And it's becoming clearer that Trump largely confirmed what the administration had already unilaterally removed from the table without negotiation and that Putin likely gave few concessions in the Alaska talks. Hence the "progress" they claimed.

I think this is why the Ten Commandments is broadcast annually in the US. Or something like that. Maybe?

A selection of my bookshelf highlighting some good choices for those looking to understand Russia's War in Ukraine.

I am going to eat very well while in Poland.

Oh good, the new FSB hyper-nationalistic calendar just dropped. In some cases, it appears they've just updated the images from last year's calendar (A slightly different Putin image is now alongside Xi, instead of it just being Putin).

A sampling of my favorite books of 2023. I'll add I look forward to Popova and Shevel's new book Russia and Ukraine, and Mark Edele's Russia's War in Ukraine, which both should arrive in the new year.

And to just show that they aren't even consistent in their marshalling of this historical memory: The Russian MFA did not exclude Berest in their tweet on May 5, 2022:

A friendly reminder that Russia remains committed to its maximalist aims. It seeks regime change (or at least a regime in line with its aims for Ukraine) and for its terms to be met. This and Putin's recent candid comments highlight this.

Just leaving this here. That said, I'm surprised the tabloids haven't used the lurid rumours of leaders in Russia's past to get more creative. We have pictures of Putin riding horses - shirtless too! - after all. (picture from Max Seddon's Twitter feed)

Photos of the faces of those who died in the Hroza missile attack. Images courtesy of Kharkiv Life telegram channel. t.me/s/kharkivlife

A small section of my bookshelf with good recommendations to understand the Russo-Ukrainian War.

That ratio...just impressive...

Just a reminder that Russia continues to demand recognition of the territory it has "annexed" in Ukraine as the starting point for any peace negotiations. When it does negotiate, it has a clear agenda (e.g. to ease sanctions placed on it or gain political clout with allies).

While Medvedev is unhinged oh so often, here he clearly explains exactly what Russia indeed is trying to do in Ukraine. NATO matters only insofar as Ukraine is pacified under Russian control. This is an imperial war, and one to eliminate Ukraine as we know it.