Putin's argument has been that the best way for stability both for the country and for grain supplies is to end the war. Some countries, ones that particularly are helped by Wagner, wholeheartedly support Russia's ambitions. But even those that really don't have huge sympathy for what's going on feel that this fight is not their fight, that it's a distraction. So I think it's a siren song on Putin's part but actually the best way to restore calm in global commodity market is to ensure that Russia loses this war.
Russia’s axeing of the Black Sea grain deal reveals a war machine running out of options. We explore how to get the deal back on track. A month-long mystery surrounding China’s absent foreign minister has grown deeper: now his memory is being scrubbed from official websites (10:15). And literary criticism has lost its claws—gaining a newfound civility that is bad for readers (16:37).
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