VIDEO: Chas Freeman: Why Trump is Willing to Give So Much to Putin

The UK is clinging on by its teeth to the mantra that it will “support Ukraine for as long as it takes.” Since Trump’s public announcement that Ukraine would never become a member of NATO, and the alliance‘s Secretary General‘s admission to the same effect, it should be clear that “as long as it takes” is now well over. But, as so often, the Europeans are the last to get the message. The UK, France and some lone outposts of Empire are still serving the “boots ok the ground” rhetoric, when it has become utterly clear that this war is lost.

The Arctic Council (AC) comprises eight Arctic States, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States, plus six Permanent Participants representing Indigenous people. It was established on 19 September 19, 1996, when the founders signed the Ottawa Declaration. So far, this group has done little to develop the region, which has remained a blank spot on the world map. President Trump recently stepped in, but besides unfriendly takeovers by the US of Greenland and Canada, there is another way that is good for all AC members and, actually, for every other nation in the world since it concentrates on win-win cooperation instead of endless wars.

Hockey diplomacy: Can Putin and Trump revive a Cold War tradition?