Peace and possibility.

The outlines of a Russo-Ukrainian peace emerge.

The Red Army in Stalingrad, 1942, back when Russia’s army worked.

The news of the Russia-Ukraine negotiations is certainly interesting, and if accurate it communicates a Russian defeat. If, if, if. Make sure you push through to Seddon’s full thread here, and the linked Financial Times story:

max seddon @maxseddon

New details on Ukraine's ceasefire talks with Russia: – Ukraine has to give up on Nato but will be free to join the EU – Russia is no longer demanding "denazification" – "demilitarization" and Russian language are not part of the possible deal either

ft.comRussia no longer demanding Ukraine be ‘denazified’ in ceasefire talksRequests include Kyiv dropping Nato pursuit in exchange for security guarantees and EU membership

FT has its shortcomings, as every publication does — its “Swamp Notes” newsletter is a strangely compelling admixture of remarkable insight and elite out-of-touch observation — but it is one of the more reliable major publications for war analysis and interpretation. (For one thing, it covers the Finnish angle better than nearly anyone.) War reporting varies in quality across the outlets, of course, but it and sports seem to be the two subject-matter niches that major media remains capable of covering well. War, after all, compels an engagement with reality.