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[Interview with a former US diplomat in Eastern Europe/Russia re Ukraine]

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Perhaps indirectly relevant to the situation in Eastern Europe/Russia today ... JB note: Since the now-not-recent brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, my views on Russia, under Putin, have drastically changed -- for the worst . Interview with ex-USA dip John H. Brown February 2007 I was in charge of the press and cultural section in Kiev (1993-1995), where I helped to establish the first (and, as far as I know, last, at that time?) “America House” in the former Soviet Union . Those who have an interest in the beginnings and modalities of a diplomatic career likely will find this article informative. With the permission of the interviewee and the publishers of “English,” based in Moscow,  American Diplomacy  offers below extended interview transcript excerpts on one man’s attraction to a career in the U. S. Foreign Service and his special fascination with Russia.  The son of a Foreign Service officer, John Brown ended his twenty-two-year Service career by resigning his co...
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Professor John Mearsheimer on why a Russia-Ukraine peace deal is impossible

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91,920 views Dec 1, 2025 Americano  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p63EKgG_UMc Freddy Gray is joined once again by the University of Chicago’s Professor John Mearsheimer to discuss why Trump’s 28-point Ukraine peace plan won’t work, how the war will ultimately be decided on the battlefield ... Mearsheimer image from [JB: Ukraine-related section of the interview marked in yellow in the below] CHAPTERS 00:00 – Introduction 01:29 – Dershowitz and Epstein 07:08 – Middle East politics 10:19 – Free speech and anti-semitism on campus 13:28 – Trump’s leaked peace plan 16:17 – Why no political settlement is possible 19:45 – Ukraine’s manpower and desertion crisis 23:01 – Could Russia take more territory? 26:33 – Europe’s role and the money problem 29:51 – Could Europeans enter the war? 33:11 – What a frozen conflict would look like 37:02 – Trump, Russia, China & where this ends next year
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One story from Ukraine

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Reporter Oleg Sukhov Tuesday, Jan. 13 9 minutes read The Kyiv Independent Ukraine says it's preparing for elections, referendum. Is it realistic? In recent weeks, President Volodymyr Zelensky began actively promoting the idea of holding a referendum and potentially presidential elections immediately after a ceasefire is reached. The goal of these preparations is to convince U.S. President Donald Trump that Ukraine is serious about a potential peace deal. However, there are many obstacles to holding an election and a referendum before the war’s official end. First and foremost, Russia has shown no indication of agreeing to any ceasefire. But if the ceasefire does take place, an election organized in a hasty manner, it is unlikely to be fair, competitive, and democratic, while a referendum on a deal infringing on territorial integrity would be unconstitutional. "That’s why this is a very dangerous matter, and the key issue is how much trust the citizens of Ukraine will place in ...
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Independent -- Ukraine-Russia war latest: Multiple oil tankers struck off Russian coast in attack while unloading

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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Multiple oil tankers struck off Russian coast in attack while unloading It came after Russia launched its heaviest air attack of 2026, killing four in strikes targeting Kyiv and Kharkiv Independent Arpan Rai  &  Alex Croft Tuesday 13 January 2026 21:01 GMT   Multiple oil tankers have been struck in an attack by drones while unloading crude oil at a terminal on  Russia 's coast, according to sources. It is not yet clear who is behind the strikes on Tuesday, with the  Ukrainian  military and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), which operates the terminal, declining to comment on the strikes. The Greek-managed oil tankers included Delta Harmony, which is managed by Greece's Delta tankers and was expected to load oil from Tengizchevroil, and Matilda, managed by Greece's Thenamaris and was expected to load oil from Karachaganak. It was later reported that the Delta Supreme was also hit near Russian Black Sea's CPC terminal,...
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