Russia-Ukraine War (continuing)

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What is this about??

PUTIN “SAW THE LIGHT” after the parade!

According to sources close to the Russian president’s administration, after the parade Putin held a closed-door meeting and, for the first time in a long while, openly admitted that the war must be ended. He reportedly said the following almost word for word:“We cannot continue. This is leading us to catastrophe.”

The Kremlin has allegedly begun urgent preparations for ending the war.

• The General Staff has reportedly been instructed to start developing a mechanism for withdrawing troops from Ukraine.
• Diplomatic channels (through Turkey, China, and intermediaries) have already been activated to launch a negotiation process.
• Witnesses claim Putin looked pale, nervous, and for the first time in many months appeared genuinely broken.

I won't believe a thing until I see outcomes. I also read that Lukashenko told him some truths that he was not fully aware of on account of leading a mafia of yes men. The only reason I could see Lukashenko being brave enough to be frank with him is that he can't see things ending well for himself either on the current trajectory.

There is no light where he is going. Well maybe some from the sulphuric flames. 🔥

From John Simpson:

Could things ACTUALLY be falling crumbling for Putin. It does look like we are near the end of this with voices like John Simpson and Ann Applebaum talking about it?

he could surrender

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius is calling BS on Putins "peace signals".

At least someone is prepared to do so to help counter TACO Trump.

That's very concerning. I wonder what our resident Friends of Putin make of this cauldron? Because even through the fog of war we can see them lurking in their comment 'likes'. The silence says it all really.

It's fascinating how long Rosenberg has been operating in Russia, and managed to stay the right side of them for so long.

There have been other reporters locked up in peacetime for half of what he has reported.

I tend to give these peace signals some credibility because one effect of announcing an end to the war is to deflate the morale of Russian soldiers - "what's the point of dying when the war will be over in a few weeks?"

I hope this leads to mass surrender of Russians.

Things may be getting worse in Russia, but we have heard these "Russia on brink of collapse" rumors plenty times before.

I'd be very cautious about believing them, and unfortunately this war could still have many years to go.

There is no limit to what Putin is willing to endure when it comes to the suffering of the Russian people. Russia is basically a kleptocracy anyways.

I presume nominating Schroder was a 'set up to fail' device, given his obvious unacceptability to all parties other than Putin himself and probably his sock-puppet Trump. They can then claim as usual that the Europeans and Ukrainians are being unreasonable and bellicose. The 'sitting at both sides of the table' jibe was a good one - Kallas as the former Estonian PM would know.

Whether there's more going on than a typical Putin stunt to humour Trump, it's hard to know.