Putin says 'there is light at the end of the tunnel'

Sadly, we have had a three year war to settle something an international boundary commision would have reasonably proposed.  A huge part of the problem has been NATO adventurism fueled in large part by the outright enthusiasm of former soviet tributary statesx.  Of course the Ukraine wanted membership in order to block any russian Threat.  As did Poland, estonia Lithuania, latvia, hungary and Romania.  yuou get my poinnt.  Those former victims were never going to allow a soft passive military stance when it came to Russia.

The solution which is now possible and also obviously necessary is to extend NATO to include the Ukraine, Belarussia and yes Russia in particular.  All their hardware has been shot up and can never be easily replaced.

This allows a NATO Force to hold a defensive position in the Far East and a Russian force to secure against Islamic forces in the Caucusus.  Islam is a major ongoing threat ,but also a diminishing threat.  hopefully, forced conversion will not be necessary in the West.  Understand policy can demand this and make it work to eliminate Islam as a political force, just as we did NaZism.

Putin says 'there is light at the end of the tunnel' and an end to Ukraine conflict is in sight 'if common sense prevails'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15062047/Putin-says-light-end-tunnel-end-Ukraine-conflict-sight-common-sense-prevails.html

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the Ukraine conflict could be ended with a deal if common sense prevailed and that there was light at the end of the tunnel, but cautioned that if not, then it would have to be resolved militarily.

He made the comments at a press conference following his visit to China for the Tianjin SCO Summit and the military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

The leader added that Russian forces were 'advancing on all fronts' on the battlefield in Ukraine, and that Ukraine was not capable of conducting a large-scale offensive.

He vowed to continue the Russian onslaught if a peace deal was not reached, adding that U.S. President Donald Trump has 'a sincere desire' to find a settlement.

Putin said he was ready to hold talks with Volodymyr Zelensky if the Ukrainian president came to Moscow, but said it remained to be seen whether such a meeting was worthwhile.

Zelensky has been pressing to meet Putin to discuss the terms of a possible deal and Trump - who has been trying to broker a peace settlement - has said he wants the two leaders to meet.

Speaking in China at the end of a visit there, Putin said he had always been open to meeting Zelensky but reiterated the Kremlin's oft-repeated stance that such a meeting had to be well prepared in advance and lead to tangible results.

'As for a meeting with Zelensky I have never ruled out the possibility of such a meeting. But is there any point? Let's see,' said Putin.

The Russian leader said that in his view Ukraine needed to cancel martial law, hold elections, and hold a referendum about territorial questions if progress was to be made.

Russia claimed to have annexed four Ukrainian regions in 2022, a claim Kyiv and most Western countries rejected as an attempted illegal land grab backed by a colonial-style war of conquest.

He confirmed that no date had been confirmed for his next face-to-face meeting with Trump - despite the fact that the Russian leader invited the U.S. president to Moscow following their high-profile summit in Alaska in August.

He said that an invitation was 'on the table', but there were no preparations for such a trip at the moment.

It comes after Trump blasted the leaders of Russia, China and North Korea for 'conspiring against the United States of America' as they assembled to watch the military parade in Beijing.

The summit was billed as an alternative to the U.S.-led global order and was packed with displays of warm unity between anti-NATO countries.

Trump slammed the gathering in a Truth Social post on Tuesday night, asking Xi Jinping to 'please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.'

He questioned whether Xi 'will mention the massive amount of support and "blood" that The United States of America gave to China in order to help it to secure its FREEDOM from a very unfriendly foreign invader.

'Many Americans died in China's quest for Victory and Glory. I hope that they are rightfully Honored and Remembered for their Bravery and Sacrifice!'

Trump signed off with a warm message, writing: 'May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration.'

Russia fired more than 500 drones and two dozen missiles at Ukraine overnight, authorities said Wednesday, as Ukraine's president and European leaders persevered with talks aimed at strengthening Ukrainian defenses and bringing momentum to so far unsuccessful U.S.-led peace efforts.

The main Russian nighttime targets were civilian infrastructure, especially energy facilities, Zelensky said, as another winter approaches three years after Russia's all-out invasion of its neighbour.

The attacks targeted mainly western and central Ukraine and wounded at least five people, the Ukrainian air force said.

Russia's aerial assaults that hit civilian areas and its army's drive to crush Ukrainian defenses along the 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line have not abated in recent months, despite Trump's attempts to stop the fighting.

The Ukrainian leader described the overnight strikes as 'demonstrative'.

'Putin is demonstrating his impunity,' Zelensky wrote on Telegram Wednesday, urging tougher sanctions on Russia. 'Only due to the lack of sufficient pressure, primarily on the war economy, does Russia continue this aggression.'

China's president convened his Russian and North Korean counterparts in Beijing for the first time on Tuesday, a show of solidarity with countries shunned by the West over their role in Europe's worst war in 80 years.

Xi hosted Putin for talks at the Great Hall of the People and then at his personal residence, calling him his 'old friend'.

In a thinly veiled swipe at this rival across the Pacific Ocean on Monday, Xi told a summit of more than 20 leaders of non-Western countries: 'We must continue to take a clear stand against hegemonism and power politics.'

Xi also held talks on Monday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, whose country has been targeted by Trump over its purchases of Russian oil seen as helping finance Putin's war effort.

Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called the summit 'performative' and accused China and India, the biggest buyers of Russian crude, of being 'bad actors' by fuelling Russia's war.

As Putin and Xi met, Russia's Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation signed a deal to increase gas supplies and penned an agreement on a new pipeline that could supply China for 30 years.

This is a developing story. More to follow. T