Edgar Bergen (1903-78) was a mid-20th century ventriloquist well-known to radio and TV audiences as the voice of the dapper Charlie McCarthy and the countrified, not-so-bright Mortimer Snerd. Bergen and his playful characters were so beloved, they became almost real to those of us who lived in those much more innocent times.

And looking at that photograph in the context of today’s political environment, I can visualize other faces: Vladimir Putin, for example, as the ventriloquist, with any two members of his administration perched on his knees.

Or possibly — and even more ominously — with other, non-Russian adherents of Putin’s policies, such as Belarusian presumptive president Aleksandr “Mortimer” Lukashenko, and . . . let’s see, now . . . perhaps Donald Trump in place of the well-turned-out Charlie McCarthy?

Now, Charlie was a bright enough fellow, often getting the best of his verbal exchanges with Mr. Bergen. So let’s rename him Donnie, and assume he’s clever enough — and sufficiently ambitious — to bring along a few dummies of his own, perhaps named JD, Marco, and Steve.

“Steve? Steve who?” I hear you ask. Why, none other than the newest “expert” on U.S.-Russia relations . . . Donnie’s special envoy to the Middle East (yeah, I know, that doesn’t make any sense) . . . real estate entrepreneur par excellence Steve Witkoff.

What? You’re still asking “Steve who?” Don’t worry . . . so are a lot of people, myself included. So, here he is:

Recognize him now? He’s the one who does the perfect impression of Trump’s superior sneer. Maybe that’s how he got the interview for the job.

Uncanny, isn’t it?

But he needed more than just “the face” to nail the job itself. And that’s where he outshone any and all other candidates with his perfect mimicry of “The Trump Put-down.”

First he referred to Ukrainian President Zelensky’s refusal simply to hand over sovereign Ukrainian territory to Putin as “the elephant in the room” at the so-called peace talks in Saudi Arabia between Russia and the United States . . . to which, by the way, Ukraine was not even invited.

But man does not live by insults alone; we must also master the art of the kiss-up to those whom we’re trying to impress, and whose egos are at least as great as our own . . . in this case, none other than Vladimir Putin himself. And how better to broadcast one’s obeisance to the mighty Russian dictator than by way of an interview with the only journalist guaranteed not to disagree with him: the one, the only (thank God!) . . . Tucker Carlson?

Following his meeting with Putin in Moscow, Witkoff told Carlson that he “liked” the Russian president:

“I don’t regard Putin as a bad guy. He’s super smart,” Witkoff proclaimed. He said that Putin had been “gracious” and “straight up” with him; had told Witkoff he prayed for Trump after last year’s assassination attempt; and had said he even had a portrait of Trump commissioned and presented it to Trump, who was “clearly touched by it.” [Id.]

Parroting some of Putin’s own claims, Witkoff wondered when the world would recognize occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian, and went on to add:

“There’s a sensibility in Russia that Ukraine is just a false country, that they just patched together in this sort of mosaic, these regions, and that’s what is the root cause, in my opinion, of this war, that Russia regards those five regions ** as rightfully theirs since World War Two, and that’s something nobody wants to talk about.” [Id.]

** The five regions at least partially under Russian control at the present time: Crimea, Donetsk, Lukhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia — three of which Witkoff was unable to name.

I have a question here: Doesn’t anyone in the Trump administration own a freakin’ history book??!!!

*. *. *

And, as to any further expansionist goals on Russia’s part, Witkoff went on to ask: “Why would they want to absorb Ukraine? For what purpose? They don’t need to absorb Ukraine . . . They have reclaimed these five regions. They have Crimea and they have gotten what they want. So why do they need more?” [Id.]

Again . . . history, you nimrod! Read your Russian/Soviet/Russian history — and not just since World War Two, but all the way back to the Russian Primary Chronicle and Kyivan Rus’.

*. *. *

But wait . . . there’s more. (There always seems to be more.)

British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, recently put forth a plan for an international force to support a ceasefire in Ukraine, to which Witkoff had this to say:

“I think it’s a combination of a posture and a pose and a combination of also being simplistic. There is this sort of notion that we have all got to be like [British wartime prime minister] Winston Churchill. Russians are going to march across Europe. That is preposterous by the way. We have something called Nato [sic] that we did not have in World War Two.” [Id.]

Right . . . that’s the same NATO that Trump has threatened — how many times? — to leave if those “simplistic” Europeans don’t cough up a larger share of the costs.

*. *. *

Well, every performance has to have a spectacular finish, and this one was no exception. In an attempt to reassure his audience that a ceasefire in the Black Sea would be “implemented over the next week or so [and] we are not far away” from a full 30-day ceasefire (as meanwhile the missiles and drones continue to blast away at cities throughout Ukraine), Witkoff described Trump’s desire to cooperate with Russia once relations have been normalized:

“Who doesn’t want to have a world where Russia and the US are doing collaboratively good things together, thinking about how to integrate their energy policies in the Arctic, share sea lines [sic] maybe, send LNG gas into Europe together, maybe collaborate on AI together?” [Id.]

Right. Just as Little Red Riding Hood trusted the Big Bad Wolf to lead her to Grandmother’s house.

And we all know what happened to her.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/24/25

And I have to say . . . it felt good.

Happy new week, everyone. Maybe I’ll be more productive tomorrow.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/23/25

There certainly is no lack of news concerning U.S.-Russia relations these days, primarily focused — as it should be — on ending the war in Ukraine.

And amidst all of that, the fact that there has been no word of an imminent release of political hostages from Russia’s prison camps is not necessarily an indication that behind-the-scenes negotiations are not taking place. At least, we should hope they are.

In the meantime, I thought I’d search for any sort of update, and found an article concerning dual U.S.-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina, arrested in Russia in January of 2024 and sentenced in August to 12 years in prison . . . for making, while living in the United States, a $51 donation to a pro-Ukraine cause.

Karelina and her boyfriend, Chris Van Heerdan, had taken a vacation in Istanbul. Karelina reasoned that, as long as she was that close to her former Russian home, she should visit her younger sister and their aging grandparents. Against his better judgment, Van Heerdan returned home to Los Angeles, while Karelina went on to Yekaterinburg.

They haven’t spoken since.

She was detained on arrival for 16 hours; her passport and phone were taken from her and kept for three weeks. When she was told she could retrieve them, she was instead arrested for “hooliganism” — a vague charge commonly used as an excuse by Russian authorities to arrest someone who has done nothing illegal.

While searching her phone data, the authorities found a record of the $51 donation Karelina had made in 2022, and upgraded the charges against her to treason, saying she had “contribut[ed] to a secure, prosperous and democratic Ukraine” — an illegal act in Russia. [Kirsten Fleming, New York Post, February 24, 2025.]

From her letters, Van Heerdan has learned that Karelina has survived in prison by giving facial massages to other inmates, which has helped to improve her relationships with the women. “This is who Ksenia is,” he says. “She can walk into any room and anyone will love her because she’s just a bright uplifting, positive person. She is trying her very best to hang on.” [Id.]

Van Heerdan’s interview stressed his hope and belief that Donald Trump will be able to secure Karelina’s release in light of his improved relationship with Vladimir Putin. According to Van Heerdan:

“Russia released a statement on state broadcast TV and acknowledged, ‘We are in communication with America. They are seeking the release of Ksenia and are [sic] we are very much interested in making that happen.’ That is massive.” [Id.]

Van Heerdan says that statement was issued the week after the February 18th meeting in Saudi Arabia between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, which has given Van Heerdan reason for optimism.

I hope he is right.

*. *. *

And we continue to remember all of those on our list of unjustly held hostages in Vladimir Putin’s GULAG of penal colonies:

David Barnes
Ales Bialiatski (in Belarus)
Gordon Black
Andrei Chapiuk (in Belarus)
Robert Gilman
Stephen James Hubbard
Ksenia Karelina
Ihar Karney (in Belarus)
Vadim Kobzev
Uladzimir Labkovich (in Belarus)
Michael Travis Leake
Aleksei Liptser
Ihar Losik (in Belarus)
Daniel Martindale
Farid Mehralizada (in Azerbaijan)
Nika Novak
Marfa Rabkova (in Belarus)
Igor Sergunin
Dmitry Shatresov
Robert Shonov
Eugene Spector
Valiantsin Stafanovic (in Belarus)
Siarhei Tsikhanouski (in Belarus)
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland
Vladislav Yesypenko (in Crimea)
Yuras Zyankovich (in Belarus)

*. *. *

And — like a broken record — I again offer this plea to Donald Trump in the White House . . . though I fear it will likely continue to fall on deaf ears, as it has thus far:

“Amidst all of the hubbub of your new administration, it is imperative that these innocent men and women not be forgotten. Negotiations for their safe release have been underway for some time. President Joe Biden succeeded in bringing home 16 innocent people on August 1st of last year, and you have added two others to that list. But you should be trying to do even more. Whatever else you do, this should be high on your list of priorities. The people you promised to represent are counting on you.

“Perhaps this would be an appropriate time to remind you also of the oath you swore on January 20th:

“‘I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.’

“I’m sure there’s a copy of that Constitution lying around the White House. If not, you can Google it. This is what it looks like, in case you’ve forgotten.”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/23/25

On this date in 1983, then-President Ronald Reagan proposed a plan to develop a space-based missile defense system to shield the United States against a possible nuclear attack. He called it the Strategic Defense Initiative, or SDI; critics of the idea quickly labeled it “Star Wars,” because of its greater resemblance to science-fiction than anything within the realm of possibility.

And the critics were right. After an outlay of some $30 billion over ten years, the project was abandoned as unworkable.

And now Donald Trump is proposing — as though it were his original brainstorm — something he calls the “Gold Dome” project, supposedly to serve the same purpose, but without a clue as to how — or if — it might work.

Great way to cut the federal budget, Donnie!

Israel has a defense system known as the “Iron Dome.” But Trump being Trump — that is, being all about glitz and glitter and conspicuous consumption — thinks “gold” is more impressive than “iron,” even when talking about nuclear defense.

And even the name isn’t original . . . though in all fairness, he probably doesn’t know that the United States already has at least one golden dome: the Gold Dome Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, originally built as a bank in 1958. It has served well in protecting the string of businesses under its cover throughout the years; but as a defense against a nuclear attack . . . well, I’d rather take my chances in a subway station, thank you.

Or maybe he’s just envious of the magnificent golden domes on churches and cathedrals around the world . . . and most particularly those beautiful “onion” domes in his friend Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Perhaps he’d like to add a few of those to the White House . . . or, at the very least, to Mar-a-Lago. In the meantime, however, he has had to satisfy his lust for luxury by scattering a few — actually, more than a few — shiny dust-catchers to the Oval Office.

Unfortunately, he missed out on this one for the residence . . . but perhaps he can have a duplicate made:

*. *. *

Well, I’ve had enough fun at Donald Trump’s expense today. But even as I jest, I believe I’ve proven two things:

First, all the gold in the world can’t buy you good taste; and . . .

Second, all the money in the world doesn’t make you smart.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/23/25

It’s that time of year again, when World Population Review (WPR) releases its list of the Happiest Countries in the World. And for 2025 — in fact, for the tenth year in a row — the winner is . . . FINLAND!

And having experienced it firsthand — though not since 2009 — I can understand how it retains its status. It is a glorious place!

I was not surprised to see that the majority of the top ten winners are located in northern European climes. The ten are, in order of scoring: Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Australia (with New Zealand running a close 11th).

(For the complete list, check out worldpopulationreview.com.)

And where, you may be wondering, are we happy Americans? Well, we only made it to the No. 23 spot. Maybe that’s why Donald Trump is so desperate to claim Canada as the 51st state — it came in at No. 15. (Okay, Canada . . . we hear you cheering.)

Of course, I needed to know how these determinations are made each year, and the WPR is happy to share that information, which I pass along to you in relevant part:

“Happiness rankings are three-year averages. For example, 2023 rankings compile data from 2020-2022, while 2022 rankings compile data from 2019-2021.

“Happiness rankings are determined by analyzing comprehensive Gallup polling data from 149 countries in six particular categories: gross domestic product per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make your own life choices, generosity of the general populations, and perceptions of internal and external corruption levels.”

And when a country lacks sufficient data for one of the three preceding years, the average is based on the two available years.

In order to properly compare each country’s data, the researchers had a bit of fun: they created a fictional country, which they christened “Dystopia,” filled with “the world’s least-happy people.” Dystopia was placed at the lowest value in each of the six categories, and the scores of the real-world countries were measured against this value. All six variables were then blended to create a single combined score for each country.

*. *. *

Now, I don’t know why these reports have been issued each year since 2002, or who first thought to compile them. But I do know that if I were thinking seriously of relocating, I’d be checking out that list . . . and perhaps enrolling in a Finnish language class.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/22/25

Through some indecipherable mental process, Donald Trump and Elon Musk have decided that there are thousands of dead people collecting Social Security benefits, and that they need to be stricken from the system.

Well, if they are really and truly dead, then I whole-heartedly agree. And the people who have been collecting the payments in their place must legally be dealt with. That is a legitimate means of reducing wasteful government spending.

But is it true? Are there really thousands of them? Trump said in Florida last month that “There is one person on Social Security who is 360 years old.” [Nick Watt and Matthew J. Friedman, CNN, March 21, 2025.]

Well, that statement stretches credulity to the breaking point. If that individual — or someone in his or her name — has been collecting benefits for nearly 300 years, I’d like to know how and from whom, since not only has Social Security only been in effect since 1935 . . . but the United States itself is less than 250 years old! (I’d also like to know the secret of that person’s longevity, but that’s a whole other issue.)

*. *. *

Ned Johnson of Seattle, Washington, is a slightly different case. I don’t believe anyone is accusing him of having committed 300 years of fraud. But the 82-year-old gentleman was declared dead last month by the Social Security Administration (SSA); and he and his wife believe it’s due to a screw-up by one or more of Musk’s pre-pubescent DOGE staffers working inside the SSA — six of whom are said to be involved specifically with death data.

And the Johnsons have a point. Five days after the DOGE team began analyzing “improper payments” and “the death master file” on February 13th of this year, Ned Johnson was declared true and duly deceased. [Id.]

Together with his wife Pamela, Ned has been on a quest to prove his existence ever since. Although Pamela jokes that “There’s been a lot of gallows humor,” she adds that the “rather curious coincidence” has raised “a lot of unanswered questions,” and says that she thinks “maybe we’ll never know.” [Id.]

Their first inkling that something was wrong arrived in the form of an electronic letter from their bank, addressed to Pamela, on February 18th. It began:

“We offer our sincerest condolences. I understand this is a difficult time.” [Id.]

Pamela said that “[i]t was a little weird. Because he was sitting next to me drinking coffee.” [Id.]

The SSA had notified the bank of Ned’s “passing,” and money had been removed from their account equal to monthly payments they had received since November 23, 2024 — the date of his alleged demise. And the bank complied, because they had supposedly received some sort of form from a hospital in addition to the SSA notification. Neither the bank nor the SSA have been able to enlighten the Johnsons as to where that form came from, nor have they shown it to them.

Ned was told by his bank that “We have no way of communicating with Social Security. It comes electronically to us. We automatically react to it.” [Id.]

*. *. *

Now, we all know that, in this electronic world, these things happen from time to time. Within the SSA alone, more than three million deaths are reported annually. But in a news release issued after Ned Johnson went public with his problem, the agency stated:

“Less than one-third of 1 percent are erroneously reported deaths that need to be corrected.“

Still, even that tiny percentage amounts to about 9,000 errors each year, leaving 9,000 people scrambling to prove they’re still alive and trying to retrieve their money . . . money that (contrary to anything Elon Musk may claim about a so-called Ponzi scheme) those people have paid into Social Security out of their salaries over a lifetime of honest, productive work. And now they depend on it for their very survival.

*. *. *

Fortunately, Ned and Pamela were physically and mentally capable of taking steps — including going public in The Seattle Times — to rectify their situation fairly quickly. They did retrieve their wrongfully snatched benefits; but they also had to deal with the reinstatement of their Medicare and other health insurance, which had automatically been cancelled. And Ned worries whether he might have problems in the future with regard to credit card and passport renewals. As he says, “Your credit status goes to zero as soon as you’re declared deceased in the Social Security system.” [Id.]

Yes, these things happen. But they always seem to happen to the most vulnerable people . . . the ones least equipped to fight “the system” . . . and the very people now being targeted by the world’s newest, most notorious secret society: DOGE.

They call themselves the Department of Government Efficiency; but perhaps they should more appropriately be named the “Department of Government Executions.”

That way, they could keep the acronym and not have to change the logos on their tee shirts.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/22/25

Not the Georgia in the United States . . . they’re in Tbilisi, the capital city of the Republic of Georgia, in the incredibly beautiful, wild Caucasus Mountains.

But not all ten of the Feenstras — just dad Arend and the two eldest daughters, Cora and Ariana.

Don’t ask me why they’re taking this four-day jaunt, leaving the rest of the family behind on the farm — that hasn’t really been explained, except for some hints by Arend about visiting friends, doing some shopping, and some “farm stuff.”

I’ve seen four videos so far. The first consisted solely of the agony of getting from Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, to Tbilisi, Georgia — first by plane to Moscow; then by Metro from one airport (presumably Domodedovo, though that wasn’t clear) to another (Vnukovo); then, after several hours of hanging around the airport without sleep, on a 1:00 a.m. flight to Tbilisi, where they finally arrived at 5:00 a.m.

Interestingly, their Russian “migration cards” were taken from them at Vnukovo Airport, presumably because they were leaving the country. They are expected to be given back to them on their return from Georgia; but since, at this point, their journey hasn’t ended, it remains to be seen how seamlessly that will work.

After a few hours of sleep at their hotel and a hearty breakfast, they were off on their first shopping trip. And that takes up the entire second video. Really.

*. *. *

Day Two of this mystery excursion was spent trying to find shoes for Arend at the East Point Mall. His old shoes were apparently wearing out, and he’s been unable to find his large size 46 (U.S. equivalent, I believe, is around 15) anywhere back in Russia. I have no idea why he can’t order them online the way they seem to order everything else, but that is something else left unexplained. In any event, 1,007 air miles seems a long way to go for shoes.

And after visiting half a dozen or so very nice sporting goods and shoe stores in Tbilisi, including Skechers and Levis, he still came away empty-handed.

I haven’t been in Tbilisi since 1988, and I was fascinated to see how it has changed from a charmingly provincial, old-world city to a modern one offering every convenience imaginable. There were no shopping malls, in the contemporary sense, when I was there; no Western hotels, no high-end Western stores, no Yandex car service (similar to Uber), and no Western fast-food establishments. The trade sanctions against Russia since its invasion of Ukraine do not affect Georgia.

One thing that hasn’t changed is — as described by Arend — that Georgians are very much night people. In the daylight hours, the shops and restaurants were nearly empty of customers. But at night, the city comes to life, just as I remember it . . . in fact, even more so.

*. *. *

Okay, it’s Day Three, and I’m still waiting to find out what they’re doing here, other than shopping. Today’s video consisted of a tour of yet another shopping mall, this one called Carrefour, which Arend compared to the Lenta mall in Nizhny Novgorod.

After a lengthy . . . really lengthy . . . excursion through a home goods store, during which we were treated to a price comparison for everything from dishes to a Samsung smart phone (the equivalent of CAN$1,600, or roughly US$1,100 – 1,200), his conclusion was that prices seemed to have increased since they were last in Georgia a year ago.

But again, I was pleasantly surprised to see the availability of goods, both Western and local. In 1988, I was quickly surrounded by a group of women at an open market when I took a pocket pack of Kleenex from my purse. They had never before seen a “handkerchief that you throw away,” as I described it to them.

Welcome to the 21st Century, Georgia.

*. *. *

Day Four’s filming began with lunch at a restaurant that had been a favorite of Arend’s when they lived in Tbilisi for three months before reaching their Russian destination.

This was followed by a visit to an ancient castle by a vineyard, that — quite frankly — looked totally boring. I recall my long-ago visit to the ancient capital of Mtsxeta, which would have been much more interesting for Cora and Ariana . . . but I wasn’t in charge of planning their trip.

*. *. *

After four days of filming, I still have no clue as to the purpose of this latest Feenstra adventure: not the main purpose, nor why the two girls were dragged along, nor who arranged and financed it. But I do have some thoughts.

The recently installed sixth President of the Republic of Georgia is Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former professional footballer who ran as the sole candidate in 2024 in a highly-disputed election. His political stance is decidedly anti-Western, and massive demonstrations in Tbilisi have voiced the people’s concern about his government’s increasingly Russian-style actions.

Perhaps the Feenstras’ trip is just one more Putin-directed propaganda piece — taking advantage of their social media popularity — designed to promote Russia-Georgia relations, while at the same time demonstrating the family’s freedom to travel outside of Russia despite their “temporary residency” status.

It’s all rather strange, but I believe there is at least one more episode coming up. Perhaps then our questions will be answered, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, I don’t believe Arend has found shoes yet.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/21/25

Just hours after Donald Trump expressed his optimism on Thursday about the prospects of ending Russia’s war against Ukraine — stating that “we’re doing pretty well in that regard” — the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa was hit by a large-scale Russian drone attack. Civilian targets, including a high-rise apartment building and a shopping center, were among those hit, and a number of people — including a minor — were injured. [Edward Szekeres, CNN, March 21, 2025.]

So much for a 30-day ceasefire.

And Odesa was not Russia’s only target yesterday. At least five other civilians were wounded in an attack near the southern city of Zaporizhzhia; and nearly 200 drones hit the Kirovohrad region in central Ukraine overnight, wounding 10 people including four children, and damaging homes, a church, and key infrastructure. [Id.]

Ukrainian President Zelensky posted Thursday on X:

“Russian strikes on Ukraine do not stop, despite their propaganda claims. Every day and every night, nearly a hundred or more drones are launched, along with ongoing missile attacks. With each such launch, the Russians expose to the world their true attitude towards peace.” [Id.]

The entire world does indeed know how much Vladimir Putin’s word is worth . . . except, apparently, for one individual.

I find it hard to believe he is that stupid. But I have to make myself believe it . . . because the alternative is simply unacceptable.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/21/25

Yesterday was the 171st anniversary of the founding of the Republican Party in the United States.

“And why?” you may ask, “is that ironic?” Well, not because of the timing, but because of the party’s background:

“In Ripon, Wisconsin, former members of the Whig Party meet [sic] to establish a new party to oppose the spread of slavery into the western territories. The Whig Party, which was formed in 1834 to oppose the ‘tyranny’ of President Andrew Jackson, had shown itself incapable of coping with the national crisis over slavery.” [“This Day In History,” History.com, March 20, 2025.]

In that year of 1854 — six years before the election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency — the Whig Party was already known as the anti-slavery party. In today’s terms, they were believers in the democratic — not to mention Constitutional — principles of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. And they did something about it: they took legal steps to effect changes.

What do you suppose those first Republicans would think of their party now?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/21/25

Amidst all of the hype surrounding this week’s phone call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump concerning the future of Ukraine, many people tried very hard to remain optimistic, hoping that this would be the first major step toward an end to Russia’s illegal war of attrition.

But some of us didn’t, because — based on an over-abundance of historic examples — we could not overlook the ingrained duplicity of the man who started that war.

Seriously . . . would you buy a used car — or a candy bar, for that matter — from this man?

On March 16th — the day before the scheduled phone call — I posted a tongue-in-cheek version of the way I thought their conversation would go. But I was completely serious when I predicted that Putin “ . . . will no doubt reiterate — for perhaps the hundredth time — his preposterous demands that Ukraine give up everything, while insisting that he really does want peace . . . but on his terms.”

And I forecast that a follow-up statement from the Kremlin would repeat their ludicrous claim that Ukraine has been the root cause of this “special military operation” from the beginning, and that their President, Volodymyr Zelensky, is the one holding up the negotiations.

So . . . was I right?

Tragically, yes . . . I was. Because all Trump — and therefore Ukraine — gained were a promise to engage in further negotiations, and a watered-down commitment to pause, for one month, Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s “energy and infrastructure” . . . or was it Ukraine’s “energy infrastructure”?

And there you have it. While the White House interpreted the agreement to include all infrastructure, the Kremlin says “Nyet!” It is just energy infrastructure.

Big difference.

Putin also, as predicted, refused to back off on his other requirements that Russia must keep those portions of Ukraine it now occupies, including Crimea; and that Ukraine never be granted membership in NATO or the EU.

And let us not overlook the attacks that continued on the very day the “agreement” was reached . . . and since.

So, I’m sorry to say, I was right . . . and so was everyone else who really knows what Vladimir Putin and the Russian government are about. Everyone, it seems, except Donald Trump.

But oh, how I wish we weren’t.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
3/20/25