PDB Afternoon Bulletin | April 8th, 2025: Ukrainian Troops Invade Russia Again & Trump Announces High-Stakes Nuclear Talks With Iran
15:32 Share

or text next step to 53342

It's Tuesday, the 8th of April. 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, as diplomatic talks over the war in Ukraine stall, Kyiv launches a fresh invasion into Russian territory, and Moscow, well, they're preparing for a new spring offensive.

Later in the show, a surprising update regarding Iran as President Trump says that the U.S. is now engaging in direct talks with the Islamic regime over their nuclear program, with a major meeting said to be taking place this Saturday in Oman. Or it might actually just be a meeting about perhaps having a meeting to maybe talk about the possibility of direct talks. We'll sort through all the various mixed messages.

But first, today's afternoon spotlight. We'll begin in Eastern Europe, where Ukrainian forces are back on the offensive, launching a fresh incursion into Russian territory. On Monday, President Zelensky publicly confirmed for the first time that Ukrainian troops are fighting in Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, engaging in active operations aimed at stifling Moscow's attack capabilities.

Now, Zelensky emphasized that the primary goal is not to seize large swaths of Russian territory, like they did with their invasion of the Kursk region back in August of 2024, but to protect Ukrainian towns and settlements in the regions of Sumy and Kharkiv, which face regular aerial bombardments from Russian forces that are stationed near their border.

according to a report from Euronews. The latest incursion is also designed to split Russia's attention, easing pressure on other parts of the war's front lines, particularly in the Eastern Donetsk region. Zelensky said, quote, We continue to carry out active operations in the border areas on enemy territory, and that is absolutely just. War must return to where it came from, end quote.

While the activity is only just coming to light, an assessment from the Institute for the Study of War suggests Ukrainian forces first crossed the border into Belgorod in mid to late March after being all but completely dislodged from the Kursk region following a Russian counteroffensive earlier that month.

But details of the operation remain scarce It's not clear how many Ukrainian troops are taking part in the Belgorod incursion or how long Kiev plans to maintain a presence there

Kremlin officials have also confirmed the limited invasion, saying that Ukrainian forces are attempting to "wedge themselves into the western part of the Belgorod region." They accused Kyiv of attempting to "create a negative background amid the ongoing diplomatic talks between the US and Russia." That, of course, implies that Putin is actually interested in ending his military adventurism, which doesn't frankly appear to be the case.

Moscow, which has been stalling diplomatic talks with the US by continually upping their demands for concessions from Ukraine, appears to be preparing for a major military operation. According to a report from Euromaidan Press, Russia is massing some 30,000 troops in the Donbass in preparation for an offensive push in the region by the end of the month.

Now, if the estimates of Russian troops prove to be accurate, Moscow would have a 3-to-1 numerical advantage over Ukrainian forces currently defending that sector. Analysts speculate that Russia seeks to seize the entirety of the Donetsk region in an attempt to further strengthen their negotiating hand in the ongoing U.S.-brokered talks to end the war. I don't know about you, but I'm starting to think that Putin's not all that interested in ending the war.

As we've been tracking on the PDB, those talks began to deteriorate last week after Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister pushed back on President Trump's peace proposals, saying that Moscow cannot accept the current terms as they fail to address Russia's long-term strategic concerns and objectives, one of those objectives apparently being the complete ownership of Ukraine.

The comments came just two days after President Trump said he is getting increasingly "pissed off" by the Kremlin's attempts to stall negotiations and will consider imposing new sanctions on Russia's oil trade within the next month if he feels Moscow is actively seeking to undermine his efforts.

But for now, it appears the Trump administration still thinks diplomacy can win the day. Late last week, the U.S. hosted Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, a top advisor to Putin, in hopes of getting negotiations back on track. On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a new round of talks between the U.S. and Russia are slated to take place in Istanbul on the 10th of April. Oh, just in time for Putin's spring offensive.

Alright, coming up next, an update on Iran, as President Trump says the U.S. is now engaging in direct talks with the Islamic regime over their nuclear program. Or are they? I'll have those details when we come back.

Hey, Mike Baker here. Well, let's take a look at the economy, shall we? Well, what do we got? We got tariff wars. We have those. We've got some recession fears and we still got some of that stubborn inflation. So it's no wonder that gold has been routinely hitting all-time highs. In volatile markets like now, don't sit on the sidelines with your head in the sand. Don't just sit there hoping that things will get better. Take control and safeguard your savings.

It's why so many Americans today are turning to Birch Gold Group. They've helped tens of thousands convert an existing IRA or a 401k into an IRA in physical gold. So you ask yourself, is it time, perhaps, to edge against inflation and economic instability with gold? To learn how to own physical gold in a tax-sheltered account,

Text PDB to the number 989-898. Birch Gold will send you a free no-obligation information kit. Again, it's simple. Just text PDB to the number 989-898. With an A-plus rating with the Better Business Bureau and countless five-star reviews, it's no wonder that so many Americans are trusting Birch Gold to help protect their savings with gold. And you can too. Just text PDB to 989-898 today.

Hey, Mike Baker here. Have you heard about the Maha Movement? Of course, I'm talking about the Make America Healthy Again Movement. It's all about inspiring people to make fitness a priority. Look, when you work out regularly, you feel better, you look better, you know that. It positively impacts your entire being and everything you do. It's why I'm so excited to be working with Don Mastrangelo and the team over at Jacked Up Fitness. Their commercial-grade Power Rack Pro has everything you need for a full-body workout at home. Seriously, it's

It's an amazing setup. The cable crossover system with integrated 200-pound weight stacks and the Smith machine, well, it allows you to do hundreds of exercises, basically anything and everything you can do at the gym, you can do at home. And look, if you're new to strength training, their Get Jacked Up program offers complete video workouts. Just press play and follow along. My Power Rack Pro just arrived at the house this week, and our three teenage boys and I are ready to hit it hard.

Look, my boys are like all sons, I think. They want their title shot. But I'm telling you, with the Power Rack Pro at home, I think I can hold them off for a bit longer. Getting into a consistent home fitness routine is easy with Jacked Up Fitness. And at the end of the day, there is nothing more important than your health.

Go to GetJackedUp.com and sign up for free access to the program. When you're ready to order your Power Rack Pro, save 10% with my promo code Baker. That's B-A-K-E-R, just like you imagined. Come on, look, no more excuses. Go to GetJackedUp.com.

Hey, Mike Baker here. Let me ask you a question. How did you choose which internet service provider to use? Well, the sad thing is most of us have, well, very little choice because ISPs operate like monopolies in the regions they serve. They then can use this monopoly power to take advantage of customers. Data caps and bandwidth throttling. Look, nobody needs bandwidth throttling. The list goes on. But worst of all, ISPs have the ability to keep a log of every website you visit.

And so can other third parties, unless you use ExpressVPN. Without ExpressVPN, your internet and network providers can still see every website you visit, even in what's called incognito or private mode. ExpressVPN, they reroute 100% of your traffic through secure, encrypted servers, so third parties can't see your browsing history.

ExpressVPN hides your IP address, making it extremely difficult for third parties to track your online activity. And importantly, ExpressVPN works on all devices, phones, laptops, tablets, and more, so you can stay private on the go. They're rated number one by top tech reviewers like CNET and The Verge.

So protect your online privacy today by visiting ExpressVPN.com slash Baker. That's ExpressVPN.com slash Baker. And you can get an extra four months free. ExpressVPN.com slash Baker. Did you know that Fast Growing Trees is the biggest online nursery in the U.S.? With thousands of different plants and over 2,000

million happy customers. Well, now you know. Here's the thing. They have all the plants that your yard needs, like fruit trees, privacy trees, flowering trees, shrubs, and a whole lot more. Whatever plants you're interested in, Fast Growing Trees has you covered to get your dream yard delivered directly to your door. I love this company. Look, no more wandering around a nursery trying to figure out how you're going to schlep home a bunch of plants.

And this spring, well, they have the best deals, up to half off on select plants. And listeners to our show get 15% off their first purchase when using code PDB at checkout. That's an additional 15% off at FastGrowingTrees.com using the code PDB at checkout. FastGrowingTrees.com, code PDB. Now is the perfect time to plant and use code PDB to save today. Offerable.

Offer is valid for a limited time. Terms and conditions may apply.

Welcome back to the Afternoon Bulletin. President Trump surprised the international community on Monday by confirming that the U.S. is engaged in direct talks with Iran, with what he described as a, quote, very big meeting set for Saturday in Oman. As we discussed on the PDB this morning, speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in the Oval Office, Trump announced that the talks will continue with high-level participation. The president told reporters, quote, we'll see what can happen, end quote.

Until now, details of the discussions remained opaque. Honestly, I just wanted to work the word opaque into this episode. But according to two sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Axios, we've now learned that the U.S. delegation will reportedly be led by Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. On the Iranian side, Foreign Minister Abbasarachi is expected to take the lead, though, interestingly, the Iranian regime insists that the negotiations will remain interminable

indirect and mediated by Omani officials. That version of events, of course, directly contradicts the White House's framing. An Iranian state-linked outlet reported Tuesday that Omani intermediaries will shuttle messages between the parties, an arrangement that Tehran appears to prefer to maintain a plausible distance from any overt diplomatic thaw. So,

The U.S. says there'll be direct talks, while Iran says that the talks will be indirect and conducted through Omani mediators. Looks like I get another chance to throw the word opaque into this episode.

American officials have confirmed to Axios that Washington is prepared for face-to-face engagement, which of course is not the same as saying that the two sides will engage in direct discussions on Saturday. So, let's have a show of hands over who's confused at this point. One senior American official described the current situation as little more than, quote, a negotiation about the format of the negotiations.

That, of course, underscores the depth of mistrust that persists between the two nations, mistrust that dates back to Trump's unilateral withdrawal from the Obama-era nuclear agreement back in 2018. Still, the stakes are enormous. Trump warned that, quote, "...if the talks aren't successful with Iran, I think Iran is going to be in great danger," hinting at military action and reaffirming his administration's hard-red line that "...Tehran will never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon."

As we've tracked here on the PDB, this latest diplomatic push began last month when Trump dispatched a formal letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei proposing direct talks and offering Tehran a two-month window to come to the table. Khamenei, who had previously dismissed Trump's gestures as theatrics, responded in late March. Since then, Oman has reportedly acted as an intermediary, ferrying messages between the capitals.

Meanwhile, fault lines are beginning to emerge inside the US administration.

President Trump, Witkoff, and Vice President J.D. Vance reportedly view diplomacy as viable and are optimistic that a deal is within reach. In a March interview with Tucker Carlson, Witkoff said there was "a real possibility" of implementing a verification program to ensure that Iran halts any nuclear weapons development, but others remain unconvinced. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Secretary of State Mark Rubio, both long-standing Iran hawks, have

have signaled deep skepticism favoring a harder line that keeps the military option firmly on the table.

Saturday's meeting in Oman could mark a watershed. Well, depending on what the format, structure, or nature of the talks might be, direct, indirect, well, we don't know. A breakthrough could signal the most serious engagement between Washington and Tehran since the collapse of the 2015 deal. But if the talks in whatever format or structure they may occur collapse, well, the U.S. and Iran may well find themselves much closer to military conflict.

And that, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin for Tuesday, the 8th of April. Now, if you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdbatthefirsttv.com. And to listen to the show ad-free, well, it's simple. Become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief by visiting pdbpremium.com. See, it's that simple. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.