Step right up, folks . . . plenty of front-row seats available on your nearest smart phone or tablet . . . date and time TBA. But all indications are that it is going to happen.

Will it be an instant replay of this?

Or will there be a distinct chill in the air?

That, of course, remains to be seen, as both of the participants are playing their cards close to the chest. In fact, they’re still sparring like a couple of school kids:

“He says he wants to meet as soon as possible.” – DJT

“No, I never said that. But I’m open to negotiations.” – VVP

So let’s turn to the actual grown-ups for some clarification. For example, Mike Waltz — President-elect Trump’s appointee as national security adviser — commented on Ukraine’s demands that Russia withdraw from all presently occupied territories as follows:

“I just don’t think it’s realistic to say we’re going to expel every Russian from every inch of Ukrainian soil, even Crimea. President Trump [jumping the gun by about five days] has acknowledged that reality, and I think it’s been a huge step forward that the entire world is acknowledging that reality. Now let’s move forward.” [Mike Eckel, RFE/RL, January 14, 2025.]

And eight time zones away in Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov indicated that his boss might be willing to listen, as the incoming (i.e., Trump) administration has “started to acknowledge the realities on the ground.” But he added: “We will be waiting for specific initiatives. President Putin has said on multiple occasions that he is ready to meet, but no proposals have been made yet.” [Id.]

And back to Trump himself, on January 13th: “I know he [Putin] wants to meet and I’m going to meet [him] very quickly. I would’ve done it sooner but … you have to get into the office. For some of the things, you do have to be there.” [Id.]

Yes, you read that correctly: “For some of the things, you do have to be there.”

But moving on . . .

Finally, we hear from the one who has been absent from the news for a while, and whose dulcet tones have been sorely missed . . . by me, at least: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. All he had to say to reporters, shortly before Lavrov’s news conference, was that there were “no specifics” agreed on as yet for a meeting between Trump and Putin. [Id.]

Well, that was helpful, Dima.

So, it looks as though . . . quite possibly . . . just maybe . . . if all goes according to plan . . . and provided the conditions are just right . . . there may be . . . at some future date . . . sooner or later . . . an actual meeting. Ta-da!

But no one really knows for sure.

And if there is to be a meeting, where will it be held? Presumably, it would have to be in Moscow or a Russia-friendly country, since Putin is still subject to an ICC arrest warrant in most of the rest of the world. So, will it be a closed-door, one-on-one session, or will there be aides and lackeys present?

Again, there is much to be decided. So stay tuned, folks — I’m afraid that’s the best we can do for now.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/15/25