Putin
16 briefs
Three Days of Quiet, Then Drones on Kyiv
Trump's 72-hour Ukraine ceasefire expired at midnight. Russia struck residential buildings in Kyiv by 3:35 AM.
Putin Proposed His Friend Schroeder as Ukraine Mediator. Every Party That Matters Rejected Him Within 24 Hours.
Germany, Ukraine, and the EU all said no. That is not the interesting part. The interesting part is why Putin floated a name he knew would be refused.
Putin Says the War Is Ending. He Means Something Different by That.
A three-day ceasefire, North Korean troops on Red Square, and Putin telling reporters the matter is 'coming to an end' — none of this means what it sounds like.
Three Days to Prove Peace Is Possible. Both Sides Have Agreed. That's the Problem.
Trump announced a Ukraine-Russia ceasefire today that both sides confirmed. A 72-hour window starting Victory Day is either the beginning of a deal or the staging ground for a better-positioned restart.
Both Sides Declared Ceasefires. Russia Launched 100 Drones Anyway.
The Victory Day truces were not failed negotiations. They were proof of concept for a tactic: announce peace to prevent counterstrikes, then keep attacking.
Two Countries, Two Ceasefires, Zero Agreement
Russia declared a ceasefire for its own Victory Day holiday. Zelensky declared a different ceasefire for an earlier date. Both sides framed the other as the obstacle to peace.
Putin's Victory Day Ceasefire Does Not Require Ukraine's Agreement. That Is the Point.
The Kremlin announced Russia will halt fighting on May 9 whether or not Kyiv agrees. Zelensky called it theater. Both men are right, and neither can afford to say what the gesture actually is.
Putin Proposes a Victory Day Ceasefire. Ukraine Calls It a Parade.
Russia says Ukraine's consent isn't required. Kyiv says Moscow just wants a safe backdrop for its military parade.
Russia's Victory Day Parade Will Have No Tanks. That Hasn't Happened Since the Ukraine Invasion Started.
The Kremlin says the scaled-back May 9 parade is a security precaution. The military hardware isn't there because it's in Ukraine.
Trump and Putin Propose a Ukraine Ceasefire. Ukraine Has Not Agreed.
A 90-minute call between the two presidents produced a Victory Day truce offer that Kyiv has heard before, used before, and rejected before.
After Islamabad: Iran Goes to Moscow Because Washington Stopped Showing Up
Trump canceled the Islamabad talks. Iran's foreign minister flew to St. Petersburg. Putin pledged strategic partnership. The ceasefire holds in name only. And Russia just inserted itself as a necessary intermediary in a war it didn't start.
Zelenskyy Flew to Baku and Offered to Meet Putin There. The Market Gives It Less Than 1% Odds by April 30.
Ukraine's president is proposing tripartite talks in a country that sold weapons to Russia and shares a mediator with both sides. The gesture is real. The ceasefire is not.
Ukraine Wants a Four-Way Summit. Russia Says Negotiations Are Not a Priority.
Ukraine's foreign minister proposed a Zelenskyy-Putin meeting in Turkey with Trump and Erdogan present. Russia's Lavrov responded that talks are 'not a top priority' at the Antalya forum where both were speaking.
Putin Wants to Talk. Ukraine Has Heard This Before.
Russia is proposing direct negotiations in Istanbul on May 15 with no preconditions. The last time that happened, Kyiv drafted a deal and then dropped it under Western pressure. Putin is betting the circumstances are different now.
The Truce That Never Was
Russia and Ukraine agreed to a 32-hour Easter ceasefire. Ukraine counted 2,299 violations. The ceasefire expired with both sides accusing each other and Trump's peace plan no closer than before.
32 Hours of Nothing
Putin announced a ceasefire for Orthodox Easter. Ukraine accepted. The war did not.