I have once again learned that I feel bad when I get tired and when the weather changes. But when these events coincide, I feel really bad. So today I stayed home and tried very hard to do something at work. Hopefully tomorrow I will feel better and I will be able to go to the office for our usual weekly meeting, which I always try to hold in person. Still, a good team inspires and really gives me strength. The feeling that we have done everything well during the week allows us not to think about work on the weekend and to have a quality rest by switching to something else.
It was probably expected for everyone, except for Zelensky, that no one showed up for the peace talks in Turkey except him. Perhaps because he flew to Ankara, and the negotiations were supposed to take place in Istanbul. This would be funny if it weren't so sad, and if it weren't happening to my unfortunate country.
In fact, we have witnessed another attempt to look good while playing a bad game, which once again demonstrated to the whole world the attitude towards Ukraine in the person of Zelensky or to Zelensky, which has consequences for the entire country, from those on whom the fate of Ukraine depends - putin and Trump. I generally get the impression that they are already acting together as allies.
President Donald Trump told reporters that when it comes to peace talks between russia and Ukraine, “nothing is going to happen until” he meets with russian President Vladimir putin.
“Nothing’s gonna happen until putin and I get together, ok? And obviously — he wasn’t going to go. He was going to go, but he thought I was going. He wasn’t going if I wasn’t there and I don’t believe anything’s going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together. But we’re going to have to get it solved because too many people are dying,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One as he landed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he won’t meet with any russian representatives in Turkey besides putin. He called the delegation who showed up Thursday “phony.”
https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/ukraine-russia-talks-istanbul-turkey-intl#cmapbfiws000n3b6mzizckiyrThe composition of the russian delegation proposed for the negotiations is not even ministers, but people one or two ranks lower. The delegation from Ukraine will now be headed by the Minister of Defense - Rustam Umerov.
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c74nxrr7mwktAs Ukrainian and russian officials prepare to potentially meet in Turkey, russia is amassing forces on the frontlines for a possible new offensive intended to capture more Ukrainian territory, two US officials with knowledge of the latest US assessments told CNN.
russian commanders “aspire to generate a big force,” the first US official said, adding that the likely offensive is focused on gaining more ground in eastern Ukraine.
“putin will attempt to take whatever land he can get right up to the outskirts of Kyiv,” the second US official said. “The russians are going to make every effort to get what they can.”
https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/ukraine-russia-talks-istanbul-turkey-intl#cmapbfiws000n3b6mzizckiyrOn Thursday, May 15, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) began conducting counterintelligence (security) measures in Lviv, which will last until May 18.
As reported by the SSU Department in the Lviv region, the National Police, the Military Law Enforcement Service, and the National Guard are involved in the measures.
"The actions of law enforcement officers will cover the entire city. The goal is to prevent and neutralize threats of intelligence and subversive activities against our state and increase the security of citizens in the conditions of russian armed aggression against Ukraine.
Security measures are taking into account the legal regime of martial law," the SSU said.
https://sud.ua/uk/news/ukraine/331096-sbu-provodit-kontrrazvedyvatelnye-meropriyatiya-vo-lvove-skolko-dney-prodlyatsyaIt seems strange to search for russian saboteurs near the western border, hundreds of miles from the front. This is not the first time I have heard the opinion that martial law in Ukraine mainly serves only one purpose - to be a cover for the authorities to restrict people's rights and freedoms without limits.
The only thing worse than disgust for the regime is the awareness of the pain felt by the people who enable it to continue to commit lawlessness and who unwittingly protect it.
Today I received a call from a radio amateur friend who volunteered to fight on February 24, 2022 and got stuck in the army. He asked how his son could get a new passport in the Netherlands, where he became an adult as a refugee during this time. The Ukrainian authorities have made it impossible for men to obtain documents without prior registration at a mobilization center, which has left many men without documents at all. Instead, most automatically receive fines. I advised him to use this as a basis for applying for permanent residence status or Dutch citizenship. This friend cursed his decision to go to war, which made him a slave with no hope of returning from the army, despite the injuries and concussions he received. I hope we will live to see the day when we can see our children and each other again.
