Well, that didn’t take long. Volodymyr Zelensky offers peace talks on Saturday; and Vladimir Putin launches massive, widespread, deadly strikes on civilian targets overnight on Sunday.

And there you have it, folks: the Putin definition of wanting to end his “Special Military Operation” and stop the killing. Is anyone actually surprised?

This round of attacks consisted of 426 Shahed-type drones, five Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, and 19 cruise missiles at various locations around the country, including the capital city of Kyiv. [RFE/RL, July 21, 2025.]

In addition to the damage to residential buildings in Kyiv in which one person was killed and others injured, last night’s barrage destroyed the entrance to the Lukyanivska subway station, which has been one of the principal shelters for Kyiv’s residents during attacks. The station had to be closed for repairs until further notice, thus denying the people even that small measure of protection. [Id.]

And in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk — just a few hours’ drive from the borders of NATO member nations Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania — the mayor said the attack was the largest the city had experienced since the beginning of the war more than three years ago. [Id.]

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I know it’s easy to give advice when you’re following the carnage from an armchair some 5,000 miles away, and when you’re not responsible for making the decisions that will irreversibly alter the lives of millions of people on another continent. But I’m going to stick my neck out anyway (not for the first time) and say what I think.

Now, you probably know that I am not . . . well . . . not the biggest fan of Donald Trump’s shoot-from-the-hip style of governing. And his habitual reversals of his own decisions, denials of his own earlier statements, and outright untruths are enough to drive even the Dalai Lama insane.

So you may think it a little strange when I say that I hope — just this once — that Trump will go back on his word; withdraw the offer to Putin of a 50-day grace period; immediately slam him and his country with every sort of legal sanction available; and increase, to the extent possible, the supply of weaponry to Ukraine to enable them to keep resisting.

Because the lying, thieving, duplicitous, murderous little tyrant in the Kremlin deserves no better . . . and it’s time for the world to let him know that the grace period on his killing spree has run out.

That’s all I have to say . . . for now. And you may feel free to quote me.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/21/25