Those not beholden to the “mainstream media,” and therefore, still capable of thinking, did not fail to recognize the “flank” executed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the “five stooges” Starmer, Macron, Zelenskyy, Merz and Tusk only hours after their “Monday morning ceasefire” ultimatum. Lt. Col. Danny Davis posted Zelenskyy and the EU’s “counteroffer": “‘We propose to Kiev authorities to resume the talks that they stopped in April 2022. I’m referring to direct talks without any preconditions. And we start immediately, next Thursday, on the 15th of May in Istanbul,’ Putin said. So, you had Zelenskyy saying, ‘I demand an immediate ceasefire tomorrow, on Monday.’ And Putin says, ‘hey how about we resume the talks that you stopped, from Istanbul, and how’s about Thursday, that we start that?’
“So I honestly have to give it to Putin on this case, because he’s a lot more composed than I would have been right there. He has the dominant upper hand. I mean he could have just said, ‘hey, you know what? Forget this all. Forget everything we’ve been talking about. Forget about negotiations. We’ll meet you in Kyiv on the battlefront, like we met Germany in Berlin.… But he was unequivocal. There will be no 30-day ceasefire. He has been unequivocal on that from the beginning…. In that same press conference that Putin made there yesterday, he also explained what his intent was—not for a 30-day ceasefire, but to end the war.”
The Duran’s Alexander Mercouris said on his webcast today: “What we also saw yesterday was what tends to happen when a bunch of amateurs—which is what the leaders of the European states and Volodymyr Zelenskyy basically are—what happens when amateurs who feel very pleased with themselves, and imagine themselves to be extremely clever people, come up against a consummate and massively experienced professional. …
“Over the last couple of days, Putin has been, even by his standards, incredibly busy: Since the 7th of May, he has been hosting a whole large group of world leaders led by the President of China, 29 world leaders in total, as well as various other important foreign guests…. He’s had to engage in long and detailed discussions with President Xi Jinping of China, a leader with an extraordinary mastery of detail, at least the equal of Putin’s own. He’s had to conduct negotiations with the President of Brazil, President Lula, and of course President Lula also came with a very strong delegation. He’s also had to meet other leaders as well, [Serbian President Aleksandar] Vučić and [Slovakian Prime Minister Robert] Fico, and the Presidents of Egypt and Ethiopia, and all sorts of other countries. He’s had to attend a parade in Moscow. He’s had to host leaders and Russian citizens in various ceremonies conducted mostly in the Kremlin. He’s also had to participate, if only for a brief time, in the march of the Immortal Regiment. This is the regiment, the march of Russian citizens, holding pictures of their fathers and grandfathers and great-grandfathers who fought in the Second World War, the Great Patriotic War.
