Once a Kagebeshnik (officer of the Russian KGB), always a Kagebeshnik. And, when trying to analyze the words of Vladimir Putin, it is wise to remember that that is what, at heart, he was, still is, and always will be: a man trained to say and do whatever is necessary to achieve a goal.

So, when he says he will be ready to resume negotiations concerning the war in Ukraine when U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are finished with Iran and once more available to him, do we take him at his word?

And when he says that:

“Russia, however, as has been stated repeatedly, is ready for peace negotiations with Ukraine. It is ready to proceed on the basis of the agreements reached back in Istanbul, agreements which, I would remind you, were initiated at the time by the Ukrainian delegation.” [Arpan Rai and Alex Croft, independent.co.uk, June 25, 2026] . . .

. . . should we conclude that he is finally willing to admit that he is rapidly losing his “special military operation” — not to mention his own credibility — and is ready to make concessions in order to bring the war to a close?

That is what some people would like to believe. But I’m not getting my hopes up just yet.

To begin with, each time he has said he was ready to negotiate, his stance has remained unchanged: he has simply reiterated his demands that Ukraine cede some 20 percent of its territory to him, including Crimea; that they immediately hold new elections, despite the fact that their Constitution precludes it during wartime; that they forego their hoped-for accession to the European Union; and so on.

Furthermore, his reference to “agreements reached back in Istanbul” is meaningless, since those discussions ended in a stalemate. If an agreement had indeed been reached, the war would have ended months ago.

I could, of course, be wrong. But my gut tells me that Putin is once more stalling until he can get back to the table with the two witless envoys of the easily-manipulated Donald Trump. You see, it turns out that the closely-aligned leaders of the EU nations have been smarter and tougher to deal with than he had anticipated . . . and tougher than Trump, Witkoff and Kushner ever were.

It’s true that Russia is suffering, militarily and economically, from Ukraine’s spectacularly successful attacks on their oil and gas industries, supply lines, and other strategic targets. And Putin is feeling the heat — from Ukraine, from the EU, and internally from his own people.

But is he willing at last to make the concessions that would bring an end to the carnage? Or is this a last-ditch effort to talk Trump into resuming the role of lead negotiator in the hope that they will both be able to claim a victory and salvage some measure of dignity (and their jobs)?

Then maybe he and Trump could begin campaigning together to share next year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

We’ll see how this plays out. But first there’s that little matter of Iran to take care of.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/25/26

Three days until the movers arrive, and I’m not quite there yet.

No . . . I never did learn the art of minimalism.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/24/26

Today’s words of wisdom were brought to my attention by a frog. No, it wasn’t Kermit, but an unidentified person in a pink frog suit, standing peacefully by the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C., carrying a sign that — in one brief, paraphrased sentence — warned of the deeper significance of the latest idiotic blunder by the current occupant of the Oval Office.

Donald Trump assumed the frog was a man, so let’s call it “he” for simplicity’s sake.

As a self-described member of a non-existent organization now known as “Amphifa” (Amphibians Against Fascism), he was most likely “hopping mad” over Trump’s having sent the Park Police to arrest a man for touching a piece of the blue paint that had peeled off of the bottom of the pool and floated to the top when Trump’s supposed pool experts poured hydrogen peroxide into the water to combat the algae that had quickly formed because the stupid blue paint was so dark it warmed the water to the point where algae began to form immediately upon the pool’s being refilled before the paint had sufficiently dried and . . .

Well, you know the story by now. It was a total bollocks, another massive screw-up by a person who identifies as a “stable genius” but in reality knows practically nothing about anything, and pays his loyal “toadies” (get it?) — most of whom are equally clueless — millions (or sometimes billions) of taxpayer dollars to undertake tasks for which they are completely unqualified.

But the deeper meaning — the one the frog brilliantly pointed out — had to do with a poem written by German clergyman Martin Niemoller after surviving Hitler’s concentration camps during World War II. It speaks of the insidious progression of fascism, and the way in which we (the people) allow it to take hold by turning a blind eye to the warning signs until it is too late.

This is an engraving of Pastor Niemoller’s poem located at the New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston, Massachusetts:

Read it, read it again, and really think about it. Think about the legal immigrants, the journalists, the educators, the proponents of civil rights . . . and the man who was merely curious to feel the texture of the peeling blue paint.

Then tell me the frog wasn’t right.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/24/26

If you think there’s nothing funny about politics, you obviously haven’t read or heard about House Speaker Mike Johnson’s stand-up routine in the U.S. Capitol yesterday. At least, it would be funny if he hadn’t been dead serious.

Urging Democrats to “tone down the rhetoric” when quoting verbatim the words spoken or sent out on Truth Social by Donald Trump, he advised them:

“Temperatures are running high, and the last thing we need are hotheaded Democrats spewing hateful, inflammatory statements sourced directly from the president’s speeches.”

Then — perhaps inadvertently conflating his thoughts with the actual attack by Trump’s own loyal MAGA supporters on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 — he added:

“We’re sitting in the hallowed halls of the Capitol, a place with a requisite decorum, and who knows how many shooters might be inspired to commit heinous acts after hearing Rep. [Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez read the president’s latest Truth Social post word for word? It’s shocking — and honestly quite shameful — that my colleagues in the Democratic Party would stoop to such lows.”

[Source: Theonion.com, June 23, 2026.]

Just hold it right there. He’s talking about Trump’s own “hateful, inflammatory” words, right? So it’s okay that Trump said or wrote them, but it’s problematic for Congresspersons to quote them verbatim?

Is that really supposed to make sense?

And just when you thought we’d already reached the lowest possible level of stupidity . . .

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/24/26

In the past week, as I have once again been packing up my worldly belongings to move, I’ve gotten sidetracked a couple of times by old photo albums and other memorabilia, and remembrances of the people connected to them.

So many of those people are gone now, making the memories bittersweet. Rather than fading with time, however, the pangs associated with the losses lie dormant just below the surface, waiting to be revived by a picture, a word, or a thought.

Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy — not one of my favorite people, but a force to be reckoned with in her time — said it well:

“It has been said, ‘time heals all wounds.’ I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.”

She was right; it is never gone. It does give me hope, though, that I too will one day be remembered in the same way.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/23/26

Yes, he does have a sense of humor . . . though his funniest one-liners seem to emerge when he’s trying his best to be serious.

A little background: On June 19th, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued an ultimatum to Belarusian presumptive president Aleksandr Lukashenko. Zelensky gave Lukashenko one week in which to remove from Belarus’ territory the Russian communications equipment being used to guide drone strikes against Ukrainian civilians, saying:

“If he [Lukashenko] doesn’t do it, we will.”

Apparently, Lukashenko’s boss — that would be Putin, of course — took umbrage at that threat, and decided that he would respond directly to Zelensky. Completely ignoring (as usual) the past four years and four months of his deadly war of attrition against Ukraine, Putin accused Zelensky of threatening the sovereignty of Belarus.

Then Putin’s equally hilarious mouthpiece, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, told reporters that Putin and Lukashenko were expected to discuss Zelensky’s remarks “in the foreseeable future,” and added:

“As for the threat itself, of course, it is utterly aggressive: interference in the internal affairs of another country and an encroachment on another country’s sovereignty. But we have no doubt whatsoever that the Belarusian leadership, and Belarus itself, are capable of safeguarding their sovereignty.” [Reuters, June 22, 2026.]

Yes, that is exactly what he said. He accused Ukraine of “ . . . interference in the internal affairs of another country . . . [and] encroachment on another country’s sovereignty . . .”

Sorry, I can’t stop myself. This is one of those moments . . .

You really can’t make this stuff up!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/23/26

While the people of Sumy slept in their homes in northeastern Ukraine last night, Vladimir Putin delivered this peace offering — not to a military installation or other strategic location, but to a strictly residential neighborhood.

And we’re supposed to believe him when he says he wants to end his “special military operation.”

There is nothing “special” about Putin’s “operation.” It is a war — the longest war in Europe since World War II — and it is designed to extinguish an entire civilization . . . one that predates the existence of Russia itself, and actually gave birth to Putin’s country.

It is devastating; it is inhumane; it is blatantly illegal; and it must be ended, before it inevitably spreads throughout Europe. Putin cannot — MUST NOT — be placated any longer.

Are you listening, Donald Trump? Or have you — in your obsessions with Iran, Cuba, Greenland, and the building of monuments to yourself — forgotten your real job?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/22/26

Forgive me if I keep returning to the subject of stupidity. It’s just that there is so much of it around these days.

And British actor, comedian, writer, producer and filmmaker Ricky Gervais obviously agrees with me, having said this:

“Remember, when you are dead, you do not know you are dead. It is only painful for others.

“The same applies when you are stupid.”

The rampant stupidity in the current U.S. administration is the perfect case in point. One need only consider the pain to which the American people are being subjected — pain which has ramifications throughout the world — in order to validate Mr. Gervais’ observation.

But, as the winner of a Texas chili-eating contest was supposedly heard to utter between spoonfuls of his fiery feast:

“This too shall pass.”

Let’s hope it doesn’t take too long.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/22/26

That’s not an easy thing to do, in the literal sense. But when you are metaphorically going under for the third time because you are attempting to take control of a region that is like nowhere else on Earth . . . a place that has never known anything but conflict . . . and you haven’t the slightest inkling of the history, the traditions, or the mindset of the peoples of that part of the world . . .

Well, you can see how easy it would be to find yourself drowning — or perhaps being buried in quicksand would have been a better metaphor. In any event, that is where Donald Trump now finds himself, up to his neck in trouble after tearing up a treaty that was working, starting a war that wasn’t necessary, and placing himself squarely between . . . OMG! . . . Israel and the rest of the Middle East.

And now — after nearly four months of vacillating between “we’ve totally defeated them” and “we’re going to wipe them off the face of the Earth” — he is telling his good friend, Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, to use a “softer touch” in Israel’s fight against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

Does he not understand irony? Or inconsistency? Or outright, full-blown hypocrisy?

Apparently not. Because, while his emissaries — the Mutt and Jeff of diplomacy — are in Switzerland attempting to negotiate the terms of an agreement that Trump said last week had already been concluded, Iran has accused the U.S. of “failing to implement” the terms of that tentative agreement, and Israel of violating the terms of a ceasefire in Lebanon, as a result of which they (Iran) are once again closing the Strait of Hormuz. [Julia Benbrook, CNN, June 21, 2026.]

In return, Trump began making threats again, saying in a phone interview with Fox News yesterday:

“We may take over the Strait, if we have to. If they don’t make a deal, we’ll collect tolls.“ [Id.]

That’s telling them, Donnie: make them give back some of the billions of dollars you’ve just offered to pay them to sign a softer version of the agreement President Obama already had in place that you tore up because it had his name on it.

Then, apparently addressing the Iranian delegation in Switzerland still engaged in talks with Mutt and Jeff (Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, if you hadn’t already guessed), he added, in his usual classy, most presidential manner:

“You close it and you won’t have a country. You won’t even make it back to your f**king country.” [Id.]

And, not yet satisfied, he posted on Truth Social on Sunday morning:

“Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble. If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!” [Id.]

But wait . . . it gets better.

Because yesterday the world also heard from God’s gift to politics, JD Vance, on the subject. In Switzerland with the other two Marx Brothers, he told reporters that Trump is “committed . . . to see a full regional ceasefire,” that he (Vance) feels great about “where we are in Lebanon,” and that the U.S. has done “more to stop the conflict in Lebanon than any government anywhere in the world over the last few months. Peace is never easy. Peace always requires a little bit of work. It always requires a little bit of give and take. But the President of the United States is committed, not just to peace between the United States and Iran — the president is committed to a regional peace, which is why we’re here working so hard to settle our issues. . . . I actually feel great about where we are in Lebanon. There’s still some additional wood to chop, but we’re going to keep on working at it.” [Id.]

Then came the caveat, in case it all goes pear-shaped again:

“[Today’s gathering is] not going to solve every disagreement, but it’s going to allow us to sit together as teams for the first time, really in history, to figure out what matters most to the respective parties, to settle those issues, to solve those issues and get to a better tomorrow.” [Id.]

Well, thank goodness he was there to keep Witkoff and Kushner from making complete asses of themselves. After all, that’s his job.

Maybe Trump and Vance haven’t taken the six-hour time difference into consideration, but they really need to get their stories straight and coordinate the timing of their announcements. Because this is not a Marx Brothers movie; it’s real life, and it’s dead serious.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/22/26

Russia’s people — especially those in Moscow and St. Petersburg — are shell-shocked. Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation,” now in its fifth year of what was supposed to have been a quick, “wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am” coup, has proven to be a full-fledged war after all. And it has suddenly turned around to invade their safe space.

After more than four years of loss and devastation, Ukraine has been retaliating, brilliantly aiming their drones at Russia’s oil refineries and other revenue-generating infrastructure — not targeting civilian buildings, and not invading with hordes of marauding troops as Russia has been doing. Yet Putin calls Ukraine’s counter-offensives “terrorism.”

In response, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha had this to say to the Russian people this week following a successful drone attack on an oil refinery just ten miles from the Moscow Kremlin:

“One of the most popular questions asked by Muscovites this morning is ‘What is going on?’

“I can answer. Your country started a war of aggression against ours. For years, it has been killing our people.

“Now that you know what’s going on, ask Putin when he is planning to end it.”

[Source: UkraineWorld, June 18, 2026.]

Good idea. It will be interesting to hear how Putin replies to his people’s questions . . . if he does reply, that is. Like all autocrats, Russian and otherwise, he does not consider himself answerable to the masses. But all autocrats throughout history have eventually fallen, or been pushed, from power.

Sometimes it only takes one small spark to start the inferno.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
6/21/26