Secretary Rubio: "The only way to reach a deal is for each side to get something and each side to give something, and that's been very difficult. If it was easy, this wouldn't have been going on for 3.5 years… That's why Zelensky is coming tomorrow."pic.twitter.com/TMWK3AAqXQ
— Thomas Sowell Quotes (@ThomasSowell) August 17, 2025
Joint Base Elmendorf
Trump-Putin Summit
️ Alaska 2025 pic.twitter.com/Dv4q5n6zOZ
— James Blair (@JamesBlair47) August 15, 2025
The silence from the Kremlin is deafening.
— wretchardthecat (@wretchardthecat) June 2, 2025
What could possibly go wrong: Ukrainian officials did not give the Trump administration advance notice of the attack, both Ukrainian and U.S. officials told Axios
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy and close aide, Kirill Dmitriev, has praised US President Donald Trump for putting together Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul, the first such direct dialogue between the warring countries since early 2022.
Trump and his team have “made the impossible possible” by bringing Moscow and Kiev to the table. Dmitriev further wrote on X that the Istanbul meeting is happening “against all odds/fierce resistance” and that if “not derailed last-minute, this could be a historic step to peace.”
Dmitriev also specifically named Vice President J.D. Vance, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio – the latter two who are present in Istanbul – as major contributors to the mediation effort. The Kremlin had spent the opening years of the conflict blasting the Biden administration for constantly stoking the war and thwarting dialogue, taking Washington-Moscow relations to new historic lows.
The people who quarterbacked the NATO side of the Ukraine war are so pleased with themselves, they can’t keep from boasting about things that will make the average American want to pitchfork the lot of them.
When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House nearly a month ago, the New York Times packed its pages with stories denouncing Donald Trump and J.D. Vance for abandoning Ukraine, and the impolitic “dressing down” of a friendly foreign leader. The Times like most Western news outlets for years suggested that anything short of a full-throated expression of support for war was a betrayal of the “democratic world order” that would lead to instant battlefield deaths.
Now that the war appears lost, and newspapers abroad (conspicuously, not here) are full of news about an apparent bombing of Vladimir Putin’s motorcade, and the future of NATO hangs by a thread, the Times has run a 13,000-word “Secret History” that shows the same U.S. officials who denounced Trump and American voters for saying it out loud long ago concluded that they, too, should probably “walk away.”
This is a must read. Buy a subscription if you must. There’s too much here to quote, but I’ll include this bit from nearer the end.
There are a hundred details in this “Secret History” that serve as stark warnings to anyone who thinks protection from Armageddon is secure in the hands of career military and intelligence officials. Not only did we allow ourselves to be “blackmailed” into escalating a conflict with a nuclear power, the management of the “partnership” broke down because of a Heathers-style spat between the key brass twits, Ukrainian general Valery Zaluhniy and Mark Milley.
When Milley second-guessed Zaluhniy, the latter would respond with teen-like silence, or by ghosting Milley’s next call. Underscoring: the country to which we were giving hundreds of billions in aid didn’t feel a need to pick up the phone.
I think this livestream is open audience.
European leaders have gotten the message from Washington about doing more for their own defense and for Ukraine, too. They are talking tough when it comes to supporting Ukraine and about protecting their own borders, and they are standing up to a demanding and even hostile Trump administration.
But there is an inevitable gap between talk and action, and unity is fracturing already, especially when it comes to spending and borrowing money in a period of low growth and high debt. […]
Kaja Kallas, the former prime minister of Estonia who is now the chief foreign and security official for the European Union, has been a forceful advocate for supporting Ukraine as a first line of European defense against an aggressive, militarized Russia.
But it has been a rocky start for Ms. Kallas. Her effort to get the E.U. to provide up to 40 billion euros (more than $43 billion) to Ukraine through a small, fixed percentage levy on each country’s national income has gone nowhere.
Her backup proposal, for an added €5 billion as a first step toward providing Ukraine two million artillery shells this year, was also rejected by Italy, Slovakia and even France, an E.U. official said, speaking anonymously in accordance with diplomatic practice. The countries insisted that contributions to Ukraine remain voluntary, bilateral and not required by Brussels.
Given this information, it’s pointless asking Europe to contribute naval assets to keeping their Red Sea lanes open. Maybe we should face the facts: the Global World is a luxury we can’t afford because the global citizens won’t pay to manage entropy on a planetary scale.
Perhaps the New World will look like an updated version the Old World we used to live in. A world of relatively culturally homogenous countries surrounded by tariffs with defended frontiers. It’s what we can afford.
Makes Volodymyr a dull boy.
Armstrong Economics- Ukraine Invests in Western Border – $1.5B Ski Resort
Travel and Tour World- Ukraine’s Bold £1.2 Billion Ski Resort Set to Redefine Luxury Tourism Near the Polish Border
This sprawling project will feature 25 hotels with 5,500 rooms, covering 2,965 acres. It will include 41 ski slopes spanning 46.6 miles, 846 acres of snow-covered terrain, over 10 miles of ski lifts, two modern gondola lifts, and 11 chairlifts.
Goro Resort- The largest recreation project in the Lviv Carpathians
36 minute video
The Duran- PUTIN; U.S. must address root causes
Francisco- A lot of people have very strong opinions and feelings about what’s going on here. Which is quite understandable. Having said that, I would ask that you discuss the topic like adults in the comments section. If I have to come back here and babysit the thread there will be a heavy and somewhat indiscriminate hand on the delete button, so fair warning.
Take any position you like, disagree with any position you wish to disagree with but lets keep our emotions on a tight leash.
The US Push for Peace & Europe Panics (1 hr) – Even in terms of creating a peacekeeping force, or coming up with some sort of cease fire agreement, it’s really the British and the French working with the Ukrainians. It’s not “the Europeans” or “Europe”, because there is no “Europe”.
JUST IN: Ukraine’s President Zelenskiy: I am ready to work under Trump’s strong leadership to bring peace.
— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) March 4, 2025
Regarding the agreement on minerals and security, Ukraine is ready to sign it in any time and in any convenient format. We see this agreement as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees, and I truly hope it will work effectively.
Click for full size.
New: President Donald Trump has ordered a halt to all U.S. military aid to Ukraine, intensifying pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskiy just days after a heated confrontation in the Oval Office cast doubt on the support of Ukraine’s most significant ally.
ZeroHedge- Peace For Our Dime
Indeed, if in 1938 British PM Chamberlain claimed, “Peace for our time”, in 2025 PM Starmer is admitting, “Peace for our dime.” Bloomberg has estimated Europe might have to spend €300bn extra annually in defence spending ahead, but Jakub Janda from the Centre for Security Policy in Prague states: “It is possible to have strong European military to defend Europe. Even without the US. It costs at least 7-10% of GDP annually in initial years and then at least 5% of GDP. When the hell are we starting?” Is Europe serious about doing this? We will hear more on that this week, with a Bundesbank proposal on debt brake reform today, and another European summit on Thursday. Just recall there is a huge price tag for European inaction as well.
Mark Steyn- All We Are Saying Is: Give War a Chance!
~Thought for the day: Is the Trump/Zelenskyyyy “spat” just about Ukraine? Or will Saint Volodymyr the Suitless take the entire Atlantic alliance down with him?
Associated Press- Ukraine’s Zelenskyy says end of war with Russia is ‘very, very far away’
Donald Trump- This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelenskyy, and America will not put up with it for much longer!
Babylon Bee- Trump Institutes Military Draft For Everyone With Ukraine Flag In Their Facebook Profile
They’re finally saying the quiet part out loud.
I have seen no starker admission that Ukraine was set up to serve as cannon fodder. https://t.co/5Vztsogldk
— Katewerk (@katewerk) March 3, 2025
Now I get it.
“Ukraine War” is the new Covid.
Everyone has to believe in it.
Everything has to revolve around it.
The left are obsessed with it.
The right know it’s a scam.
Celebrities are being paid to promote it.
And ginormous sums OF OUR MONEY have to be wasted on it.
Only difference is, it kills way more white men…
…the warmongers are getting richer, not Big Pharma…
…and they want it to last forever.
Update: The word has clearly gone out to coordinate the new action plan of the Deep State: Russia, Russia, Russia!. These dangerous fools will stop at nothing to scuttle peace discussions. P.S. If you read through Murphy’s feed and don’t immediately understand what he’s doing, then please read this.
Where the foxes caper unmolested, the government packs your school lunch, and a billion here and a billion there and pretty soon you’re talking no money.
Related commentary collected by Ed Driscoll..
Update: What’s Starmer doing?
Forget the WEF, the WTC, and WHO. After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington today, the new reigning international body is WTF! Did that really happen?
Zelensky’s much-anticipated meeting with Donald Trump and J.D. Vance Friday afternoon led to one of the weirdest Oval Office scenes in history. What started as nervous diplomacy ended as a Three Stooges pie-fight, with the black-costumed Ukrainian leader leaving as two eyeholes covered in cream.
Trump and Vance fared better, but were clearly taken by surprise. Both were expecting Zelensky to sign a deal forking over $500 billion in rare earth development rights in exchange for American funding during the the last three years of war. Not until early into the photo op did they realize they’d been punked.
This was the beginning of the end of the Zelensky legend. He came to Washington as the tough-talking spokesmodel for the “rules-based international order,” and left as a costumed pre-teen sent home with an empty trick-or-treat basket:
It’s paywalled, but you can read it with a free trial.
And Mark Steyn: The Beltway rumour is that, on his flight to DC, Zelenskyyyy was telephoned by Victoria Nuland, She-Wolf of the Donbass, plus Susan Rice and Anthony Blinken and advised to get tough with Trump. If true, that’s gotta be the worst episode of “Phone-a-Friend” since the plucky little Ukrainian started playing Who Wants to Be a Billionaire (in Euros)?
Victor Davis Hanson: Usually, in international diplomacy, the client doesn’t dictate to the patron.
A pretty good observation from Jay Currie
Reaction to today’s Oval Office activities are an absolutely accurate indicator of the pro or anti-Trump sentiments of those reacting. From Euro astroturf in support of Z to subsidy journalists rising as one to condemn the bullying, they all hate Trump.
For those of us who are not particularly offput by Trump 2.0 and his team, it was a rare glimpse into the way serious politicians are able to spot and slap down a phoney if he goes off script.
There was a mineral deal on the table and there were 40 minutes of conversation of which only a few had Zelensky wandering into dangerous ground. For the TDS brigade the fact there was any dangerous ground was obviously Trump’s fault.
Zelensky occupies a strange position. If you don’t support him you are a Putin puppet and, now a Trump tool. The idea of Peace in Ukraine on anything but Zelensky’s terms is unthinkable to the blob. That would be conceding to Putin.
Trump telling Zelensky that he had no cards to play offended every Eurocrat, USAID recipient and deep stater. There are some truths we just don’t talk about, you brute.
Trump’s a realist. He knows Ukraine is not winning. It’s losing (and after today’s Zelensky tantrum, has probably lost.) Not winning is getting in the way of Peace. Which Trump is not willing to put up with.
Supporting Zelensky ensures that the pointless, unwinnable war continues. A Peace Treaty which conceded the eastern, Russian speaking, parts of Ukraine already occupied by Russia, ends the war on about the best terms Ukraine can hope for.
You may hate Trump and think Putin the devil incarnate, but prolonging a futile war for even one day longer is evil. A fact which Trump knows but which blob members are willing to live with in order to signal a bizarre, pointless, sort of virtue.
With luck Zelensky’s behaviour in the Oval Office today will end any but humanitarian aid to Ukraine. At that point the final pretense that Ukraine can “win” will disolve and with it, I suspect, Ukraine’s Army. Why die in a lost cause.
The Euros will breathe a sigh of relief, they did not want to take on the military and monetary responsibility of Ukraine. They can’t afford it. Zelensky will, if he’s lucky, go into exile. Then we’ll see what can be salvaged. It will be a nasty business but not as nasty as war.
Give him a bump.
Related.
There it is. Trump Cabinet member Scott Bessent says Zelensky already twice refused to sign a minerals deal with the U.S. under Trump. Twice. This 3rd time was most definitely planned.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 1, 2025
