The first crack in the ice, perhaps? This will not please the hawks on either side:
According to reporter Alina Nazarova, Ukrainian President Zelensky initiated contact by phoning President Putin of Russia today (Tuesday, December 31). The two men exchanged New Years Greetings while discussing the positive compromises that have been reached between the two nations, in a sort of year-end whirl, this past week. The most imortant, of course, being the exchange of prisoners and allowing hundreds of wretches to return home in time for Christmas.
Second important being the agreement that was reached on the gas transit. In a whirl of sudden developments, the two sides reached a compromise which included both sides dropping their legal suits against each other; and Ukraine getting the gas that it needs, plus $2-3 billion dollars in transit fees, annually.
In the end, perhaps, Moscow made more concessions. Moscow held more cards, but Ukraine had the support of Europe, so what can you do? It’s like in a divorce where you’re just eager to get it over, even if you have to give the wife the summer house. Who needs all that lingering bitterness, especially at the start of a New Year?
Also, Russia showed, once again, that it can be generous and benevolent. Putin was so kind and benevolent, that he even made Zelensky look good (to his increasingly disillusioned subjects); and that’s saying something.
Here is the Kremlin press release on this event.
TRANSLATION
December 31, 2019, 13:20 PM.
On the initiative of the Ukrainian side, a telephone conversation took place between Vladimir Putin and the Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.
We underscore the importance of concluding a “packet” deal which allows for the continuing of uninterrupted transit, starting January 1, 2020, of Russian gas to Europe across the territory of the Ukraine. We note the constructive character of the proceeding negotiations, the results of which create a conducive atmosphere for resolving other mutual problems.
We give a positive assessment to the exchange of prisoners between Kiev and the Donbass, which occurred on 29 December, along the lines of “all for all”. We state that this event took place within the framework of the agreements made at the “Normandy Four” summit in Paris on 9 December, and will help strengthen our mutual trust. We accentuate the necessity to continue on the systematic realization of the Minsk Accords by all sides engaged in this conflict.
The (two) Presidents exchanged greetings/congratulations on the New Year. Hope was expressed for the further development of Russian-Ukrainian relations in 2020.
END OF TRANSLATION
Dear Readers: I wish you all a Happy New Year. Thank you for visiting my blog. I sincerely hope all the best for you, your families and loved ones, may this be the best year ever!
Sincerely,
yalensis
Awful Avalanche 
Dear Yalensis…..good morning…..it is 6.38 here in Brazill…have a better new year….I am one of your 30 some Brazilian readers (althou I am sceptic about this statistics). Let me congratulate you on the breakthroug on the news of Z calling Putin in the eave of the new year. I was very happy when in the recent meeting in Paris, Putin with half a smile translated to Zelenski what the photografers
wanted….it was a simpatico smile of a fatherly older man demonstrating that Putin felt for Zelenski the kind of simpathy that I also feel for Z, a young kind of lost but acting brave all the time. I found out about your Awful Avalanche at the Kremlin Stooges and became a fan (by the way, please dont engage in sterile discussions with the other Stooges….what ever became of the ill humoured Kiril?). All the best from an old man (85 years old, can you believe it? I cannot myself.)
and carry on. From a great admirer of Russia and Russians since my teens when I started listening the great Russian composers and reading the great Russian writers. Gato Preto (this means Black Cat in Portuguese and I believe aldo in Spanish)
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New Years Greetings, Gato! And thank you for your comment!
All the best for the New Year for you and everybody in Brazil.
Yes, I think too that Putin has taken Zelensky sort of under his wing, that young comedian certainly needs some instruction from an older, wiser man.
I apologize for all the nasty polemics over at the Kremlin Stooge, I realize it probably makes the discussion unpleasant for other readers. Maybe I’ll try to stop now that I know that it upsets other people… It’s just that my Russian father always taught me the rule: “Never be the first to start a fight, but always be the first to end it.” Which can be really hard sometimes when people just won’t quit with the B.S.!
Speaking of which, I don’t know what ever happened to our bad-tempered Kirill. The very last comment that was addressed to him before he disappeared was not even from me, but from Jen. In her own very civilized and pleasant manner she mentioned that she did indeed hear a /ts/ sound (German Zeit) coming from a German utterance. I think that was what did Kirill in, and we never heard from him again, since he had staked his whole reputation on the fact that a European language such as German could not possibly possess such a sound in its repertoire, like only “Asian” languages have palatal consonants (oi, I don’t want to relive that whole laughable debate; and I don’t want to ascribe cause and effect, so maybe his disappearance had nothing to do with Jen’s comment, but I suspect his brain just couldn’t accept her version of reality, which was the actual real reality, and he had an embolism, or something….)
Anyhow, thank you very much for reading my blog, I really appreciate it. All the best for you and your family and loved ones, may 2020 be a very happy year for all!
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Uau! 62 Brazilian readers, up from 34 if I am not mistaken. It is not that I mistrust WordPress numbers (you deserve one million readers) but it is my life experience that this wonderful tool statistics is so often misused (for whatever reason, ask Trump). Take for instance your readership in Greece (population ca. 10 million) at 70 while only 80 Russians read your blog….and France: 55! It baffles me. And thank you for your kind reply to my comments of this morning. We here have a saying similar to your daddy`s: “I will give a cattle head not to enter a fight but will give a herd not to get out”. Keep the good work….I garantee you that you have ONE faithful Brazilian reader. Kind regards.
Gato preto
.
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Thanks again, Gato! Sorry for your comment being held for “approval”, WordPress holds all comments with an unknown email until it’s approved; but after that you’re good to go, unless you use a different email. Nowadays lots of people have different emails, one for the phone, etc. I try to check at least once a day, make sure nobody is languishing there. I also get a lot of spam, as you can imagine, but the WordPress filter mostly takes care of the known spam, like the ones selling viagra and that sort of thing…
Anyhow, I try to look on the bright side of life, I am grateful to have any readers! The day may come, in the not too distant future, when American government just shuts down any dissenting voice; fortunately we’re not quite there, but getting close…
🙂
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