Europe’s Security Crisis: Russian Threats, Narco Networks and Germany’s Shift Right

0:00 Speaker 1 Sunday morning. What’s going on in Europe? Well, our new correspondent and good friend, my friend Jose Santamaria, wants to bring us up to date. He’s from Spain originally. He’s the chief investment officer for Fundamental Investments. an advisory group based in New York. Well, Jose Santamaria, you seem to have your ears to the ground in Europe. Give us

0:27 your evaluation. Ever since the UN conference, ever since we took over Denmark and they realized, not Denmark, we took over Greenland from Denmark, the security aspect of it, and we’re going to ensure Europe to be safe. Do they realize what President Trump has accomplished.

0:49 Speaker 2 That is correct, John. I think in Europe there’s a number of developments coming from the northern countries as well as the southern countries. The number one issue threat right now is the fact that a number of Russian jets have been intercepted in the Swedish border. And that’s a threat.

1:12 We also know that in the South, there is a concern, a warning by the CIA that Russia, through its shadow fleet, may attack Southern European countries. So I think the security situation in Europe is getting quite difficult at the moment.

1:31 Speaker 1 Understood. And what is your pulse on this? What’s going on with Iran? We all listened to the Iranian ambassador speaking at the United Nations. He seemed very, very nervous. He seemed like both sides might be against him and both sides might kill him. But you give us your evaluations.

1:59 Speaker 2 Well, remember that there’s a left, a radical left connection between Iran and some of the terrorist groups, Hezbollah and Hamas. And there are as well connections into European politicians. Iran has certainly funded separatist groups in Europe. in certain regions, not only in Spain, in other places. And I think that the actions by President Trump are not only cornering Iran,

2:34 they’re also cornering a lot of these radical left groups, which, by the way, have found financing, as you know, in the case of Spain, from narco states in Latin America, particularly Venezuela. So that’s a game changer, in my opinion, to Iran because its ability to damage, Western civilization, it’s coming down very quickly. Pay attention to Cuba, because Cuba is,

3:05 I call the connection between Mexico, Cuba, and Spain, I see it as the second axis of evil. There’s been a lot of drug money coming and going, and I think what President Trump has done is really put that second axis of evil at risk.

3:24 Speaker 1 Well, you know, I had the Cuban ambassador here. He was in our office last week and he says that they are deeply against drugs and there’s no drug problem in Cuba.

3:39 Speaker 2 Well, if you look at the networks that some of the Spanish judges are pursuing and trying to restrict drugs, you will see connections not just with Cuban agents and some politicians. You will see that as well into Morocco, members, different members of different groups in the civil society. It’s what they call it. Maxine, which is a group of

4:14 people very close to the king, whether industrialists, entrepreneurs, members of the army. So there is a network. There’s a clear network that is trying to take advantage of Europe and breaking Europe. Now, one of the … I.

4:30 Speaker 1 Heard it’s mostly from Mexico these days.

4:34 Speaker 2 Mexico is to the U.S., but Morocco is to Spain and the rest of Europe. And those networks are finding that by doing cross-border trade, helping each other, they may be able to survive a little longer if it wasn’t for our president in the U.S. that is doing a great job in fighting these criminal organizations.

4:57 Speaker 1 Understood. Anything else you want to tell the American people?

5:02 Speaker 2 Take a look at what has happened with the German elections. The far-right party, the AFP, has actually won one of the regional elections, one of the state elections, and the jump is very significant. This party maps exactly with what used to be Eastern Europe. And the issue, when you look 50, 60 years later, is was Germany able to

5:33 integrate Eastern Europe? Or has that created a gap that they haven’t been able to close? Germany is moving to the right very quickly. This is a group that is pro-Russia, pro-Putin. I heard that.

5:53 Speaker 1 The extreme right, the extreme right in Germany is pro-Russia, pro-Putin.

6:02 Speaker 2 Yes, but you have to also look at what they see to the west of Europe. They see a divided France. They see a divided United Kingdom. Nobody would trust the Spanish president right now, as you know. So it’s very understandable that some of these old Eastern European countries see Putin as an element of stability. And I think Trump

6:27 does see Putin as a stable politician, for sure. Understood.

6:31 Speaker 2 I don’t like it, but he’s been there, you know, defending his country.

6:37 Speaker 1 Jose Santamaria, thank you for coming on this Sunday morning, and we’ll catch up with you again real soon.

6:42 Speaker 2 Yes, John, absolutely. My pleasure.