Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that Russian forces have been instructed to create a “buffer zone” along the Ukraine-Russia border as fighting continues to rage despite President Trump’s push for a peace deal.
“I have already said that a decision was made to create the necessary security buffer zone along the border. Our armed forces are currently solving this problem. Enemy firing points are being actively suppressed, the work is underway,” Putin said in a meeting with members of his government.
Putin previously floated the idea of creating a buffer zone in March during a visit to Russia’s Kursk Oblast, which was invaded by Ukrainian forces last year. Russian forces have pushed out the invading Ukrainian troops, but Kursk and other border regions frequently come under Ukrainian shelling and drone attacks.
Kursk Governor Alexander Khinshtein said on Thursday that 12 civilians were injured by a Ukrainian strike on the town of Lgov and that two teenagers were among the wounded.
Ukraine has also been carrying out heavy drone attacks on Russian territory. The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that its forces downed 485 drones over the previous 48 hours, mainly over the regions of Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk.
It’s not clear where exactly Putin wants to establish the buffer zone, but a Russian lawmaker called for security corridors to be established in Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkiv regions, suggesting Ukraine stands to lose more territory as the war drags on.
Russia and Ukraine recently held direct talks for the first time in three years, but it didn’t appear that progress was made toward a ceasefire. The two sides did agree to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war from either side, and the swap is expected to happen on Friday.
President Trump spoke with Putin on Monday and said afterward that talks on a ceasefire would begin “immediately,” but they haven’t started yet. The Wall Street Journal has reported that the next round of negotiations will be held at the Vatican and are expected to start in mid-June, but the Kremlin said no formal agreement has been reached.
"talks on a ceasefire would begin immediately" – impossible to understand why Trump is making a fool of himself so often. If he had a bit of respect to American citizens he would be more serious.
Trump doesn’t give a damn about his status.. This is his term. He’ll be out after this on an another apology tour blaming the swamp for stopping him.
If he is so indifferent about himself and his people, why he is in politics? He is too old and too rich to bother about a material advantage. At least he should care about what his children and his grandchildren think of him. It would cost him nothing if he tries to be more respectful to himself and to other people.
Why is Trump in politics? Ego, Id, greed, narcissism. Being merely another rich A…..is not nearly special enough for the Donald. Even being the biggest A….of the bunch doesn't float his boat.
As Springsteen wrote:
Poor man wanna be rich,
Rich man wanna be king,
And a king ain't satisfied 'till he rules everything.
Also, after all the stuff he has done of dubious legality, being POTUS helps him avoid prison, further criminal convictions, even possibly civil suits.
As for being respectful to others, that would cost Trump much of his pleasure. He loves to make people bow and scrape. To humiliate them. To make enemies, rivals, and even mild critics beg him for forgiveness and kiss his…..ring. Respect, like loyalty, is a one way street for Trump. You better respect him. While he can use you as TP, if he wants to.
Hitting the nail smack on the head. Well said.
Yep!
Not everyone wants be king or superrich. I think most people don't. At least people with Christian moral orientation. Most people want have only enough money for a comfortable life and that is all. To be a head of state not an easy job. Sure, not everyone who is rich, wants it. Too much of responsibilities and too little of freedom. Even many politicians were pushed to politics by circumstances.
Springsteen was wrong, of course, if you try to apply his little lesson to everyone, as were Tears for Fears (no, not everybody wants to rule the world!). But it fits, to a tee, Trump, and people like him. Poetical truth, perhaps?!
Easily understandable why Trump is making a fool of himself so often.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8efb754703555cfd343378a4f40db12ffb02d0e04505446a9900b05d2320d727.jpg
Trump spent his entire pre-presidential life in an environment where he could just say anything and had people around him whose jobs were to either make it happen or, at the very least, assure him it was true and give him credit for making it that way. The proverbial “guy who was born on third base and spent his life surrounded by people congratulating him on hitting a triple.”
I doubt it even occurs to him that running a large government isn’t exactly the same game as keeping himself busy with daddy’s money and vanity real estate scams.
Buffer Zone Bullshit.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b05547131921c96ae4fafb9862bf0ec80c5c7acfab4673376078892f096d0012.jpg
"Buffer zone" is a passable translation of the word Ukraine to begin with.
At the moment they talk only about Sumy and Kharkov oblasts. It was one of Russian terms in recent Istanbul negotiations. First time Putin talked about necessity of the buffer zone two months ago but, probably, the decision was made as soon as Ukrainian/NATO forces penetrated deep into Kursk oblast.
Indeed – those Russophobic pundits claiming the Russian Federation intends to "conquer" all of Ukraine (or more amusingly, ALL OF EUROPE) seemingly fail to notice that doing so would make Moscow's ongoing problem of NATO encroachment toward Russian territory, much worse.
I'm sure the Russian Federation would trade "a ton of cash, an amusing clock, and a sack of French porn" to have a mid-sized ocean between Russia and Western Europe.
Good point. Ukraine means borderlands. What was Russia prior to Mongol invasion was left contested by Austro-Hungary, Polish-Lithuanian union, and then Ottoman Empire came in claiming Crimea.
But its identity was ironically redesigned by its two favorite sons. First Trotsky created Ukraine Soviet Republic. Thus the name Borderlands became official. Then Khruschev by the stroke of a pen transfered Crimea from Russia to Ukraine.
Well now they have full identity crisis. Ukrainian official language is a dialect spoken mostly in the Western part of Ukraine. Majority of Ukrainians do not speak it.
In the last meeting in Istambul Ukrainian delegation came with a Ukrainian — Russian translator. The unsettling news came out, however. The delegations managed to speak directly without translator. News broke that the translator and the secretary managed to not return to Ukraine and decided to leave Istambul in unknown direction.
The more Zelensky prolong the war the more territory he loses…!
So far he mentioned only a buffer zone in Kharkov and Sumy oblasts. He never said how deep. Maybe it is a subject for negotiations.
The buffer zone will extend to the Polish border because Z refuses to concede.
Maybe it is.. Mr Putin will have to negotiate with the Pope, since there is no one else qualified..
May 23 2025 A Large Group of Canadian and British Soldiers was Captured by Russian SPETSNAZ in 'NOVOANDREEVKA'
The abnormal activity of the North Atlantic Alliance was also recorded in Seversk direction of the front. According to Russian intelligence, there are not just foreign mercenaries in Seversk direction of the front, but real active-duty soldiers and officers of the armies of NATO member states. Russian intelligence notes that these foreigners communicate with each other in English with pronounced British, French, and Canadian accents.
https://youtu.be/3aUGBlLpmlA?si=o7JyYglyGQZoiXoH
I bet Saddam wanted a ceasefire too when Iraq was losing.
https://simplicius76.substack.com/p/analysis-russian-triple-chokehold
"The definition above mentions long supply lines, which may imply Russia is in an unfavorable position. In reality, despite Russia being the ‘attacker’, it’s Ukraine that technically has the longer, slower supply lines: they are forced to import everything from the distant west through the Polish border, without an ability to repair most things on the front—particularly when it comes to Western armor, vehicles, artillery systems, etc., which must all be sent back on long circuitous trips to Western nations."
I don't envision NATO having Russia's option of sending troops back from Ukraine for rest after a 10-15 day combat stint.
How many Ukrainian soldiers are surrendering per day? I don't believe the Russian MoD is providing that stat.
Logical step if the fascists if Ukraine keep attacking Russia and Moscow with drones.
Perhaps a 500 mile dead zone with no military allowed should be implemented in Ukraine.
America and Europe are not able to logistically fight a war in Ukraine or many other places.
It's really about logistics and infrastructure and that no longer resides in America and Europe.
Ukraine doesn't have 1,000 Russian soldiers. So they are offering political prisoners to be sent to the Russians. People arrested for opposing Zelensky's war to invade Donbass, people arrested for opposing the coup regime installed by the organizations VP Biden paid in 2014, in return for money for himself. People who support Russian Crimea's and Russian Donbass' right to secede from the regime, as they never belonged to Ukraine other than on Soviet paper. All of these have been arrested for wrongthink by the regime U.S. and European socialists fawn over.
https://www.indianpunchline.com/putin-succeeds-in-engaging-with-trump/
"For posterity, Trump hopes to remain one of the small group of the most exalted statesmen of this century, who were left to express the tragic experience of humanity with the greatest depth and universal scope. On his part, Putin’s highly cerebral mind instinctively sized up that Trump would be the best American president that Russia would ever have in a long while."
Amid rumors of an all-encompassing economic and strategic deal, what deal remnants would remain after January 20, 2029?
Should the US remain whole before and after the mid-terms, it's senseless for President Putin to negotiate a grand bargain with Europe and Washington. Washington is a one-party town.