Silicon Bites #142 - Peace is not Peace for Putin, Meaning he is Unlikely to Turn up for Peace Talks

Edition No142 | 14-05-2025 - Why did Putin suddenly seem so desperate for direct peace talks with Ukraine, when he’s been avoiding the optics and consequences of such a meeting for more than three years? This is the question asked by the Moscow Times, ahead of the anticipated talks in Istanbul. Putin’s proposed meeting with Ukrainian negotiators in Istanbul on Thursday, including Zelenskyy will potentially mark the first direct talks between the two sides since the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion. But this first step towards the peace process apparently demanded by the Trump administration has turned into a game of chicken, on a geopolitical scale. More akin to brinkmanship than diplomacy, we are witness to an extraordinary piece of political drama, a theatre of the absurd for the social media age, comprised of tactical twists and turns, but seemingly with precious little strategy, on either the side of Russia or the US.----------Links: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/05/13/why-does-putin-suddenly-want-direct-peace-talks-with-ukraine-a89062https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-ready-to-meet-putin-in-turkey-calls-for-immediate-ceasefire/https://kyivindependent.com/zelensky-wont-meet-another-russian-official-apart-from-putin-in-turkey-advisor-says/https://kyivindependent.com/not-what-putin-was-expecting-what-we-know-and-dont-know-about-ukraine-russia-peace-talks-in-istanbul/https://kyivindependent.com/germany-gives-russia-until-midnight-to-implement-ceasefire-threatens-sanctions/https://kyivindependent.com/like-a-game-of-tennis-russia-ukraine-court-trump-to-avoid-being-blamed-for-peace-talks-failure/----------Your support is massively appreciated! SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon CurtainNEXT EVENTS - LVIV, KYIV AND ODESA THIS MAY.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur first live events this year in Lviv and Kyiv were a huge success. Now we need to maintain this momentum, and change the tide towards a Ukrainian victory. The Silicon Curtain Roadshow is an ambitious campaign to run a minimum of 12 events in 2025, and potentially many more. We may add more venues to the program, depending on the success of the fundraising campaign. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasWe need to scale up our support for Ukraine, and these events are designed to have a major impact. Your support in making it happen is greatly appreciated. All events will be recorded professionally and published for free on the Silicon Curtain channel. Where possible, we will also live-stream events.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SILICON CURTAIN FILM FUNDRAISERA project to make a documentary film in Ukraine, to raise awareness of Ukraine's struggle and in supporting a team running aid convoys to Ukraine's front-line towns.https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------TRUSTED CHARITIES ON THE GROUND:Save Ukrainehttps://www.saveukraineua.org/Superhumans - Hospital for war traumashttps://superhumans.com/en/UNBROKEN - Treatment. Prosthesis. Rehabilitation for Ukrainians in Ukrainehttps://unbroken.org.ua/Come Back Alivehttps://savelife.in.ua/en/Chefs For Ukraine - World Central Kitchenhttps://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraineUNITED24 - An initiative of President Zelenskyyhttps://u24.gov.ua/Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundationhttps://prytulafoundation.orgNGO “Herojam Slava”https://heroiamslava.org/kharpp - Reconstruction project supporting communities in Kharkiv and Przemyślhttps://kharpp.com/NOR DOG Animal Rescuehttps://www.nor-dog.org/home/-----------