Witkoff Putin Talks Very Productive Says Trump
Stephen Bryen | Weapons & Strategy | Aug 06, 2025
The big news is that Trump has pronounced the Witkoff-Putin talks as very productive. He has further announced he will meet with Putin face to face as soon as next week. He spoke to Putin by telephone today. Trump also says that he intends to follow up on his meeting with Putin with a three-way meeting between himself, Putin and Zelensky.
We have no official word from Russia but the Trump announcement is in line with predictions coming from Sergey Lavrov that there will be “big surprises.”
We have no readout from either side on the terms discussed between the parties, only that there were two subjects: Ukraine and US-Russia strategic cooperation.
I am not sure, but it may be that the Russians are not certain about how much political or strategic support they can expect from China, suggesting maybe the Chinese leadership is in flux. Likewise we also know, at least in part, that preliminary talks took place between Rubio and Lavrov and between Netanyahu, acting as a mediator with Trump, and Putin.
The Russians have promised a readout of the conversation, although I am not sure it will be enlightening.
For sure this is a very big development, but it carries plenty of risk for all sides, but especially for Trump. Trump will need to control Zelensky, a difficult task because Zelensky has nowhere to go as he cannot easily make significant concessions. Washington allegedly wants to get rid of him because he is an obstacle to a deal, so we can’t rule out a melodrama involving Zelensky’s status.
Meanwhile, Trump slapped India with a 50% tariff. This is a mistake, in my view, because India will have to fight back and the US will find itself in a position of strengthening the military alignment between India and Russia. Ideologically it is also counterproductive, as India is a strong democratic country and the US is treating it as a pariah. I think India will quickly make a deal to buy Russia’s new Su-57 fighter jets instead of the F-35, something that has been trending anyway.
There are other potential “disrupters. ” One potential is the UK. I doubt the UK and French, along with Estonia and some others (maybe not the Germans) will be enthusiastic in supporting a brokered deal on Ukraine. The Russians report the UK is planning a so-called shadow-fleet incident (probably in the Baltic or Sea of Finland) that will trigger a UK and potential NATO response, forcing the US to support a hard anti-Russian position. So some sort of provocation can’t be ruled out, notwithstanding whether the Russians have real intelligence on UK planning, or if they are faking it.
The “shadow fleet” are ships carrying Russian oil that are not insured by the London exchange. However, other insurance instruments are available in the maritime trade, so the terminology is intended to characterize these ships in a pejorative manner, and does not describe the status of these tankers.
Meanwhile, the Estonians and Finnish have attempted to thwart the transit of these tankers and have tried to pull them into port for “inspections.” The Russian Navy is now escorting them, putting a stop to these provocations. More yet may happen.
There are many other wild cards, including moves that Ukraine may make. The last time there was a cease fire that stopped flights of aircraft and drones, the Ukrainians anyway kept up attacks on Russian territory. There are plenty of other possibilities.
Even so, it looks like the diplomatic track may, at last, be leading to concrete results in ending the conflict in Ukraine.
Sebastien Zorn
“How many i’s in Mississippi?
I dunno. Alaska. (I’ll ask her) ”
I suggest you do keep your trap shut. Your ridiculously stupid humour is out of place
Why because the Ukrainian side has lost some say coming up to 2 million
The Russian side maybe a twelfth of that.
Bryant cannot be trusted. He omits THE MAIN THING the Ukrainian line is collapsing
What this Alaska thing is about is trump hopes to trick Russia as they did BEFORE THE MINSK 2
When Russia had Ukraine prostrate
But once bitten twice shy is how Putin will go.
Trump is only left one road
It concerns his ridiculous tariff system of imperialism
He has to extract himself and America or maga will explode trump into little bits of residue
He has lost India, Russia and china to Brics and the Dollar will follow into the sewers . Trump is there already.
Trump better eat humble pie.
Further prediction
Russia will cross the river and take Kiev to end the Stepan Bandera Neonazis
Also Odessa and that should have Jews rejoicing.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/putin-revives-antisemitic-trope-says-jews-are-tearing-apart-russian-orthodox-church/
“COMMEMORATION CEREMONY IN LVIV HONORED HEROES WHO SAVED JEWS DURING THE HOLOCAUST
A ceremony in Lviv recently honored two Ukrainians recognized as Righteous Among the Nations for risking their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. Israel’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, presented medals and certificates to their family members.
Last updated on: 07/02/2025”
https://new.embassies.gov.il/ukraine/en/news/commemoration-ceremony-lviv-honored-heroes
Both sides play both ends against the middle. Jews need to leave both countries and come home to Israel. It could be a medal or a bullet from one moment to the next but this war – neo-Nazis notwithstanding – is not about the Jews though the next one might be. And neither side can be trusted.
“A Russian drone attack this week damaged a synagogue building in Odesa that already was a partial ruin. According to a post on X (Twitter) by Rabbi Moshe Azman, a chief rabbi of Ukraine, the Nahalat Eliezer Synagogue in Odesa, built in 1898, was hit during a drone attack on the night of August 3-4.2 days ago
https://jewish-heritage-europe.eu
Ukraine: Russian drone strike hits synagogue building in Odesa that …
@Quigley 😀 Are you trying to silence me you, opinionated, thin skinned, mimofantic, relentlessly trivial and irrelevant, humorlessly dogmatic, noisily hypocritical, most certainly unsilenced fellow, despite your absurd complaints to the contrary? Why don’t you take your own advice? I see you cut your vacation short again after your latest farewell speech. How many times has it been now? Talk about crossing your own red lines.
Where’d you go? I’ve heard Jeju Island is nice this time of year. I don’t know which one of us is funnier, you parody of a Bolshevik clown, Me, who is trying, or you, whose unintentional humor is purest camp as you parrot nutty Progressive political lines and mix
them with Communist propaganda while pushing a – admittedly rare among leftists, especially Trots – pro-Israel narrative that is, however, utterly paranoid and therefore useless, (especially since you keep trying to connect everything to the Ukraine a hundred freaking years ago). Much like you.. 😀
Now, you’re going to whine to mommy that I hurt your wittle feelings, right? We’ve got your number.
(Editorial note: Watch him freak out ’cause I said, “we”. 😀 )
In summation: Get lost, you paranoid freak. You can’t silence me. And in the words of Karl Marx, in one of his innumerable prefaces to Capital, “If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.” 😀
Pres. Putin to meet Pres. Trump in Alaska next week.
How many i’s in Mississippi?
I dunno. Alaska. (I’ll ask her)