The Monocle Daily What’s in a number? Volodymyr Zelensky warns of $12trn deal between US-Russia
10 snips
Feb 9, 2026 
John Everard, former UK ambassador with deep diplomatic experience, and Patricia Cohen, NYT global economics correspondent, unpack Zelensky’s $12tn US–Russia claim and its possible motives. They also contrast Asian political shifts from Japan’s elections to Jimmy Lai’s Hong Kong sentencing. Short, sharp conversations on geopolitics, markets and rule-of-law pressures.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Window Of The World: A Surreal Visit
- John Everard visited Shenzhen and Window of the World, a theme park of global monuments in miniature.
- He recalled a family confidently misidentifying exhibits, capturing the surreal experience.
Mismatched Monuments On A Cable Car
- On a cable car at the park a child misidentified a monument and the mother adjusted the story without missing a beat.
- Everard used the moment to illustrate the park's playful suspension of accuracy.
The $12 Trillion Claim Is Implausible
- The $12 trillion figure is implausible given Russia's GDP and was treated as a fantasy by the panel.
- Patricia Cohen warned it was likely a political feint to distract US support for Ukraine.