This weekend I went to a barbecue out of town to celebrate the 50th birthday of Oleksiy, who is home again on leave from the front. We all remember his 49th birthday on Day 472.
What a difference one year makes! Non-stop partying has not kept me from glancing at news reports, which today no longer portray Ukraine as the object of a Russian “special operation” but as a participant in an “ongoing war.”
The finalized version of the joint communiqué from the Ukraine Peace Summit will be the basis for future negotiations with Russia to end the catastrophe, according to Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s President’s Office.
A couple of observations about Putin’s ultimatum:
Putin's 90-minute rant on Friday was the final chord in a drama that has dragged on for almost six months. Russia's talks with Uncle Joe have obviously reached an impasse.
Ukraine refuses to start negotiations with Putin on the terms of maintaining the status quo along the lines of the existing separation of forces.
Putin has zero confidence in the current US administration and its ability to get Ukraine to adopt a position that suits both Moscow and Washington
Moscow has concluded the conflict with the West is existential and cannot, in principle, be resolved peacefully.
Russian leaders view the West is a colossus on clay feet - poke it hard enough and it will collapse.
Further events will depend on how Ukraine manages to defend by force areas of Ukraine which Putin claims belong to Russia.
I eat meat rarely. Yesterday’s barbecue was an exception. Very tasty, not very healthy.
Nonsense! Meat is the best thing to eat! Great looking kebabs BTW.