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The President's Daily Brief
PDB Afternoon Bulletin | Devember 9th, 2025: How Russia Built a Spy Base Next Door to the U.S. & Ukraine’s New Peace Plan
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9Th December welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, Russia is running one of its largest spy networks just across the U. S. Southern border. And new reporting says that Mexico has well done almost nothing to stop it will explain how Moscow expanded its intelligence presence right next door to the US later in the show, Ukraine is crafting a new peace plan for Washington with President Zelensky making clear he will not surrender land to Russia. But first, today's Afternoon spotlight. Now, during the Cold War, the Soviet Union's KGB built and maintained a very sizable Mexico presence, using Mexico City as a hub for running agents and gathering intel in the US well, what's old is new again as the Kremlin has again turned Mexico into one of the hottest spots in the world for Russian intelligence activity. It's a deliberate effort by Moscow to expand its influence in the Western Hemisphere. And according to new reporting from the New York Times, Mexico appears, well, largely content to let it happen. For years, US Officials have warned that Russia has been placing a renewed emphasis on Mexico as a major espionage base. The Times reports that the CIA compiled a list of more than two dozen Russian spies operating inside Mexico while posing as diplomats, and they provided that list to senior Mexican government officials. And you may ask yourself, what did those Mexican authorities do with that list? Ah, essentially nada. Nothing. No expulsions, no public acknowledgment. According to multiple American and Mexican officials who spoke with the Times, the list was either ignored, denied, or, quote, lost somewhere inside the Mexican bureaucracy. And you know, it's not a new issue. Back in 2022 when a US general testified to Congress that Mexico had once again become a haven for Russian intelligence. Mexico's then president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, or AMLO for short, dismissed the claim outright, saying there was no information about Russian spies in his country. But the Times says that wasn't true. He'd been briefed directly and his top aides had been warned repeatedly. But then again, AMLO always has had a soft spot for Communists So you ask again, why does this matter? Well, because Mexico's proximity gives Russia something that it can't get anywhere else, and that would be the ability to run intelligence operations against the US From a location that's both convenient and low visibility. US Officials say that Russian spies have been using Moscow as a staging ground, arriving from the US Meeting handlers and tourist hubs and conducting operations under the COVID of normal travel. After all, a Russian diplomat slipping into a beachfront resort in Cancun looks pretty much like every other foreign traveler. And that, of course, is the point. Russia understands that Mexico's counterintelligence services are stretched thin, dealing with cartels and internal security targets. Foreign espionage isn't their top priority. And that gap has allowed Moscow to move some of its most capable operatives into Mexico City. General Glenn VanHerk, the head of U.S. northern Command, said during testimony in 2022 to the Senate, quote, the largest portion of GRU members in the world is in Mexico right now. Think about that. Russia's biggest overseas concentration of military intelligence officers isn't in Europe or Asia or the Middle East. It's on America's doorstep. The Times also reports that Russia has stepped up disinformation campaigns inside Mexico, targeting public opinion to erode trust in the US And Europe. Those efforts have grown so concerning that the U.S. embassy in Mexico created its first ever Russia Watcher position. The French then followed suit, appointing a disinformation officer of their own. Meanwhile, Mexico's new president, Claudia Scheinbaum, has maintained the country's traditional policy of neutrality, which in practice means staying friendly with both Washington and Moscow. Even after taking office last fall, her administration didn't move to expel the Russian operatives already inside the country. And while Mexico has condemned the invasion of Ukraine at the UN it has refused to impose sanctions and has maintained warm public ties with senior Russian officials. As one former CIA officer told the Times, if you're going to handle and recruit spies, proximity is key, and that's what Mexico offers. End quote. All right, coming up next, Kyiv is finalizing a new peace plan for the White House as President Zelensky rules out territorial concessions, saying that he has, quote, no right to give up Ukrainian land. I'll be right back. Hey, Mike Baker here with a tip on improving your personal finances as the New year approaches. That sounds pretty good right now. 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Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. I want to return to what's becoming a bit of a familiar cycle. Ukraine is rushing yet another revised peace plan to the White House, hoping to block any territorial concessions as President Trump pushes for a path to end the war, by the way, a path that lately has looked a lot like appeasement to Kyiv and EU allies. Over the weekend, the talks between American and Ukrainian negotiators stretched late but still couldn't produce a version that Kyiv was willing to sign. By Monday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy told reporters that his team was pulling together an alternative proposal and that a new draft could be on Trump's desk as early as today. That urgency is what sent Zelenskyy straight into a whirlwind sweep through London and Brussels. It was an attempt by the Ukrainian president to line up European backing before any peace plan breakthrough that could give the advantage to the Kremlin. After meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz at 10 Downing street in London, Zelensky kept things deliberately vague, telling reporters that, quote, some issues can only be discussed in person, a comment widely read as Europe trying to get on the same page before Washington makes a push for what could come next. The scene unfolded much as expected, as Zelenskyy stressed his legal and moral boundaries. In London, Trump openly signaled where he believes the hold up in the peace process lies the Ukrainian president himself. Trump said Moscow was reportedly, quote, fine with the US Brokered peace plan. Well, of course they are. It's, it's, it's leaned heavily in their favor. And he added, he Was, quote, a little disappointed that Zelensky hasn't read it. To be fair, Putin is happy stringing this entire process along, in case you haven't noticed. And of course he would naturally be fine with a proposal that gives him a large portion of eastern Ukraine. Again, you can get a peace deal if you give in to Putin's demands. That's, that's pretty straightforward. The Ukrainian president, meanwhile, said he was still awaiting a full briefing from his chief negotiator after days of talks with US counterparts. And if Zelensky's sprint through European capitals makes it appear that the continent is now all on the same page, well, there is still division there too. The EU has yet to agree on the tools to reach a lasting peace, as we've previously discussed. London and Paris have floated deploying international troops to Ukraine, while Germany and Italy remain skeptical of such a deployment. So even as Zelensky ran to Europe for support, there still isn't a block wide consensus on how to establish an end to the war. All of course, while the war grinds on. Meanwhile, the UK Prime Minister's office said several EU leaders agrees Alinsky's arrival was a quote, critical moment to escalate support and pursue a just and lasting peace, which includes robust security guarantees. Though what those guarantees actually look like, well, that remains unsettled. From London, Zelensky then flew to Brussels for meetings with NATO chief Mark Rutte and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before continuing on to Rome. And at every stop, Zelenskyy repeated the same message, quote, Russia is insisting that we give up territories, but we don't want to cede anything. We have no legal right to do so under Ukrainian law, our constitution and international law. Behind that message is the shifting blueprint itself. Zelensky confirmed that the original U.S. drafted 28 point peace plan, later revised to 19, now stands at 20 points. Via Kee's latest edit. He insisted that no, quote, pro Ukrainian elements have been removed from the deal. Which means that of course, in all likelihood Putin will have no interest in agreeing to the newish proposal. The Kremlin, they haven't budged from their long standing demands. And at this stage it appears that the only agreement that Putin will sign up to would be one that meets those demands. He's instructed the Russian military to prepare for winter warfare. And that it doesn't sound like the words of someone seeking peace. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Tuesday 9th December. Now if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me. At pdb@the first tv.com and of course if you'd like to listen to the show ad free, well you can do that and it's very simple just to become a premium member of the President's Daily brief by visiting PDB premium.com. i'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.
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