← The Globalist
Loading summary
Transcript121 lines
- [00:04]
UBS Narrator
Craft matters in small ways, like how a coffee is brewed, and in not so small ways, like how your money is cared for. Which is why for 160 years, UBS has elevated banking to a craft, tailoring unique strategies that combine human expertise with the latest technologies, all happening across 24 time zones and and 12 key financial hubs. With you at the heart of it all, UBS advice is our craft.
- [00:38]
Emma Nelson
You're listening to the Globalist, first broadcast on 19th February 2026 on Monocle Radio. The Globalist in association with U. Live from London. This is the Globalist with me, Emma Nelson. A very warm welcome to today's program. Coming up, difficult but businesslike talks end between Ukraine and Russia. We'll assess the level of progress. Also ahead in the next 60 minutes,
- [01:24]
Alexandre Kouchner
Presidente del Congreso de la Republica del congregator.
- [01:30]
Emma Nelson
After just four months, Peru ditches another president and appoints its ninth in 10 years. We'll also see how Greenland is being supported by its Nordic neighbors.
- [01:40]
Adolfo Veloso
And the way we wanted to shoot the movie really married well with natural light and to have a smaller footprint,
- [01:46]
Emma Nelson
an interview with the legendary Brazilian cinematographer Adolfo Veloso. Plus, the pay per view comes from the French Alps and we catch up with the Monocle team in Milan. That's all coming up on the Globalist live from London. First, a quick look at what else is happening in today's news. A court in South Korea will rule today on insurrection charges against the former president Yoon Suk Yeol over his attempts to impose military rule in 2024. The Microsoft founder Bill Gates has pulled out of a keynote address to a major AI summit in India after growing scrutiny of his ties to Jeffrey Epste. And an American military delegation is in Venezuela for the first time since the ousting of President Nicolas Maduro. Stay tuned to Monocle Radio throughout the day for more on these stories. But first, the second day of US Broken talks. Brokered talks between Ukraine and Russia has ended after just two hours, with Ukraine's lead negotiator saying that some progress had been made. The delegation from Russia described the meetings in Geneva as difficult but businesslike. So what happens next? Well, I'm told I'm joined now by Paul Waldy, who's a European correspondent at the Globe and Mail. Good morning, Paul. Welcome back to Monocle Radio.
- [03:04]
Paul Waldy
Good morning.
- [03:05]
Emma Nelson
So these were short sessions of talks. The first day, six hours. The second day just two.
- [03:11]
Paul Waldy
Yeah, and not a lot of progress in either session by the sounds of it. And I'm not Sure. When the next round of discussions is about to take place, there just doesn't seem to be a lot of give here. I mean, a lot of the bigger issues boil down to territory. Ukraine doesn't want to give up territory Russia hasn't captured. Russia's been adamant, or Putin has been adamant that he wants that territory. There are sort of proposals about setting some kind of demilitarization zones, but, you know, none of these proposals seem to be getting anywhere. And it just looks like both sides are kind of entrenched in their positions and these negotiations aren't really making any progress.
- [03:46]
Emma Nelson
Indeed. I mean, the two key sticking points that President Zelensky mentioned afterwards, and we have to be clear, there is. There was not much information coming out of either side about what was said, but he said there were two points. There's the eastern Donbas region, which the Ukrainians do not wish to give up to the Russians, and also the status of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is being controlled by the Russians at the moment.
- [04:12]
Paul Waldy
Yeah, exactly. I mean, I think in the Donbass, this is what Putin's whole objective has been about, is capturing the entire Donbas region, which is two provinces, Luhansk and Donetsk. They hold a lot of it already. They've taken a lot of it through the military action since the full scale war in 2022. But they don't control all of it. And Putin just wants the Ukrainians to give up the rest of it, which of course is a non starter for many Ukrainians. The Zaporizhzhia plan, I think Zelenskyy's position has been that it should be controlled by the US And Ukraine. Right now, obviously it's under Russian hands and I don't think Putin wants that either. So both of these positions seem to be pretty major stumbling blocks and it's hard to see a way around them.
- [04:50]
Emma Nelson
In the middle of this is the Americans who are brokering this talks, albeit in Switzerland. But the fact remains is that
- [04:58]
Salome Zarabishvili
a
- [04:58]
Emma Nelson
conflict on the borders of Europe, which the United States still wishes to take part in, trying to bring an end about, bring an end to. I mean, how important is America's role in this?
- [05:10]
Paul Waldy
Well, it's hugely important because obviously America has been a big funder of the Ukraine military for a long time and obviously the US has some pretty substantial sanctions on Russia. So I think both countries take the US Seriously. There is a real question, though, about just how effective this negotiation is, because right now you have these two US envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are not diplomats, really have no diplomatic experience handling both these negotiations and negotiations with Iran at the same time in the same city. And there's real doubts about how effective that can be in either. Given the complexities both of those issues have, it's hard to imagine how two people, even with enormous amounts of experience, could handle both at the same time, let alone two relative novices. So there's a lot of issues surrounding whether just how seriously Trump is taking these negotiations and just how effectively the US can be in both cases.
- [06:05]
Emma Nelson
Indeed. I mean, when we focus on the Ukraine and Russian problem, how much of a sense is there that the United States and indeed Donald Trump personally, still wants to bring this about, to bring the war to an end in a way that does not simply allow Russia to win?
- [06:21]
Paul Waldy
Well, that's the thing. I mean, I think Trump obviously is desperate to see this war end. He's talked about that repeatedly. He's put an awful lot of pressure on the Ukrainian side. And I think you saw Zelensky lash out at that a little bit this week, saying it's unfair, all of the criticism Trump mounts on him and Ukraine to make concessions while not saying the same thing about the Russian side. So I think there's a real question that Trump just wants to get a deal at any cost that doesn't really care about the final outcome. And obviously, that puts Ukraine in a really difficult position.
- [06:49]
Emma Nelson
And one thing that has not happened yet are direct talks with Vladimir Putin. Is there any sign that this is changing?
- [06:56]
Paul Waldy
I don't think so. I mean, Putin has been adamant that he doesn't view Zelensky as legitimate. And I think Zelensky would have a very hard time being in the same room as Putin. So I think for now, for the foreseeable future, you're going to have these kind of indirect talks. You do have both sides meeting face to face, which I guess is progress from, you know, a year or so ago. But it's really hard to see the leaders taking any kind of active role in this.
- [07:17]
Emma Nelson
And let's also talk a little bit about the fact that Russia's. The only public thing that Russia said this week was actually to do with the death of Alexei Navalny, the Kremlin critic that Russia accused. The European countries that accused Moscow of poisoning Navalny with this frog toxin were basically trying to sort of divert problems away from a deeper European problem. It's that strategy, isn't it, that Moscow destabilizes narratives and destabilizes regions simply by planting a seed of doubt how much actually is Europe now pulling together, given the last few weeks and months where the spotlight has been on Europe to try to bring about an end to the war in Ukraine, and yet there is still this feeling that it's not quite there yet, it can't step up.
- [08:10]
Paul Waldy
Yeah, I mean, I think Europe often feels excluded from this whole process. Trump, by design, has pretty much excluded the Europeans. They have been involved heavily, including some other countries like Canada, in this coalition of the willing, willing to step forward and provide security guarantees once there is a peace agreement. And Trump has backed that and the US Would play a role in that. But that's about it as far as Europe goes. You don't see any European officials really taking a leading role in these negotiations in Geneva. And I think there's frustration in some European capitals that Europe isn't present, isn't playing a role, given that this war is taking place in Europe and that Europe and the EU are providing an awful lot of funding to Ukraine as well. So, yeah, I think that's a problem. On the frog poison thing, it's no surprise. Russia always does this, takes its stand and denying these things and as you said, throwing in the seat of doubt. We saw that with the Novochuk poisonings here in London. So, yeah, this is kind of playing out as usual.
- [09:04]
Emma Nelson
What can Europe do about this to get its voice heard a little bit more widely, loudly, given the fact that Russia assumes that Europe is, is quite rightly siding with the Ukrainians to have the United States broker the talks, albeit in quite a hurried and rushed way, is something that retains what kind of credibility for the negotiations?
- [09:27]
Paul Waldy
Well, I mean, I think the, the whole issue on the security guarantees has been a strong suit for Europe and Trump is not starting to take that more seriously. I also think the Europeans have played a role sort of behind the scenes in pushing and helping push the Ukrainian position to try and get the Americans off this Russian narrative. You saw that when that 28 point plan was first proposed last year where it was very one sided towards the Russians. The Europeans joined together to push back on that. And that plan has now been kind of watered down a little bit. So I do think Europe has a role to play and leaders like Merits and Macron and others do have a role to play in Starmer as well. But it's going to have to be behind the scenes for now.
- [10:05]
Emma Nelson
Okay, let's move on. You were talking a moment ago about the fact that there are parallel talks or there were parallel talks going on between the United States and Iran and that Iran has agreed in principle during these talks to a guiding principle for a deal to avoid conflict. That sounds like the right positive tone when it comes to talks. But just looking at the New York Times in the last couple of hours, it says US Military moves into place for possible strikes in Iran. President Trump has given no indication, I'm quoting here, that he's made a decision about how to proceed as diplomatic talks continue. Where are we with Iran?
- [10:43]
Paul Waldy
Well, that's a good question. I mean, it did sound like after Tuesday's meetings that progress had been made. The Iranians wanted a bit more time to come up with a proposal. Even the Americans said progress had been made. But now all we're hearing about is that the Americans could begin military strikes as early as Saturday. So it's really hard to say where this is headed. Clearly, the US has built up an enormous armada, a second aircraft carriers en route to the region. The Israelis apparently are preparing as well. So it's very difficult to see where the diplomatic side of this thing is going. Unless Trump gets fed up and says the Iranians aren't serious, that could lead to some kind of military strike. But even that is questionable because what's the objective? Trump has mused about regime change, but that's pretty difficult unless you start sending in troops. So it's not even clear what the military objective would be at this point.
- [11:34]
Emma Nelson
Paul Walde, Europe correspondent at the Globe and Mail, thank you so much for joining us on the line. You're listening to the Globalist. It's 2:11am in Lima, 7:11am here in London. Now, it has been four months since Peru thought it had found a solution to its presidential problem. Jose Jerry took office, albeit in an interim capacity, to study a country which had seen eight presidents within a decade. It was not to last because. Because in the last couple of days, Paris Congress removed him from post after it's understood he failed to disclose meetings with Chinese businessmen. But guess what? In the last few hours, we have a new president. So who are they? Well, I'm joined now by Patricia Oliart, who's a senior lecturer in Latin American studies at Newcastle University here in the United Kingdom. Good morning, Patricia. Hi.
- [12:26]
Patricia Oliart
Good morning.
- [12:27]
Emma Nelson
So what went wrong?
- [12:28]
Patricia Oliart
Thank you for the interview.
- [12:29]
Emma Nelson
Pleasure. So what. What went wrong with Jose? Harry
- [12:35]
Patricia Oliart
Perry was chosen by a coalition of particular interests that has been in power in Peru since 2016 or 2018, when President Kucinski was also impeached. And he's part of this group of, we could say, newcomers in politics who represent a set of particular private interests. And they have been transforming the constitution. There are about 50 articles of the constitution that has been transformed to capture the judiciary and diminish more and more power from the executive. So Khairi was chosen by this coalition to take us to the elections in April after they decided to get rid of the previous president, Dina Boluarte, who was also part of this coalition. The thing is that they chose Jerry because he was the one who could represent the interests of this coalition better towards the end of this term. But he had really, we could say obscure interests. He was a lobbyist when he was a congressman and he just did not have any idea of the institutional implications of being a president. So he carried on with his particular interests, including an accusation of sort of a sex trafficking network within Congress, rape, which is an accusation that was quickly dismissed right before he became president. So his association with people who were. He's a lawyer, so he was the lawyer of some Chinese entrepreneurs who were providers of the state. And he continued this lawyer client relationship while he was a president. And it's not clear how some film material with a couple of these meetings was leaked and who took these videos because they are like in private environments. So once this was leaked, the crisis started. And this is the main reason, the association with private interests and these Chinese entrepreneurs, what triggered the crisis. But there is also all these allegations, some of them well founded, about also his personal behavior and trafficking of influences, using sex. So that's when that came unsustainable and he had to go.
- [15:49]
Emma Nelson
Okay, so Senor Harry is not there to counteract any of these accusations. So we'll just have to leave it there. But we now have a new president in the last few hours. Who are they and do they stand a better chance of lasting more than four months?
- [16:06]
Patricia Oliart
The new president is also part of this coalition that has no ideological definitions. It's just a coalition of diverse interests. In this case, President Balcazar comes from Peru Libre, the political party that took Pedro Castillo to president. That was a large, large congressal group. But throughout these years they have been also splitting according to diverse interests. But he was suggested as, let's say, less associated with the conventional ideas about right wing parties. So he comes as a left wing man, but that has been ruling together with this coalition.
- [16:59]
Emma Nelson
So what is the likelihood that this will actually last? Because Jose Harry was an interim president, but now we have a new president, as you mentioned, Jose Maria Balcazar. Do we think that there will be any kind of stability?
- [17:20]
Patricia Oliart
There is a lot of instability already. Because of the way in which this Congress has been legislating. And basically the country is in the hands of all these petty interests. But apparently it is in their interest to get to the elections because they don't have an alternative for, let's say, turning into dictatorship with one ruling party, because they can't do that. So it is very likely that we will get to the elections in the midst of a lot of chaos and also distrust from the population. There are 35 political parties contending for the next elections.
- [18:09]
Emma Nelson
What is this doing for the ability for Peruvians to go about their daily lives and indeed to do business? Is there any sense that anybody would like to invest in a country like this at the moment?
- [18:19]
Patricia Oliart
That is one of the problems that the country is facing, particularly the issue of violence and crime. That was, for example, the task that Gerry said he was going to take on. But similar to what is happening in many countries in Latin America, we are facing now a very strong presence of transnational crime organizations where extortion is very common, killings and that kind of thing. So it's not only political instability, it's also the. The issue of crime present in society and with very weak resources to contain that. So most political parties are claiming that they are going to solve this problem, but there is already a very serious problem with not big investors, but, you know, everyday small businesses who are now suffering a deep crisis of extortion, for example, every day, small amounts of money, public transport, for example, that in Peru is not funded by the state, but it's a myriad of small companies that run their own buses and the drivers ren the buses. And so there is a serious problem in big cities, for example, because these drivers are extorted every day for small amounts of money and if they don't pay, they are killed. So it's in everyday life people can feel the violence, particularly in the poorest areas in the country.
- [20:16]
Emma Nelson
Patricia Olia, thank you so much for joining us on the line. Patricia is senior lecturer in Latin American Studies at Newcastle University. Still to come on today's program, Russia
- [20:26]
Salome Zarabishvili
is never going to be satisfied completely, but it has found a new strategy of how to take control of a state without the very difficult military invasion that it's going through in Ukraine.
- [20:39]
Emma Nelson
We hear from Salome Zobishvili, the woman who claims to be the legitimate president of Georgia, on how her country lives with threats from Moscow. Stay tuned to the globalist.
- [20:53]
UBS Narrator
Craft is a matter of perspective, a unique outlook, an obsessive attention to detail. With UBS's Chief Investment Office Houseview. We're focused on identifying the latest investment opportunities and market risks to help you achieve your financial goals. So you get the big picture broken down into thought provoking insights delivered daily and curated by over 200 globally connected, locally active analysts. UBS banking is our craft.
- [21:30]
Emma Nelson
Let's have a look at today's newspapers. Joining me is Alexandre Kouchner, who's a political analyst and former editor in chief of La Dienne Le Shift, who joins me now from Avoriaz in the French Alps. Good morning, Alex.
- [21:44]
Alexandre Kouchner
Good morning.
- [21:45]
Emma Nelson
What is a. Where is a Voriaz? I've never had to introduce it on the radio. So I'm assuming you're having a nice time skiing, is that correct?
- [21:53]
Alexandre Kouchner
I am not gonna lie.
- [21:54]
Salome Zarabishvili
That is true.
- [21:56]
Emma Nelson
Excellent. How is it? How's the snow? What have you been up to? Tell us nice things.
- [22:00]
Alexandre Kouchner
Well, I can tell you that the snow was fantastic, but there's so much snow going around and it keeps on falling that the resorts are racing to actually secure the slopes. And I'm going to tell you a bit more about that just in a couple of minutes.
- [22:14]
Emma Nelson
Excellent, we look forward to that. But in the meantime, you have taken a break. I hope you've removed your skis to look at the papers. What's going on in the French press?
- [22:23]
Alexandre Kouchner
Well, French politics are in turmoil as violence escalates. And it's making the headlines in Le Parisien, Le Figaro and Liberation. This morning, today's cover of the weekly magazine l' Express does not mean words. It reads lfi, which is the name of France. France's far left party is a public danger. Le Mans, France's leading newspaper, recounts how the headquarters of the party were evacuated yesterday after a bomb threat was deemed credible. While 10 LFEMP offices have recently been vandalized. And on Tuesday in Chateauroux, a 78 year old far right supporter threw grenades and used different firearms against the police.
- [23:04]
Emma Nelson
I mean, this is incredible, Alex, because normally protesters is natural and normal. It's part of your national DNA having great arguments. But the fact that this is spilled over into sort of very specific incidents of violence is quite different, isn't it?
- [23:20]
Alexandre Kouchner
Yes, really. Violence has escalated and although we are a rowdy bunch, that's true. Political violence at this scale is normally very much muted. Nowadays there's only been 53 politically related murders since 1986. And this seems to have changed because all of this comes after the murder of Quentin Duran. On February 14th. The 23 year old Christian nationalist died of a brain injury after a street fight with Antifas on the sideline of a far right protest against a left wing politician conference at a university in Lyon. French authorities have arrested 11 suspects, including two LFEMPS assistants. But this swift police response did not calm the political debate. And this could have a serious impact on the ability of the different parties of the French left and the French right to ever forge an alliance for the 2027 presidential elections. But meanwhile, a family is in mourning and tensions are escalating. And one could suggest that before trying to use this tragedy for any political gain, all political parties should realize that using culture wars as their main argument is highly irresponsible. Because with the mayor elections in a month and the presidential one next year, French politics will only get more tense. And one death is one too many indeed.
- [24:47]
Emma Nelson
Right, let's move on to the continuing upheaval about what's going to happen to Christine Lagarde. In the last 24 hours, there was a rumor running around that she was going to step down early as the chief of the European Central bank in order to help Emmanuel Macron make a decision about her successor before he had to leave office. Now, the headlines now on the FT are saying that Christine Lagarde's move is not a foregone conclusion, but it suggested that were she to move, and when she moves, she goes to the World Economic Forum,
- [25:22]
Alexandre Kouchner
that could be possible. It's true that yesterday the Financial Times said that Christine Lagarde could leave her job ahead before the end of her term in October 27th, as you rightfully mentioned, the institution immediately, immediately said, and I quote, that she's fully focused on her mission and has not taken any decision regarding the end of her term, which is not that strong a rebuttal, to be honest. And what's being said is that a hasty exit could allow outgoing French President Emmanuel Macron to plan the succession ahead of France presidential elections in April next year. And Emmanuel Macron has sort of already done so. The problem was thrown into focus earlier this month was when Banc de France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galop said he would step down a year early from his position, a move widely interpreted as being prompted by Macron's desire to future proof important economic positions against a possible far right president and government. That sounds lovely.
- [26:22]
Emma Nelson
It does, doesn't it? Right, tell us some more news about what's happening where you are. We're all going to be wearing. Well, we were wearing the glasses, aren't we, that film everybody and make us able to identify our neighbour's dogs simply by looking through them. These are the metals glasses that we get. But apparently the New York Times is reporting that we're going to be able to work out everything about everybody simply by walking down the street.
- [26:45]
Paul Waldy
Yes.
- [26:45]
Alexandre Kouchner
The New York Times is revealing this week that the Meta company plans to add facial recognition technology to its smart glasses. The feature, internally called nametag, would let wearers of smart glasses identify people and get information about them via Meta's artificial intelligence assistant. In an internal memo last year, says the New York Times, Meta said the political tumult in the United States would distract critics from the features released. And I quote the Meta papers we will launch during a dynamic political environment where many civil rights group society that would expect to attack us would have their resources focused on other concerns. That sounds like a great strategy. That's actually quite a big deal because Meta sold more than 7 million smart glasses just like last year. And as the New York Times reminds us, facial recognition technology has long raised civil liberty and privacy concerns for its potential use by governments to monitor citizens, by corporations, to track unwitting customers, or just by creeps at bars really
- [27:51]
Paul Waldy
for
- [27:52]
Alexandre Kouchner
the moment, as we speak, Emma Metastart glasses are already on the market, but they require a wearer to activate them to take a photo or a video. But the company is also working on glasses internally called super sensing that would continually run cameras and sensors to keep a record of someone's day. The idea, for example, is to remind the wearer of tasks when they see a colleague. As early as 2019, Facebook paid 5 billion to the federal Trade Commission to settle a lawsuit that accused it of violating user privacy, including with its facial recognition software. So, you know, hey, what could go wrong?
- [28:31]
Emma Nelson
Nothing. Finally, tell me about the snow.
- [28:34]
Alexandre Kouchner
Oh, the snow is abundant. A long street of bad weather and consecutive storms have led to massive floodings in France and great snow in the Alps. There's only been three months in February that have seen more snow since 2004. Some have called it Kamchatka 2.1.
- [28:53]
Salome Zarabishvili
Oh.
- [28:54]
Alexandre Kouchner
In some remote valleys, villages were cut from the world by literal snow walls. And France Bleu radio reports that the roads to St. Jean, Belleville and Valorcine are still cut as we speak. This is good news for all ski enthusiasts. But results are racing to secure the slopes after such heavy falls. Le Dauphine Liberay newspapers tells us that in is Savoy and Haute Savoy. The risk level is level five, the highest it can get. Just this Tuesday, two people died in an avalanche in La Grave and 28 people have already died in a French Alps this winter. That's probably a reminder that watching the Olympics and wearing fancy gear does not make us mountaineers.
- [29:33]
Emma Nelson
No, it does not. But I do want to know, have you actually been put off by all these threats of avalanches and tempests?
- [29:39]
Alexandre Kouchner
I have been extremely careful, Emma. I. I follow the protocols and I follow the guidelines, but I'm still on my skis every morning.
- [29:48]
Emma Nelson
Ever the well behaved Alexandre Kushner in the French Alps. Thank you so much and happy skiing. You're listening to the Globalist. Now here's what else we're keeping an eye on today. A court in South Korea will rule on insurrection charges against the former president Yoon Suk Yeol later over his botched attempts to impose military rule in 2024. The right wing politicians declaration triggered street protest and was nullified within hours. The Microsoft founder Bill Gates has pulled out of a keynote addressed to a major AI summit in India after growing scrutiny of his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. A statement said the decision was taken to ensure the focus remained on the meeting's key priorities. An American military delegation is in Venezuela for the first time since the ousting of President Nicolas Maduro. The chief of the US Southern Command held talks with the interim president Del Rodriguez. And an Australian presenter has apologized after she appeared tipsy in a live broadcast from the Winter Olympics. Danica Mason admitted she had had a drink before her sports update. This is the Globalist. Stay tuned. And we can actually bring you a live update on a headline I've just read about Yoon Suk Yeol. He has been sentenced to life in prison. The former president, I'm just quoting off the New York Times right now, says he was impeached after he briefly imposed martial law in 2024. Had paid had faced a potential, potential death sentence in the country's biggest criminal trial in decades. He now has been handed a lifetime term in prison. The time here in London is 7:31am Now Tbilis's ruling party, Georgia Dream, has presented legislation that would criminal, it says is the establishment of a perception that Georgia's governmental bodies are illegitimate. The move comes amid the country's backslide away from democracy and crackdown on political opposition. While Salome Zurabishvili is the woman who claims to be the legitimate president of Georgia. And she's long rejected the results of the country's 2024 elections which installed Mikhail Kavalashvili amid widespread reports of election tampering. Well, Monocle's Anita Riota caught up with Salome Zurobishvili to talk about what this Latest legislation means for democracy in Georgia.
- [32:17]
Salome Zarabishvili
The state of democracy in Georgia is a terminology that we can hardly use by today, because we have been living in the recent months and years with an accumulation of repressive laws that are targeting different sectors, different individuals. We've seen arrests of completely peaceful protesters, activists, journalists, and it's continuing. And this law, as well as another law that is larger and constitutes a law on the grants that is enlarging. The original Russian law could punish almost everyone with criminals, persecution, including business that supports in any form someone or group that has some political activities or even political opinions. So it's really a policy through which they're putting the democrats word on all the citizens and it can be used anytime, a la carte against anyone they want to. Of course, they cannot put everyone in jail, in prison. So it's not something that has the intention of creating massive arrests, but it's there to disseminate fear in the first place and also to provide an instrument whenever they want to arrest someone and start criminal procedures.
- [34:03]
Emma Nelson
I know you're joining us from Brussels. What do you need to see in the next six to 12 months from European allies to help get Georgia back on the path of democracy? What would you describe as a successful next six months?
- [34:18]
Salome Zarabishvili
I would start by saying that Georgians are very conscious that they have to count on themselves. They have been seeing in the last period that there are very few instruments that the European Union has or is ready to use to support the Georgian civil society. But at the same time, there are things that can be done. The general discourse is to say that while not engaging with the authorities, they are supporting the civil society. But I think more could be done outside of Georgia to give a better picture of what is happening, really support some of the people. For instance, the diplomats that have resigned from the diplomatic service because they were in disagreement with the decision about closing down the European pass. Those people could be supported to have a think tank in Brussels and work on the future prospects for Georgian integration as soon as as we come back to the to the right track. In the same manner, there there could be different forms of supporting outside of Georgia. Some of the groups that really need support, like journalists, investigative journalists, some activists, young students that pretty soon will be without any recourse. That is what is the main difference between Georgia, Belarus and Russia, where we look more and more Russian model with our criminals and everything. But the difference is the civil society that what has to be supported.
- [36:09]
Emma Nelson
So then, what do you make of reports that Russia is urging Tbilisi to re establish diplomatic ties. Kavilashvili also has claimed that US Vice President J.D. vance has expressed a desire for a reset in Georgia US Relationship. Do you see these things as possible or likely now? And where would that leave Georgia?
- [36:34]
Salome Zarabishvili
Well, unfortunately for what concerned the US And Europe, Georgia is out of the map. And that is a very big concern because falling out of the map is for Georgia losing its historic role in this region and beyond this region. I deplore the fact that Georgia has become a passive object of international relations and that should not turn to which is the objective of Russia, the giving up Georgia to Russian influence without any competition and any alternative. And Russia is behaving in its usual manner. It controls practically not only the government through which banners we do not know, but they control the type of laws that we receive that clearly are copies of laws made in Russia. They want more circumvention of sanctions. They're using now Georgian ports for the Russian oil, which has been finally identified by the European Union. So yes, Russia is never going to be satisfied completely. But it has found a new strategy, which is a hybrid strategy of how to control, take control of a state without having to go through the very difficult military invasion that it's going through in Ukraine.
- [38:02]
Emma Nelson
That's Salome Zarabishvili there talking to Anita Riota. You're listening to the Globalist. 5:37am In Nuuk. Now, much of the world leaned in to offer its support to Greenland last month when Donald Trump placed the autonomous territories acquisition for the United States on his to do. Well, while the threat of an imminent takeover may have faded for now, Greenland's neighbors are pulling themselves together just in case President Trump comes back for another go. I'm joined now by Petri Butzoff, Monocle's Helsinki correspondent. Good morning, Petri. How are you?
- [38:38]
Petri Butzoff
Good morning, Emma. I'm fine and looking out the window. It's about minus 20 and snowing, so I might as well be in Greenland, although I am in Helsinki.
- [38:46]
Emma Nelson
Okay, so let's stay where we are and talk about what's been happening. There was a meeting in Denmark yesterday to update what's called the Helsinki Treaty. Talk us through through it, please.
- [38:55]
Salome Zarabishvili
Yes.
- [38:55]
Petri Butzoff
So the Helsinki Treaty of 1962 established what is now known as the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers, you know, the former being a parliamentary body, inter parliamentary body and the Council of Ministers being an intergovernmental body. And this is really sort of the forum through which the Nordic countries carry out their cooperation, obviously, in addition to the European Union. And now what is happening is obviously the autonomous territories of Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Holland, because they're parts of Denmark and Finland, they have been members of the Nordic Council, but the plan is now to make them sort of fully fledged independent members, equal parties to this Helsinki Treaty, with an amendment basically giving them rights to sit at, for example, security and defence related matters, which they have not been able to do before and which famously in 2024 led to Greenland, actually the Greenland's government, to boycott the whole Nordic Council format.
- [40:11]
Emma Nelson
Just explain a little bit about how much this pulling together will actually protect Greenland from Donald Trump.
- [40:20]
Petri Butzoff
Right. So, I mean, we have to be honest, this is mostly a political signal. Obviously there are no defense and security aspects or guarantees with the Nordic Council, but I mean, this will just sort of further anchor Greenland, really with the Nordic community, which is a clear signal to Trump and just sort of go. It also goes to show that for the Nordic states, and to be honest with you, Emma, I don't know why this, it's taken them so long, but it really shows that they see Greenland and also, let's bear in mind, Faroe Islands and Orland as sort of more than just, should I say peripheral dependencies, but really sort of parts of the shared Nordic regional identity and community.
- [41:10]
Emma Nelson
What does Nuke make of all this? Because it's not very long ago that Nuke's been trying, and Greenland has been trying to sort of get equal status in the Nordic Forum, which is what. What we've been talking about in the last couple of minutes, but it's been kept out of meetings which have been so focusing on security, et cetera, such as the war in Ukraine, the fact now that it now is welcomed because it is under threat. How does that go down?
- [41:36]
Petri Butzoff
Well, if you ask their sort of Foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeld, she has said that the whole process surrounding the Helsinki Treaty will be decisive in, I'm quoting here, will be decisive in determining whether Greenland can be recognized as an equal partner in Nordic corporations. So this is something they really, really want. And as I said before, they have boycotted the Nordic Council before. So I should imagine that they are very happy about it. And also sort of the political signal that it sends across the Atlantic, showing that they are firmly anchored within the Nordic community. Because let's remember, Denmark, Greenland has for years, if not decades now, been wanting independence and more autonomy from Denmark. But now with all the threats coming from the US and President Donald Trump, they've actually, you know, they've become a lot closer to Denmark and then by extension also the Nordic community.
- [42:39]
Emma Nelson
Petru Butsoff, Monocle's Helsinki Correspondent in -20. Thank you so much for joining me on the line. Now time now for a roundup of stories from Indonesia. And for now for that I'm joined by Randy Mulianto, who's a journalist and founder and head of writer at Red Voice Indonesia. A very good afternoon to you. It's what, 1442 where you are?
- [43:05]
Randy Mulianto
Hi Emma. Good afternoon from Jakarta. Thank you for having me.
- [43:08]
Emma Nelson
Mid afternoon in Jakarta. What gives it with with where you are?
- [43:13]
Randy Mulianto
That's right. So the first story concerns Indonesia's relations with the United States as Indonesian President Prabo Subianto arrived in Washington D.C. on Tuesday local time. Well, he has three things waiting for him while he's in the States. So the first one concerns his business meeting with American companies. You know, he met with those representatives, those business leaders in Washington at a business summit. You know, he also saw the signing of 11 MOUs between Indonesian and American business on Wednesday with a total value of 38.4 billion US dollars. You know, some of those MOUs covered critical minerals, agriculture, cotton and a semiconductor. So that's one. The second part of his agenda is he's expected to sign a finalized trade deal with US President Donald Trump in Washington. You know, the negotiations have concluded and now things are set to be implemented. And the third one is, is he is set to attend the first ever Board of Peace meeting. Indonesia joined the board in January as the board seeks to take part in the Gaza conflict resolution. Emma.
- [44:21]
Emma Nelson
Okay, let's talk about the first thing that you were mentioning, the import export. So Indonesian exporters want to do what? Get a better sense or better grip on the American market when it comes to sending footwear, textile, garments, electronics. And the Americans will send back what?
- [44:40]
Randy Mulianto
That's right. So a whole lot of things basically. I mean, you know, we have to remember that the United States has a huge business interest in Indonesia. So obviously with this trade deal, these American companies are expected to, you know, have a stronger market presence in Indonesia. You know, we have to remember that Indonesia also imports soybeans from the US but also a wide range of things. But I mean as these signing is said to be done sometime this week, sometime on Thursday local time. Well, it's going to be Friday in Indonesia. So there are a lot of things that will definitely need to be finalized.
- [45:16]
Emma Nelson
Okay. Let's move on to the improvements that Indonesia wants to long term improvements and plans to improve infrastructure. It is using Chinese money to do this and it's going to use state funding to repay China for high speed rail link.
- [45:36]
Randy Mulianto
That's right. So Indonesia is set to use public funds to repay China, that's Asia's largest economy, for its first ever high speed train. You know, you know, the train itself, it basically connects the capital, Jakarta and Bandung, which is the capital of West Java province. Basically, West Java is Indonesia's most populous province. So basically another alternative to connect both cities. I mean, it's just less than 200 kilometers. It's actually accessible by car. You know, it's just about three hours away, way by car. But interestingly, the project itself, it does not have, I mean, it's not free from controversies, Emma. You know, I mean, you know, the project helps with the country's infrastructure development. I mean, I took on one when, you know, the free trial phase was run in 2023, you know, but it has its controversies as well, you know, cost overruns. I mean, the project cost at least US$7 billion. I mean it's a billion, about a billion US dollars more expensive. And then project delays and evictions of some residents living between the two cities.
- [46:42]
Emma Nelson
Randy Muliento joining us on the line from Jakarta. Thank you so much for joining us. On the globalist
- [46:51]
UBS Narrator
iq, EQ and AI, three components key to the craft of innovation at ubs. Because to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving age, you need a partner with decades of experience, endless passion for the work and a finger on the pulse of leading technologies. Bridging human expertise with artificial intelligence, all to elevate you. Ubs. Banking is our craft.
- [47:29]
Emma Nelson
Now let's talk about Train Dreams. It's the beautiful contemplative film directed by Clint Bentley. It's nominated for four Oscars and for Best Cinematography at the BAFTAs or Monocle Radio senior correspondent Fernando Augusta Pacheco heard from the Brazilian cinematographer Adolfo Veloso about his work on the film and how he shot almost everything using almost entirely natural light. You think that she knows that I'm her daddy? Deep down she knows it. Even if she doesn't know she knows it yet.
- [48:11]
Adolfo Veloso
Adolfo Velozo, what a pleasure to welcome here to Monaco Radio as a fellow Brazilian, of course, you know, but I
- [48:18]
Emma Nelson
do, I did love Train Dreams, I think such a fantastic film. Well, first of all, how are you feeling?
- [48:23]
Adolfo Veloso
You've been nominated for a bafta for an Oscar.
- [48:26]
Emma Nelson
I mean, that's incredible, right?
- [48:29]
Adolfo Veloso
That is surreal. I keep saying that. It's still hard to believe. Sometimes I wake up and I check on my phone to see if it's real. But I mean, amazing to be here talking with you. Amazing to be talking with a fellow Brazilian. So it's a shame we can be speaking in Portuguese, but I'll try my best in English. Amazing to be here. Well, my first question to you, of course, the film is directed by Clint Bentley as well.
- [48:53]
Emma Nelson
And actually, you've worked with Clint before,
- [48:56]
Adolfo Veloso
so you're kind of friends. You do have a relationship going on there, right? Yes, definitely. We shot a movie together called jockey in 2019, I think, and it was his first movie. It was a really small movie, like a movie we did with basically like 10 people and a really small budget. So I feel like the struggles of doing a movie like that really got us close. And I feel like we develop a friendship and a sense of. It's almost like it is against the world, you know, because that's what it feels when you're doing something such a guerrilla movie. So, yeah, we've been friends since, and we've been talking about what to do next. He was after a lot of things after Jockey until he was offered the train Dreams to adapt amazing book by Dennis Johnson. And I'm super happy that he invited me to do it with him again, because, to be honest, I would do anything with him. Like, I would be happy to just. You have that trust. Yeah, totally. Like, I know the director. He is. I know that we have common taste in general. I really believe in a lot of things that he believes too. So it is an easy mission to work with him. But I was really surprised by how much I could connect with the story. When he first sent me the script, he was telling me, like, I'm not really sure you're gonna connect with the story. It's the story of this. This American guy living in the beginning of the past century, living in kind of like the middle of nowhere, that it's like building on the construction of train tracks. It's a logger. I'm not sure you're gonna connect, you know, coming from Brazil, like, completely different reality. And I was really surprised, and he was surprised too, when I told him how much I connected with it. Because it's basically kind of the same life that I have. Like Robert's life, Joe Edgerton's character. It's really similar to a filmmaker life, you know, like being away from your family for several months, working with a bunch of people that you don't know, and then the struggle of coming back home and doesn't. Don't really feeling like you belong when you're back so there's so many aspects of his life that are similar to a filmmaker life and especially a cinematographer. And like, common themes in the movie, which is like grief and immigration. Like so many things that I could connect with with that felt a lot like my life. So I was really happy that not only was a project with a director I trust, but also a story I could connect so much. And one thing, I was so surprised
- [51:37]
Emma Nelson
actually reading this, because when you see the film, of course it's a beautiful film. It's visually stunning as well. But is it true that the vast
- [51:44]
Adolfo Veloso
majority of it was actually natural light? Yes. It's incredible what made your life a
- [51:50]
Emma Nelson
bit harder as well?
- [51:51]
Adolfo Veloso
Yes and no. I feel like, again, like, there's nothing, I feel that beats natural light and its beauty. And we shot everything in Washington state in the US it's then the Pacific Northwest, which is around where the story is set in the book, right next to it. And I feel like, because we want to, like, I have that problem myself, especially with, like, period movie. There's so many layers in between you and those characters. You know, like, they talk in a different way, they dress in a different way, they live in a completely different way that I feel like everything you can do to make those layers kind of like less of a problem and kind of lose those layers, the better. I feel like that myself as an observer. So I feel like whenever I'm doing a movie, I try to put myself in that position a bit. So I feel like natural light was a choice to be able to do that a bit also, you know, to feel it more real, like it's a period movie. But we wanted it to be connectable regardless. So natural light was really important for that. There's something about the way that Clint likes to shoot to give space to the actors so they can move around and not worry about, like, C stands and we can just follow with the camera. We can also change things as they go. You know, like if we had the scene scripted to shoot inside, but it feels bad outside for some reason because the light is beautiful outside or because the scene doesn't make sense anymore inside because of what the actors are doing or like random things. Like we shot a lot with like kids and animals and all those things are really uncontrollable somehow, you know, like you can really ask for a two year old to read the script and follow it. So. So I feel like you always need to be open to change things in a way. And Clint does that really well. And I feel like all those Aspects of the way we wanted to shoot the movie really married well with natural light and to have a smaller footprint to be able to keep shooting and not worry about changing the lighting and then lose an hour and everything breaks and the whole mood breaks just because you want to. To change the lighting or anything like that.
- [54:12]
Emma Nelson
And that was a Brazilian cinematographer, Adolfo Veloso, there talking to Monocle's Fernanda Agosta Pacheco. Train Dreams is out now on Netflix. You're listening to the Globalist on Monocle Radio. Finally on today's show, we're heading to Milan where our team is covering the Winter Olympic Games from the Allianz Winter sky lounge on the 47th floor. I have both the contributing editor, Andrew Muller, and. And our deputy head of radio, Tom Webb, standing by. What a treat, gentlemen, to have you both. How are we?
- [54:49]
Andrew Muller
We're both quite damp. Emma, at the risk of making everybody not feel jealous anymore that we're in Milan and they're not, the weather this morning is absolutely putrid. We are 47 floors up and can barely see a thing.
- [55:03]
Emma Nelson
Excellent. Are you sort of suspended in the air?
- [55:07]
Andrew Muller
That's kind of what it feels like hovering here above a cloud.
- [55:10]
Emma Nelson
But Tom Webb, you told us about the. The fake. I know, it's Andrew, wasn't it? You told me last week about the. The fake. The fake fire. So are you feeling co. Are you feeling cozied up by the fact that you have something on a screen that pretends to tell you that you're warm?
- [55:24]
Andrew Muller
We're surrounded by these million euro panes of glass that go the whole way down. And it does feel like we are driving through an absolute hurricane.
- [55:33]
Emma Nelson
Brilliant. I'm sure you're enjoying all of it. So how does that set you up for the program that's happening in an hour? Actually, no. What have you been up to?
- [55:41]
Salome Zarabishvili
Up to?
- [55:42]
Andrew Muller
Well, last night we went to some non Olympic sport, which is to say we, the three of us, me, Tom and Steph Changu, the engineer, all trooped off to the San Siro stadium to see AC Milan at home. Tacomo. We did not have the expensive seats. We were actually, I think, nearly as far up as we are right now. But yeah, an interesting evening. Although there is a lot of sentimentality about the San Siro at large in Milan at the moment because it is shortly to be demolished. I have to say that for myself on my first visit. I don't know about you, Tom, that sentimentality did not survive contact with the reality. There's a lot of excitement around the stadium since it hosted the opening ceremony. And it is a staggering piece of architecture and it's phenomenal how it works. You've got these four towers and they act like gigantic plug holes. It just drains the 80,000 fan go. It's just completely out in a heartbeat. And I have to say, if they build another one, if they could keep that efficiency on getting people out, I would love to see it like a big footballing bar. It's the getting people in that I discovered was the difficulty. Tom? Yes, you do have to go up the plug hole as well, which is, you know, 20 storeys. Absolutely exhausting.
- [56:58]
Emma Nelson
What stairs?
- [57:00]
Andrew Muller
Well, the stairs are an option, but no, they have. The architecture will be familiar to regular viewers of World Cups. They have these enormous swirling walkways on the corners of the stadium, which you do have to traipse all the way up if you are sitting in the €19 seats. As indeed we were.
- [57:17]
Emma Nelson
Cheapos. Right, what's in the program today?
- [57:20]
Andrew Muller
In the program today, we have the usual bunch of fascinating Milanese people. This is obviously going off at 10am Milan time, which would be 9am in
- [57:30]
Emma Nelson
London,
- [57:32]
Andrew Muller
because Milan is obviously a great sporting city all year round, even when it's not hosting an Olympics. But it's also many, many other things. It is first and foremost a great design city. Milan Design Week is, of course, only a couple of months away. So we have architects, we have designers, we have chefs, because that's something else Milan does extremely well and it is, as it has been all week, a packed program, literally.
- [57:57]
Emma Nelson
What have you actually been eating? This is a bit I'm really interested in. Have you eaten well since you've been in Milan?
- [58:03]
Andrew Muller
We have eaten well, because it's pretty hard not to. I mean, it's, it's, it is one of the joys of Italy, which does have the. The knack of making you somewhat furious with London. That pretty much any place you walk into at random will serve you the best thing you've ever eaten in your life. And it usually won't actually cost all that much. Tom, how about you include, yeah, the, the Milanese risotto, which looks like a gigantic egg, very, very yellow, not very well presented, but tastes absolutely delicious. And it goes back hundreds of years here.
- [58:31]
Emma Nelson
Indeed. It's all good there and it will be all good from 10am Milan time in an hour. That was Tom Webb and Andrew Muller standing by to bring you Monocle from Milan from a very cloudy 47th floor of Allianz Tower. And that's all the time we have for today's program, the warmest of thanks to all my guests and to the producers Angelica Jobs and Carlos Rebella and Ryu Matteo Takahashi. Our researcher was Anneliese Maynard and our studio manager was Elliot Greenfield with editing assistance by Lily Austin. After the headlines. More music on the way. The briefings live at midday here in London. I'm back with the Globalist at the same time tomorrow. Join me for that if you can. But for now from me, Emma Nelson, goodbye. Thank you very much for listening.
- [59:28]
UBS Narrator
With ubs, you have a truly global partner incorporating new technologies, innovative approaches and unexpected opportunities leading you to insights that help answer the questions that matter. Delivered with passion, care, an unmatched expertise because it's about rising with the dawn each day, knowing that we can do even better. That's what banking is to us. Not just work, but a craft. UBS advice is our craft.