There's growing awareness in the US that Ukraine cannot win this (though not yet in Europe).
Trump gives Putin 50 days to do, something, while ordering Zelensky to continue talks in Istanbul.
Zelensky's agenda items for Istanbul talks today are another prisoner swap, the missing children, and a timeline for a meeting between Putin and Zelensky, (so just the prisoner swap then).
https://thepeacemonger.substack.com/p/r ... n-children
Back to the Istanbul talks and there is no 3D chess being played here, it's all just stalling for time but there are no real goals.
The 30 day unconditional ceasefire that Ukraine and NATO hope Putin will agree to (not a chance), is to allow the US an opportunity to walk away with some shred of dignity and to allow EU/UK troops to move into Ukraine as 'peacekeepers', and so hopefully lead to a longer term conflict freeze.
A freeze to allow Ukraine to mobilise and train fresh troops and NATO to resupply with military equipment. Or worse, a Korea type stalemate lasting decades.
Putin will do everything to avoid either scenario.
Why Ukraine and the west think Putin might be so stupid as to allow himself to be led down this path is very odd though admittedly it is their only hope for evading having to admit to an absolute out and out defeat.
Without denazification and a demilitarised neutral Ukraine Russia will see this as just a pause with the need to continue at a later date, so better to achieve it's goals and finish up now.
Russia will end up with a hostile state next door, just not sure whether it will be Poland and Romania or a west Ukrainian rump state.
The important thing for Russia is distance and time to intercept any in-coming missiles which they did not have under the NATO plan to put launchers right on the Ukraine Russia border (oh yes they were, Blinken told the Russians so).
While the Ukrainians are hopelessly dreaming of victory the Americans are looking for an exit and the Europeans are dragging on the US's coat tails trying to keep them in.
None of them have anything left to offer, no men, no money, no equipment, but none of them want to have to admit it.
At the start of the conflict one poll said 88% of Ukrainians envisaged Ukraine being in the EU and NATO by the end of the decade.
Latest Spectator poll says 47% now think that Ukraine will be a depopulated country with a ruined economy.
A separate survey found that 70% of Ukrainians also believe their leaders are using the war to enrich themselves.
In other news Zelensky disbands NABU the country's anti-corruption task force initiated by the west, no one seems to know why he would do this. (sarcasm)
And the Wall Street Journal reports one of Ukraine's most prominent anti-corruption activist Vitality Shabunin has been charged with evading military service and fraud. Shabunin is the chair of the anti-corruption action centre executive board.
Col Doug Macgregor: We're PUSHING RUSSIA Over the Edge
Frontline crisis Ukraine. Trump/Merz dangerous escalation against Russia
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