Todays’s Friday Substack has much to read about.
Federal employment.
The War in Ukraine.
We’ll start in reverse order.
All bets are off.
Trump initiated a one-sided agreement with Zelensky by negotiating with Zelinsky to verbalize Ukraine wanting peace, by leveraging the withdrawal of military support, financial aid, and assistance and providing a peacekeeping force. If nothing else Trump governs by negotiating. People and governments are wary of Trump. He seems unstable presenting impossible statements as the high point. He then negotiates something less intolerable for his opponent(s). He is the master smooth operator.
Eastern Europe does not trust Putin. Putin is a remnant of the old Soviet Union which has a long successful history of developing a satellite buffer of nations to keep the homeland safe. The Russians can be fierce opponents as seen during WWII when it is estimated that 40 million Russians were killed defending the homeland from Hitler, and Germany.
Just as the USA will never forget 911 and Israel will never forget the holocaust. Russia will never forget Hitler or fascism.
Russia and Putin are not the old Soviet Union. Ukraine was a significant part of the Soviet Union until it dissolved as a result of the cold war, when NATO and the Unite States outspent the Soviet Union, bankrupting it.
Ukraine was a very significant loss to Moscow. Ukrainians are among the most productive people, with vast agricultural, and scientific resources. Among them was Chornobyl. Chernobyl self-destructed by melting down on April 26, 1986. Ukraine has notable historical structures. It is the biggest country in Europe. For Putin and Russia this was a staggering loss. The gas lamp was invented in Lyiv. Antonov An-225 was manufactured in Ukraine and is the largest airplane in terms of wingspan and length. It weighs 272,155 kilograms (600,000 pounds), too, making it the world’s heaviest aircraft. It is legendary, so much so that it wowed the world. Mriya, its nickname, is proudly one of the many things Ukraine is famous for. This aircraft has six engines with a wingspan measuring 290 feet (88 meters). It has been primarily used as a cargo plane since the late 1980s and continued to operate until the Russians carelessly, or with malice destroyed it. Apart from its notable dimensions, it is also capable of running long miles and carrying enormous loads.
Kyiv, the country’s capital, offers intriguingly beautiful architecture and arts that embody the rich Ukrainian history and culture. Ukraine is bordered by the Black Sea in the south.
Putin’s euphemism of a special military operation turned into a fiasco when Kyiv successfully defeated Russia's armor, by destroying a column of tanks. This demonstrated a total lack of military tactics. Tanks can go just about anywhere. They easily could have fanned out across the miles of open country. Traveling down a highway meant destroying one tank could block the path for a speedy trip to Kyiv, the head of the ‘snake’.
Present day. Trump and Putin have spoken. Putin indicated he needs other assurances from further incursion on Russia and insists that Ukraine cannot join NATO. That would further encircle Russia.
The peace-keeping force. Could it be NATO? Putin would perceive that as a NATO force in Ukraine, almost as bad as Ukraine belonging to NATO. There are rumors that China wants to act as a moderator and suggest that the peacekeepers be Chinese troops. This is acceptable to Putin. The issue here is do Zelinsky, NATO, or the United States want Chinese troops in Europe. The United States is barely on terms with China about Taiwan and the sea routes east of China. China’s ambitions even extend to creating land and military airfields in the China Sea.
It creates another chess piece for China to move against the West.
In my next Substack to be released later today, we’ll cover Trump’s Tarrif Taxes, and DOGE.
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