Nope.

This'll be a follow-up article, but the mixed fleet idea — which I had been a fan of — just isn't going to work. It's not gonna fly.

This corruption probe has a pretty long tail. There's probably more to come.

But the upside is that Ukraine still has a functioning anti-corruption squad, they're being allowed to do this work, and the corruption seems to be exactly the kind of war profiteering that every country at war faces.

Yermak out as Zelensky's right-hand man.
www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/202...

Gift link: www.thestar.com/opinion/star...

Nothing to do with the historical cases, I just think Gabbard exercising an unusual amount of power to seize documents is a bad precedent. Not everything is supposed to flow immediately to the political level.

(With the caveat that Kyiv won't recognize the long-term occupation of any of the illegally seized territory, only accepting a freezing of the current contact lines and perhaps some land swaps, resolving the land question diplomatically — which is the correct position on every level.)

What always kills me about the annoying reply guys — the ones who always say "well, dur, the loser has to give up territory" (including Witkoff, apparently) — is that Ukraine is *already prepared to permit some medium-term Russian occupation of Ukraine.* That's not good enough for Moscow.

Trump is so clearly not being read in on these negotiations (or, equally likely, he doesn't care.)

The "few remaining points of disagreement" are the quintessential issues that have always been at play — i.e. should Russia be allowed to use these negotiations to seize even more territory?

There is a version of reality where this phonecall is buttering up an opposing figure to facilitate real negotiations. But Witkoff genuinely took Putin's maximalist negotiation position, slapped his name on it, and went "ok time for peace"

I think it's a bit of everything. Vance believes Ukraine is corrupt, that it isn't America's fight, that Europe should handle it, that Russia isn't so bad, and some other dumb stuff.

Coming immediately on the back of an unreasonable deal that Zelensky will reject in order to undermine Rubio and encourage Trump to abandon Ukraine.

A small update: There are reports that Ukraine has agreed to the new, 19-point plan — which critically nixes the requirement that Ukraine give up Donetsk — rseemingly swapped-in by Rubio. Moscow will, no doubt refuse.

Maybe Rubio is more effective than I gave him credit for! We'll see.

Here's a gift link: www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

#giftlink

i want to go to there

That sounds amazing. Eat more!!!

What is it??