“We are working with our American partners to further advance the peace process. We will continue to work on achieving a just and sustainable peace, as well as security guarantees for Ukraine and agreeing on the next steps.”

So said Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s chief negotiator, following yet another weekend of talks in the United States with Marco Rubio, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. [RFE/RL, January 19, 2026.]

Indicating that the talks would continue this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Umerov reiterated:

“Ukraine needs peace that guarantees security and sovereignty.” [Id.]

It’s the same old song — same tune, same lyrics, same imperative to avoid annoying Donald Trump. Same sh*t, different day.

It’s not Umerov’s fault; there simply isn’t anything new to report, because in Moscow, Vladimir Putin remains silent, refusing to discuss even a temporary ceasefire while his missiles, drones and ground troops continue their relentless attacks on the infrastructure of a nation of people suffering through another bitter Ukrainian winter.

Meanwhile, Trump — the guy who pulls the strings attached to Rubio, Witkoff and Kushner — hands Putin a ready-made permission slip to continue his war by setting an example in Venezuela and threatening to do the same to Greenland.

Yet Ukraine cannot stop trying. Because this is their only alternative:

Endless days and nights of death and destruction, living in shelters, fighting to find food, medicine, and a bit of warmth at aid stations — called “Points of Invincibility” — hastily created in yurts and other stationary or mobile tents:

We’ll see what happens in Davos. But with Russia not expected to send an envoy to the forum, all discussions of the war in Ukraine will be strictly one-sided; and the assurances of continued support from the EU allies, while important to hear, will be unlikely to have any meaningful effect on the lives of the Ukrainian people as winter drags on.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/19/26