Daily beatings and humiliation. A bombing of his barracks by Russians while in captivity. And even met Steven Seagal, who challenged a Ukrainian POW to a fight…only to then back down…And now that Gennady has been released, you’ll be amazed to hear what he’s going to do next. Gennady Kharchenko, Soldier of Azov Battalion. Born in Zaporizhzhya, Ukraine, Gennady joined the military as a volunteer in 2014 to stop Russia’s initial invasion of this current war. Gennady fought in the Azovstal complex and was then taken into Russian captivity in mid-2022 and…

Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify What is the corruption situation like in Ukraine and what does the future look like? Will Ukraine be successful in reducing corruption in the coming years and become more like a Western nation?In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Oleksandra Keudel, who is a renowned expert in politics and governance, about the corruption environment in Ukraine historically and where things stand today. Ukraine of course has a major problem with corruption, but is in fact one of the more transparent countries in the world. The ongoing fight with corruption has seen clear improvements, but there is…

Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify The psychological damage to children has been one of the most underreported stories of this horrific war here in Ukraine. How are children coping, especially those who have lost parents and other family members?In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Oksana Lebedeva, the founder of the NGO Gen.Ukrainian, which is devoted to the mental rehabilitation of children and adolescents who have experienced psychological trauma as a result of war, such as loss of parents, captivity, or forced displacement. Oksana spoke about the children her organization works with, the trauma they have faced, and how they help…

Subscribe: iTunes / Spotify Did you know Russia starved to death at least 4 million Ukrainians in a single year?The Ukrainian man-made famine of 1932-33, known as the Holodomor in Ukrainian, is recognized by most Western nations as an act of genocide conducted by Moscow on the Ukrainian people. In light of the annual commemoration of the Holodomor on November 23, 2024 (always the 4th Saturday of November), I spoke w Tetiana Soproniuk, a PhD candidate at the Nizhyn Mykola Gogol State University in Ukraine. Her research is focused on the public sentiments of the Ukrainian population of the 1920s and 1930s, Soviet propaganda,…