Bulwark Takes
Episode: Trump Invites Putin To His “Board of Peace” While Kyiv Freezes
Date: January 21, 2026
Host: Tim Miller
Guest: Caolan Robertson

Episode Overview

This episode delivers an urgent and sobering look at the ongoing crisis in Ukraine as the country faces its harshest winter in years, compounded by intensified Russian attacks on critical energy infrastructure. Reporting live from Davos, guest Caolan Robertson discusses the dire humanitarian situation in Kyiv, how Russia is using winter as a weapon of war, and the muted, distracted response of Western leaders as global politics shift focus to “Trumpmania” at Davos. The conversation is laced with frustration over Donald Trump’s proposed peace plan involving Vladimir Putin, fears over NATO’s future, and the existential threat posed to both Ukraine and the wider European order.

Key Points & Discussion Breakdown

1. Humanitarian Crisis in Kyiv: Russia’s Winter Warfare

[02:07–06:00]

• Robertson, just returned from Kyiv, describes the “coldest winter in years” with temperatures as low as -20°C, resulting in the Dnipro River freezing over for the first time in decades.
  • “The entire left side of the city… is totally pitch black.” — Caolan Robertson [02:33]
• Russian attacks are now focused on energy and thermal infrastructure, leaving 6,000 buildings in Kyiv without water or power.
• Temporary “resilience centers” are set up as warming stations, but the situation is “verging on a humanitarian catastrophe.”
  • “It’s catastrophic. It’s becoming verging on a humanitarian catastrophe.” — Caolan Robertson [02:40]
• Mayor of Kyiv advises evacuation for those who can; residents face risk of freezing, lack of basic utilities, and destroyed infrastructure.
  • “The mayor of Kyiv last week said if you have the ability to leave Kyiv, then he would recommend temporarily doing so, which no politician has said before.” — Caolan Robertson [03:07]
• Soviet-era plumbing and heating systems could suffer permanent, irreparable damage from the cold and lack of running water.

2. Military Stalemate and Tech Escalation

[06:00–09:09]

• Ukraine seeks to compensate for manpower shortages via advanced military technology, AI, and drones, with ambitious goals of inflicting unsustainable Russian losses.
  • “There isn’t enough manpower... so there’s massive investment in technology and AI, in using robots, basically grand robots and drones…” — Caolan Robertson [06:40]
• Despite minimal territorial changes, tech advancements are happening on both sides; Russia is mass-producing Shaheed drones with North Korean help.
• Economic troubles in Russia (blackouts, inflation, labor costs) are mounting, and economic decline is likely to become the decisive factor in the war’s outcome.
  • “That’s probably going to be the thing that ends the war, is the economy in Russia, not so much the technology or the manpower.” — Caolan Robertson [08:42]

3. Trump, Putin, NATO & Western Distraction at Davos

[09:09–13:12]

• Tim Miller lambasts Trump’s idea of putting Putin on a “board of peace,” with Robertson labeling it a “witness protection program for war criminals.”
  • “Trump… wants to start invading European countries. He started his own peace outlet... basically a witness protection program for war criminals. It's like Putin and Orban — everybody who's been invited to the Hague — like, this is what we're dealing with now.” — Caolan Robertson [09:38]
• Davos is overwhelmingly preoccupied with the brewing US-Greenland confrontation under Trump rather than the crisis in Ukraine.
  • “Everybody is talking about Greenland and Trump right now, when the capital of Ukraine is without power…” — Caolan Robertson [10:42]
• Russian propaganda is celebrating Western disarray. Trump’s threats to NATO and pursuit of Greenland have caused a fracture in Euro-American relations, isolating Denmark and threatening to “destroy NATO.”
• Kremlin analysts openly hope for new US-EU divisions to end Western support for Ukraine, but Robertson doubts direct causality (“it will cause a massive rift... and NATO would be destroyed…” [12:05]).

4. Davos Atmosphere: Anxiety, Weakness, and Trump Fixation

[13:12–16:11]

• Robertson paints Davos as tense and focused solely on Trump’s impending arrival: “It feels like Trump land.”
• Typical discussions on global policy, AI, and security are drowned out by Trump-centered anxiety; the overall mood is described as “strange” and “about the least appealing place imaginable.”
  • “It feels like Trump land in a lot of ways. There’s not much conversation about policy… right now it’s like, specifically just about this.” — Caolan Robertson [13:34]
• Robertson critiques the “pathetic and weak” pandering by European leaders to Trump, contrasting it with the confident, vibrant presence of other global politicians and the strength Europe used to symbolize.
  • “Everyone is talking about how to pander to Trump… it is pathetic that everyone here is on their hands and knees right now thinking of ways to offer Trump as much gold and compliments as possible.” — Caolan Robertson [15:18]
• Gavin Newsom is singled out for resisting this trend, calling out “complicity” and “rolling over” by other leaders.
  • “I can’t take this complicity, people rolling over.” — Tim Miller [15:32]
  • "I should have brought... knee pads for all the world leaders. I mean, handing out crowns... this is pathetic.” — Tim Miller [15:36]
• A leaked NATO-head text to Trump lavishing praise on dismantling NATO is cited as emblematic of the troubling capitulation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This is the absolute worst winter I’ve ever seen… It’s a complete disaster.” — Caolan Robertson [03:11]
• “It feels like Trump land in a lot of ways. There’s not much conversation about policy…” — Caolan Robertson [13:34]
• “Everyone I’ve spoken to has basically said that this is the most unusual type of event… everyone here is on their hands and knees right now thinking of ways to offer Trump as much gold and compliments as possible.” — Caolan Robertson [15:18]
• “If you want to destroy Russia… you can help the Ukrainians do it on the battlefield right now. So Trump clearly isn’t worried about that…” — Caolan Robertson [12:28]
• “All these streets are full of… India has… every single representative is here… there’s air defense systems and missile systems… feels, like, unbelievable. And that should also be a reminder to people that Europe is still strong… But the response… extremely pathetic and weak here.” — Caolan Robertson [14:30]

Important Timestamps

• [01:20] — First-hand winter crisis account from Kyiv
• [02:07–03:50] — Energy attacks & humanitarian catastrophe detailed
• [06:00–06:37] — Ukraine’s tech-driven military strategy
• [09:09–10:09] — Trump, Putin, and the “board of peace” ridicule
• [10:36–11:44] — Davos focus on US-Greenland, NATO at risk
• [13:17] — On-the-ground Davos atmosphere & Trump fixation
• [15:18] — European political weakness and Gavin Newsom's critique

Episode Tone

Urgent, frustrated, and dismayed. Both Miller and Robertson express deep concern about the humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine and incredulity at the Western world’s response—or lack thereof. The tone is wryly cynical regarding Davos, skeptical and critical of US and European leaders’ weakness, with flashes of dark humor about the absurdity of global politics in the Trump era.

Summary by Bulwark Takes Podcast Summarizer