The visuals started when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky showed up at the White House wearing a suit instead of his signature military garb. He had long since humbled himself after last February’s disastrous visit when Donald Trump chastised him for being (in Trump’s opinion) improperly dressed, and for not saying “thank you” a sufficient number of times.

So it was smart of Zelensky — who obviously had come as a supplicant — to avoid that pitfall; but it was also a bow to the king that would not have been necessary if the “king” were possessed of a modicum of human kindness. I have to wonder whether an Arab sheik would have been criticized for wearing his traditional bisht, or an African leader for arriving in a dashiki.

But sartorial choices aside, the two men — flanked by their aides — held a press conference in the Oval Office before joining the European delegation waiting in another room. The body language of Trump and his minions — JD Vance, Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff — could not have been more different from last February’s meeting. Trump was smiling and gracious, also complimenting Zelensky on his appearance when a reporter first mentioned it. He even touched Zelensky’s arm a couple of times in a gesture intended to appear friendly.

He was the King of Schmooze.

But Trump’s words belied his toothy smiles. Amidst all the assurances of support and future security guarantees for Ukraine, there were still the none-too-subtle hints that a ceasefire during peace negotiations was now off the table, and that future security assurances, while decidedly necessary, remained to be ironed out.

Then Trump launched into one of his standard, rambling, irrelevant diatribes about how many wars and conflicts he’s ended this year (six); how his takeover of the capital city has already made it so much safer; and how “corrupt” and “stupid” former President Joe Biden — whom he blames for Putin’s war against Ukraine (not to mention his alleged theft of the 2020 election) — was and is.

None of which had anything to do with the purpose of yesterday’s meeting, which had hastily brought together six European heads of state — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian President Giorgia Meloni, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb — as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte.

The group appeared briefly on camera to introduce themselves and to state their principal concerns, which centered primarily on the future provision of “Article 5-style” security assurances* to Ukraine. And then they adjourned to meet privately.

* Article 5 of the NATO Treaty provides that an attack against one member is considered an attack against all.

In parting statements from some of the leaders following that session, very little detail was made available — again focusing on security issues, and indicating that territorial disputes would be decided by Ukraine and Russia, and not by third parties.

French President Macron said:

“We are going to need a strong Ukrainian army and will need to help Ukraine with boots on the ground. We will need peacekeeping operations which allies of Ukraine are willing to supply.” [BBC, August 18,, 2025.]

He added that Trump had indicated he would be “willing” to impose secondary sanctions and tariffs on Moscow “if Russia doesn’t play ball.” [Id.]

(Of course, we’ve heard that one from Putin before . . . how many times?)

Finnish President Stubb characterized the talks as “partially successful,” but said that there was “nothing concrete” from the U.S. as to its participation in any security guarantees. As to Trump’s proposed meeting between Putin and Zelensky, Stubb said the Russian president “cannot be trusted . . . We will see if Putin has the courage to come to such a meeting.” [Id.]

As a smaller nation sharing a border with Russia, Finland has the most imminent concerns as to its own security, and has recently begun increasing its military presence and securing its borders.

Meanwhile, in Lafayette Park, directly across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, President Volodymyr Zelensky gave a press conference of his own. He talked about the possibility of a trilateral — or even a bilateral — meeting with Putin, saying that:

“ . . . if Russia proposed to the president of the United States a bilateral, then we will see the result.” [Id.]

Which brings us to the big announcement of the day: Donald Trump’s 40-minute telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin in the middle of the proceeding, which Trump said was to discuss a possible meeting with Zelensky. The time and place of such a meeting was yet to be decided; and whether it would be bilateral (Putin and Zelensky) or trilateral (to include Trump), or perhaps one of each, was unclear. But Trump posted on Truth Social that the details were being coordinated by JD Vance, Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, and said:

“This was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years.” [RFE/RL, August 18, 2025.]

But . . . and remember that, when you’re dealing with Russia, there is always a “but” . . .

Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, Yury Ushakov, said on the Kremlin’s Telegram channel that “The idea was discussed that it would be worthwhile to explore the possibility of raising the level of representatives from the Ukrainian and Russia sides — that is, those representatives participating in the mentioned direct negotiations. Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump agreed to maintain close contact with each other on the Ukrainian issue and other pressing topics on the international and bilateral agenda.” [Lidia Kelly, Reuters, August 18, 2025.]

But . . . and here it comes . . . it was not clear from Ushakov’s statement whether Putin had actually agreed to meet with Zelensky personally.

*. *. *

So, was anything resolved by today’s meeting?

Finally resolved . . . well, no; but it appears to have been a major step in the right direction.

Tragically, the war rages on, with at least 14 people (including children) killed and dozens injured yesterday by Russian assaults on Ukrainian cities and villages near the front, including Kharkiv. Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said:

“That’s why Putin doesn’t want to cease fire. He enjoys shelling peaceful cities while talking about his desire to end the war.” [Constant Meheut, New York Times, August 18, 2025.]

Perhaps enjoyment is not the right word; but the events of last Friday and yesterday have certainly been strategically beneficial for Putin, allowing him still more time to (he hopes) make further territorial gains before possibly having to call an end to the fighting.

*. *. *

And now the real work begins — in Washington, Moscow, Kyiv, and across Europe — to keep the momentum going.

As Lenny Kravitz sang: “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over.” And right now, no one has any idea when that will be.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/19/25

As I was heading off to bed, I made one final check of the headlines, and found — much to my dismay — that Donald Trump has already, ahead of today’s meetings, warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he will most likely have to give up Russian-occupied areas of his country in exchange for “robust” future security guarantees. [Kathleen Magramo, CNN, August 18, 2025.]

I have just one thing to say: Oh . . .

And so to bed.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/18/25

As we head into Monday and the scheduled meeting in the Washington White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, there is a bit of good news and some additional promising news.

First, the good news: It was revealed yesterday that the meeting will be attended by several European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer [CNN, August 17, 2025] . . . thus providing a much-needed layer of sanity to the discussions, and hopefully preventing a repeat of the notorious verbal attack on Zelensky by Donald Trump and JD Vance in the same spot last February.

As for the promising news, whether it will come to fruition will depend entirely upon Vladimir Putin’s follow-through on what was reportedly said in Friday’s meeting in Alaska.

According to White House special envoy Steve Witkoff, Putin agreed at that summit to allow the U.S. and our European allies to offer Ukraine a security guarantee similar to NATO’s Article 5 protection* in exchange for Russia’s promise to “not go after any other European countries and violate their sovereignty . . . [and] plenty more.“ [Jill Colvin, John Leicester and Samya Kullab, Associated Press, August 17, 2025.]

* Article 5 of the NATO Treaty provides for mutual protection, i.e., an attack against one or more NATO member nations will be considered an attack against all NATO members.

While this represents a hopeful sign from the Russian side, it is too soon to begin celebrating, as there is some distance to go before any sort of peace agreement is reached. And there is the matter of what Putin will demand in exchange for such a concession. But Witkoff said, “We began to see some moderation in the way they’re thinking about getting to a final peace deal.” [Id.]

The big question remains: Is Putin weakening?

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was more cautious in his approach to this development. Speaking on three Sunday news programs, he said:

“We made progress in the sense that we identified potential areas of agreement, but there remains [sic] some big areas of disagreement. So we’re still a long ways off.” [Id.]

And Witkoff confirmed:

“I think everybody agreed that we had made progress. Maybe not enough for a peace deal, but we are on the path for the first time. The fundamental issue, which is some sort of land swap, which is obviously ultimately in the control of the Ukrainians — that could not have been discussed at this meeting [with Putin]. We intend to discuss it on Monday. Hopefully we have some clarity on it and hopefully that ends up in a peace deal very, very soon.” [Id.]

Again, while there appears to be a ray of hope, today’s meeting in the Oval Office will certainly be influenced by the way in which Ukraine views Moscow’s apparent shift in position. And since Putin is still insistent on holding a large swath of territory in eastern Ukraine, there is likely to be considerable push-back from Zelensky.

Also, we must never lose sight of the fact that Vladimir Putin is not what one could characterize as a reliable or reasonable adversary. He is wily, mercurial, and completely untrustworthy. What he said on Friday, he can easily disavow tomorrow, depending on what he hears from Zelensky today . . . and we could find ourselves back at square one. Hopefully, that won’t happen.

And there is also the lingering uncertainty as to whose side Donald Trump will take. In one breath, he asserts his continuing support for Ukraine’s defense; while in the next, he gushes over the importance of increasing trade relations with his old friend Vladimir.

All things considered, I’m going to play it safe and hold off on making any predictions for the time being. But I’ll be back after the White House meeting.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/18/25

Just when I think I’ve surely seen or heard it all, I am once more proven wrong.

It happened again yesterday, when I read this follow-up to the Trump-Putin love-fest in Alaska:

“During the flight to Alaska, Trump said he also spoke with Belarusian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko, who is a close ally of Russia, and frequent interlocutor for Putin.” [RFE/RL, August 16, 2025.]

Lukashenko — once labeled “Europe’s last dictator” — is an unabashed tyrant, cut from the same cloth as his mentor, Vladimir Putin. His arrests of dissidents, journalists, and any others who may represent a threat to his totalitarian regime are well-documented; his assaults on civil and human rights mirror those of Putin. And, while not actively participating in Russia’s war against Ukraine, he has buttressed it by providing shelter to Putin’s troops and weaponry, as well as open access to a 1,000-km. stretch of border with northern Ukraine.

But Donald Trump — while en route to a meeting with Putin allegedly designed to clear a path toward ending Russia’s war against Ukraine — took time to call Lukashenko. The purpose of the call: ostensibly to thank the dictator for the release in June — two months ago — of 16 prisoners, and to urge the release of 1,300 more. [Id.]

He also wrote that he planned to meet with Lukashenko at an unspecified time “in the future.” [Id.]

But why? And why now? On his way to welcome a wanted war criminal onto U.S. soil, he’s simultaneously preparing to offer political rehabilitation to yet another international pariah.

The only words that come to my mind at this moment are — and please excuse the language — WHAT THE FUCK??!!!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/17/25

Following Friday’s meeting in Alaska, Vladimir Putin spoke to the press from prepared notes, but offered little or no useful information. He took no questions, but hurried off the dais, skipped lunch, and boarded his plane for the long flight back to Moscow.

But on Saturday, he finally had a few words to say . . . very few, and, again, virtually useless as they merely reiterate what he has said many times before. Describing the summit as “very useful,” and saying that he had “set out our position” to Trump, he added:

“We had the opportunity, which we did, to talk about the genesis, about the causes of this crisis. It is the elimination of these root causes that should be the basis for settlement.” [Asya Robins and Tabby Wilson, BBC News, August 16, 2025.]

So, he still effectively has said nothing. But I suspect that more of what he proposed to Trump, Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff in that closed-door session on Friday will be revealed by what Trump has to offer Ukrainian President Zelensky in Washington on Monday. Trump has already made his current position clear by saying that Zelensky should “take the deal” — whatever “the deal” turns out to be.

Meanwhile, Putin is playing his cards close to the chest, as always. His reaction to the outcome of Monday’s Trump-Zelensky sit-down will be most interesting.

This is almost like waiting for the next episode of Downton Abbey . . . only with real-life, high-stakes outcomes.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/17/25

After Friday’s fiasco in Anchorage — the so-called “summit” between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin that was supposed to have been a major step toward cessation of the war in Ukraine — it is more obvious than ever that Putin has no intention of ending the slaughter until he has achieved everything on his wish list.

That means that Ukraine — the entire country of some 37 million souls — continues to be held hostage to the whims of a bloodthirsty war criminal. So it is to them that today’s remembrance is dedicated, with hopes and prayers that the continuing efforts of their European and American allies will succeed in bringing the madness to an early end.

And never to be forgotten, here are again are the others for whom the effort continues:

Prisoners of War:

The People of Ukraine
The Azov 12

Endangered Exiles:

Mikita Losik
Yulia Navalnaya
Countless Journalists and Other Dissidents

Political Prisoners:

In Azerbaijan:

The “Azerbaijan 7”:
— Farid Mehralizada
— Ulvi Hasanli
— Sevinj Abbasova (Vagifqiai)
— Mahammad Kekalov
— Hafiz Babali
— Nargiz Absalamova
— Elnara Gasimova

In Belarus:

Ales Bialiatski
Andrei Chapiuk
Uladzimir Labkovich
Ihar Losik
Marfa Rabkova
Valiantsin Stafanovic
Yuras Zyankovich

In Russia:

David Barnes
Gordon Black
Antonina Favorskaya
Konstantin Gabov
Robert Gilman
Stephen James Hubbard
Sergey Karelin
Vadim Kobzev
Darya Kozyreva
Artyom Kriger
Michael Travis Leake
Aleksei Liptser
Grigory Melkonyants
Nika Novak
Nadezhda Rossinskaya (a.k.a. Nadin Geisler)
Igor Sergunin
Dmitry Shatresov
Robert Shonov
Grigory Skvortsov
Eugene Spector
Laurent Vinatier
Robert Romanov Woodland

. . . and the countless others of whom I may not be aware.

The fight goes on.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/17/25

The visuals tell the story. The first was the meeting held in the U.S. White House last February among Donald Trump, JD Vance, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — a man who had been fighting for the survival of his country for three long years — when it devolved into an ambush: a malicious, belittling attack on Zelensky, with no discernible cause or justification:

And this was yesterday’s red-carpet reunion between the same Donald Trump and the world’s #1 pariah — and indicted war criminal — Vladimir Putin, in Anchorage, Alaska:

So much for Donald Trump’s choice of “friends.”

Yesterday’s much-touted summit in Alaska turned out — not unexpectedly — to be a big bag of nothing, insofar as Ukraine was concerned. No ceasefire agreement was reached; no trilateral meeting scheduled; no concessions hinted at by Putin; and no mention made of further sanctions against Russia.

Trump and Putin did, however, hug it out when the discussions turned to the possibility of future U.S.-Russian cooperation in the areas of trade and technology, which was apparently what they both wanted in the first place. Ukraine appeared to have been little more than the excuse for a get-together.

No substantive information was given to the public following the meeting, but bits and pieces are gradually becoming available today. And they’re not offering much hope for an early end to the war.

Previously, Trump had promised that any failure on Putin’s part to agree to a ceasefire would lead to additional, “punishing” sanctions. But that hasn’t happened, and isn’t likely to. Instead, Trump crossed the red line to Putin’s side when he wrote on Truth Social:

“It was determined by all that the best way to end the horrific war between Russia and Ukraine is to go directly to a peace agreement.” As for an interim ceasefire, he said they “often times do not hold up.” [Paul Adams, BBC, August 16, 2025.]

In a conversation with European leaders following the Alaska meeting, Trump said that Putin wants all of the eastern Ukraine Donbas region in exchange for a freeze of the current front lines. They also discussed potential “NATO-esque” security guarantees for Ukraine, with which Trump seems to have agreed . . . but which Putin will undoubtedly oppose. [Nick Paton Walsh, Frederik Pleitgen, et al., CNN, August 16, 2025.]

And the White House has confirmed a meeting between Trump and Zelensky in the Oval Office on Monday, August 18th, to be attended by at least one other European leader. Trump said that if that meeting goes well, he would then schedule a meeting with Putin. However, in Moscow, Yuri Ushakov — who attended the Alaska summit with Putin — told Russian state media that a second summit was a possibility, but that the idea of trilateral talks to include Zelensky had “not been touched upon.” [Bojan Pancevski, Laurence Norman and Daniel Michaels, The Wall Street Journal, August 16, 2025.]

Further, European officials who spoke with Trump post-summit said that he had told them Putin would not cease fighting during any peace talks, and that “Putin wanted to keep fighting.” And there were mixed signals as to Trump’s position on future security guarantees for Ukraine.

*. *. *

Meanwhile, in Moscow, Vladimir Putin had this to say:

“Russian-American business and investment partnership has huge potential.” [Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, August 16, 2025.]

Which, again, leaves Putin holding the winning hand.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/16/25

So, so sorry, Ukraine. But I can’t believe you were surprised.

[Note: The following comments are based on my own notes, taken as I watched the proceedings live. Apologies if I’ve missed anything.]

After the warm, brotherly greeting on the tarmac, and three hours spent behind closed doors, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump emerged before a large press gathering and offered . . .

Nothing. Zip. Zero. Nada. Nichevo.

Just as Putin had scored points simply by being invited to meet in the United States, and receiving a red-carpet welcome complete with everything but a big Russian bear-hug . . . so did he take center stage by speaking first, against diplomatic protocol, to the assembled press corps.

Occasionally referring to notes, he launched into a history lesson, reminding the world of the geographical closeness of the Russian east to the Alaskan west; of the cooperation between the two countries that defeated the Nazi regime in World War II; and the unfortunate deterioration of U.S.-Russian relations in recent years.

He recalled former President Biden’s failure to come to an agreement that (allegedly) would have prevented the conflict in Ukraine, and told the audience that Trump had said that, had he been president in 2022, there would have been no war in Ukraine . . . and “I can confirm that.”

And then he talked business: how the U.S. and Russia could cooperate, to their mutual benefit, in areas such as hi-tech and space exploration, etc., etc., blah, blah, blah.

But did he say anything about a ceasefire, or next steps to end the war? He did not. He did, however, refer — for the thousandth time — to the necessity of first dealing with what he calls the “root causes” of the conflict, and the issue of perceived threats to Russia’s security.

There was more talk of his and Trump’s close relationship and mutual understanding, and his belief that Trump sincerely wants peace and recognizes Russia’s security issues. According to Putin, the two have “built a trustworthy contact,” and will be able to end the conflict.

But he never said how.

It sounded as though his closing remarks had been written long before he arrived in Alaska . . . that he never had any intention of negotiating or conceding anything. This was another stall, but much more: it was a public relations triumph, and that was all he ever intended it to be.

*. *. *

And then it was Trump’s turn. In contrast to Putin’s smiling, lively demeanor, Trump appeared exhausted, depressed, defeated . . . and old. Very, very old.

He managed to spout some word salad about having agreed on “a couple of big ones,” but said there was more to be worked out.

Then — in what was probably the big sound bite of the day — he uttered this gem: “There is no deal until there is a deal.”

He could have stopped there.

But he tried to put a cheerful spin on the situation, saying they had made some great progress; that many points had been agreed upon, but not everything; that he had always had a fantastic relationship with Vladimir; and that, despite some difficult meetings in the past — which he blamed on “the Russia, Russia, Russia deal” — he was sure that they understood each other.

He next tried to acknowledge Putin’s team — most likely Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushkov — but seemed unable to remember their names and ended up gesturing to them instead.

As I said . . . looking very, very old, and very tired.

*. *. *

And then it was over. Trump said to Putin that they would speak again very soon, and also see each other again soon . . . to which Putin replied, in English, “Next time in Moscow.”

Trump seemed a bit startled, and laughingly said he would probably “get some heat for that,” but that he “can see it possibly happening.”

The press, of course, were ready with a barrage of questions; but it was not to be. The speakers hastily left the stage, and according to news reports, Putin headed directly to his plane . . . not even staying for lunch. Smiles or no smiles, that is never a good sign.

So what to make of it all, besides “much ado about nothing”?

Clearly, the winner of yesterday’s round was Vladimir Putin. Trump had said earlier that he would be very unhappy if the day passed without his having achieved at least a ceasefire, and that there would be dire consequences for Russia if that happened.

Well, it did happen. No ceasefire, no mention of a meeting to include Ukrainian President Zelensky . . . and no Nobel Peace Prize. At least, not yet.

There will, of course, be follow-up calls between Trump and Zelensky, as well as with European leaders. I would be surprised if we hear any further details until those calls have been held.

In the meantime, I have one more reason to be happy I am not a member of Trump’s team: I would not want to have been in his path when he let his wrath loose aboard Air Force One.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/16/25 – 12:15 a.m.

Amid smiles, handshakes, and an exchange of a few words, Vladimir Putin was greeted by Donald Trump on the tarmac at U.S. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska.

Their arrival, perfectly orchestrated for Trump to land a few minutes ahead of Putin, was accompanied by a respectful military presence . . . and a massive security force from both sides.

There had also been an announcement from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt aboard Air Force One before landing that the meeting, originally scheduled to be one-on-one between Putin and Trump alone, had been changed to a three-on-three. Putin would now be accompanied by his very experienced Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, and foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov; and Trump would have the backing of newly-minted Secretary of State Marco Rubio and real estate mogul-cum-foreign policy expert Steve Witkoff.

I don’t know what brought about the last-minute change, but I do feel a sense of relief that Putin and Trump won’t be left to their own devices without witnesses.

Still, based solely on their respective years of relevant experience, it’s clear that Trump’s team is conspicuously outclassed.

Now I’m holding my breath until the closing press conference, though I don’t anticipate any earthshaking announcements. What I would like to see is at least a temporary ceasefire, and a concrete plan for a further meeting — this time to include Ukrainian President Zelensky, leaders of the allied European nations, and the European Union. We shall see.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/15/25 – 5:45 p.m. EDT

One picture said it all.

It wasn’t the casualness of his attire; that was understandable for such a long trip.

It was the logo — black lettering against a white background — on the sweatshirt:

CCCP

For those too young to recall the “good old days” of the Cold War, those are the Cyrillic letters for:

USSR

Without a word, that shirt told the world what Vladimir Putin is really doing in Alaska today: He is reasserting his country’s position in the world hierarchy . . . not just as the Russian Federation, but as the 21st century’s Union of Soviet Socialist Republics!

And on U.S. soil that once, long ago, belonged to the Russian Empire.

The summit is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. EDT (11:30 a.m. local time). But the scene has already been set . . . not by Donald Trump, but by a key member of Putin’s team in a photo op worth 1,000 words.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/15/25 – 10:45 a.m.