There he is, the Grim Reaper himself, loitering over Ukraine like a bored mall cop waiting for a shoplifter to make a move. But today, there’s a hitch in his routine—word comes down that Trump and Putin have decided to sit in the same room and try to at least discuss a possible end to Putin’s 1,200 + day murder-fest. Yes, that’s almost three and a half years now, and the pearly gates are getting quite a workout from both sides.
Zelensky? Well, he’ll have to sit this one out, according to Vlad.
The meeting is potentially bad news for the Reaper’s employment prospects, at least for now. You can almost hear him sigh, tapping his scythe on the ground like a man waiting for the bartender to pour one last round before closing time.
The Money Chests Never Stay Shut
On either side of the money pit that is Ukraine, gold-painted treasure boxes marked “West” and “East” are vomiting cash like sick slot machines—green from one side, purple from the other. That’s the one thing the whole sordid Big Top has in common: the endless, greasy flow of money. The war has been less about flags and more about banknotes, with each pile feeding the meat grinder in the middle. The cash keeps coming because, for a lot of people, peace is bad for business. But when the news drops that the two guys with all the power might talk, there’s the faintest whiff of brakes being tapped on this runaway train.
A Chance, However Small
Make no mistake, this isn’t the part of the story where everyone hugs it out and plants sunflowers. But it might be the chapter where they stop digging the hole long enough to look at each other and wonder how deep it’s gotten. Even if the meeting ends with little more than awkward handshakes and photo ops, it’s a start—a crack in the wall big enough for some daylight to seep through. And sometimes, daylight is all it takes to remind even the most jaded players that there’s a world outside the coffin they’ve been building.
