Not sure if this is all a smoke and mirrors dog and pony show and Putin / Trump are playing a script.
Because if I was Putin I would have unleashed hell on Ukraine and taken all of it. Killed off Zelensky and all his crew. Then I would have told the US to butt out it's none of their business what happens on the border with Russia. If I was Putin, I would have also told the USA to start improving things at home first and that there will be no deals or negotiations with the US since it cannot be trusted on anything.
But Putin knows better I guess - I hope for the sake of Russia. Making deals with the US is dangerous. They have double crossed many who went into partnership and trusted them.
Yes throughout Putin has been so deferential and polite to Trump despite his juvenile psychotic outbrurts talking shit about him.
Analysts say Russians again totally dropped the ball on allowing Witkoff to brief Trump first; Trump then told several lies as per usual, like it was Russians who requested this meeting with Witkoff as well as requested the Trump-Putin meeting which is obviously a lie. The critics say Russians fall into this trap again and again, just letting the US control over the narrative. Of course perceptive observers know the game but many don't.
Yes I've said that Russia surely could have easily eliminated the leadership of Ukraine, Zelensky included. At any time. There is no protection against hypersonic ballistic missiles, none at all. Although they say Zelensky doesn't spend as much time in his office any longer and probably sleeps in a bunker. BTW, have you seen recent footage when Putin makes a public appearance he has drone operators circling him each with a drone in their arms?
Appears as though Russia doesn't want to take the whole of Ukraine, like they've been saying all along. Just now Trump bragged how he gave javelins to Ukraine whereas Obama just gave "sheets " Trump also took credit for stopping the Russian advance into Kiev in the first days of the invasion, "the rains caused the tanks to get stuck in the mud and then they were hit with my javelins, they were a few minutes from Kiev." "This is Biden's war "
Now the white house says this meeting is just a "listening session" and after the face to face Trump will know what Putin will do. It's that 'force of personality' thing he hopes will sway Putin. As if Putin hasn't been clear on his terms for the longest time. The Euros are panicking and are brainstorming how to sabotage this meeting, there was even talk of Zelensky possibly crashing the event. They are afraid Trump is negotiationg away Ukrainian land. That effeminate bitch Lindsey Graham is backing Trump now, "obviously the Russians aren't going to leave, there's bound to be concessions." He of the "bone crushing sanctions bill." Like a bitch he caved as they always do.
