Y’all, it was probably pretty obvious that Putin would find a way to *not* follow through on the idea *he* suggested. But nevertheless, I was absolutely correct in my guess. There’s a little happy dance going on in the background here just because I was right. And I’m not always thrilled with the press, but I do feel kinda bad that they got to the original location and set up for something that never happened. From CNN:
The chaotic scenes that unfolded in Istanbul on Thursday set the tone for a difficult road ahead. As the world’s media descended in the morning on the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, Ukraine still hadn’t confirmed it would take part or given any signals as to the makeup of its delegation, and a source from the Turkish foreign ministry told CNN there was “no scheduled meeting yet.”
Instead, with the Kremlin confirming to CNN that Putin definitely would not show up, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital, Ankara.
“Waiting is better than knowing the result,” joked Stanislav Ivashchenko, a correspondent with the Russian defense ministry channel Zvezda, waiting among the coffee-fueled crowds of journalists. “Everyone is tired of this,” he told CNN, referring to the war in Ukraine, “but we will defend our position.”
Russia’s dogged defense of its position is a key reason the Russian president unexpectedly proposed these talks five days ago. Faced with an ultimatum from Kyiv and its allies to sign on to a 30-day ceasefire or face major new sanctions, Putin chose a third path.
Yup. And that third plan was a failure because he was apparently too afraid to come. Yea, yea, he sent negotiators, but that was *after* he proposed that he and Zelenskyy should meet in person.
I’m wondering if this looks as bad to anyone but me. He copped out and is likely sitting in his personal castle (ha) being smug, or some such nonsense. Plus, he has a whole long list of things he expects from Ukraine that aren’t going to happen, “no way no how”. Having Ukraine be a part of Russia is a non-starter from the beginning.
“We are proposing to the Kyiv authorities to renew the negotiations, that they cut off” (because Russia attacked Ukraine) in 2022, he told journalists in a briefing early Sunday. And so, to reinforce that point, he picked the same city that hosted some of those early peace talks – Istanbul – and, he revealed late Wednesday, the same lead negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, a former culture minister and chairman of Russia’s Military-Historical Society.
Remember those things that aren’t going to happen? Here ya go, still from CNN:
Medinsky claimed the direct talks were to “establish long-term peace, eliminating the root causes of the conflict.” The use of the phrase “root causes,” which for Russia runs the gamut from Ukraine’s NATO ambitions all the way to its existence as a sovereign state, was a reminder of just how distant a deal could be.
And yet, to complicate things further, Russia and Ukraine are now balancing their own interests with their relationship with Donald Trump. The US president, once again, on Thursday, dangled the prospect of his own attendance at the talks, saying “if something happened,” he would consider going on Friday. White House envoys Keith Kellogg and Steve Witkoff are already slated to be in Istanbul on Friday.
Piff. If Uncle Scam shows up at all, I think he’s only going to be a figurehead, and he’s not actually going to *do* much of anything because of that pesky minerals deal that’s already been signed. I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if he backed out of it since we alllllll know how much he loves Putin. Ukraine is going to get the short end of the stick if that happens, but they are NOT going to back down.
The Europeans are already ramping up for Ukraine and themselves. It’s great to see that countries support Ukraine, and it’s fighting, in a war it did not start. They’re certainly going to give them all the help they can, especially with Agent Orange being so flighty. H*ll, the man can’t make up his mind for one hour, let alone for a day. And here are your last quotes to finish out the column.
Former Russian diplomat Boris Bondarev, who left his post in Geneva in 2022, said he believes a meeting with Trump would be a major win for Putin, while he remains uninterested in meeting with Zelensky.
“Two great powers should sit together and discuss how inferior countries should live under their umbrella,” he told CNN in an interview from Switzerland. “That’s how he sees the world. That’s why Zelensky doesn’t fit.”
INFERIOR countries!!! Ukraine has not been inferior in this war!! They have held a “great” power off for longer than a few days. They have held off Putin, who expected Russia would roll over Ukraine in a couple of days and set up a puppet ruler as an unnamed part of Russia. Ain’t happening. Russia can just stuff it. If Zelenskyy is brave enough to come face to face with Putin and Russia, he’s certainly brave enough to lead Ukraine’s resistance. And he d*mn well will. Take that, Russia. Bugger off. Thanks for sticking with me!
*****And now, please read ******
Zoomers, we are always in need of donations. It’s been an especially rough month, and my own health has not been great these past few weeks, which just adds to the frustration. Anything you can spare will be immensely appreciated. And thank you to all who have donated generously already. Ursula
Putin, Trump, and ALL DICTATORS are paranoid COWARDS! FACT! Zelensky is a warrior. I’ll put my money on the Ukrainians every time.
And I will put my money on Zelenskyy and Ukraine ANY TIME.