Day 1,342 - Groundhog Day? Has Putin Manipulated Trump into Yet Another Fake Summit?

Edition No256 ||| Day 1,342 ||| 17-10-2025 - This is your Silicon Bites Daily Geopolitics Brief, with a rundown of news stories on 17th October 2025. We cover Ukraine, Russia, China and the global struggle against autocracy. Welcome to Groundhog Day. We seem to be stuck in a loop, of threat, reversal, appeasement and then the whole cycle repeats. It creates the illusion that positions have changed, that there is momentum, and then momentum lost. But if you step back, we can see that this is political theatre, and everything remains the same. Nothing changes. Russia has diluted none of its ludicrous maximalist objectives. Ukraine fights on, because that is the only option open to them, fight or disappear. Europe delays full support for Ukraine, waiting on the US to normalise its foreign policy, and the whole absurd dance goes round in circles over, and over. We lead with Trump’s phone call with Putin — more proof we’re trapped in a vicious cycle of manipulation, delay and regression. Then how Zelenskyy’s Washington visit has been undercut before it gets going. And on the battlefield, Russia’s botched push near Pokrovsk once again reveals the fragility of its strategy, one might even say the delusion of its invasion.----------This is super important. There are so many Battalions in Ukraine, fighting to defend our freedoms, but lack basics such as vehicles. These are destroyed on a regular basis, and lack of transport is costs lives, and Ukrainian territory. Once again Silicon Curtain has teamed up with Car4Ukraine and a group of wonderful creators to provide much-needed assistance: https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtainAutumn Harvest: Silicon Curtain (Goal€22,000)We'll be supporting troops in Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, and other regions where the trucks are needed the most. 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", Black Raven Unmanned Systems Battalionhttps://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/autumn-harvest-silicon-curtain----------SOURCES: “Russia Strikes Ukraine’s Gas Sites as Zelenskyy Flies to US” — The Guardian, Oct 16, 2025 “Trump says he will meet Putin again after ‘productive’ talks” — Reuters, Oct 16, 2025 “Trump to speak with Putin Thursday” — Politico Oct 16, 2025 “Trump, Putin to meet in Budapest for new Ukraine peace push” — Kyiv Independent“‘Putin got scared’ — Trump needs to be wary” — Kyiv Independent“Putin lectured Trump on Kyivan Rus during Alaska summit” — Kyiv IndependentFrontline report on Pokrovsk ammonia cloud failure — Euromaidan Press“Huge casualties blunt Russia’s armored assault at Pokrovsk” — DailyKos “Putin’s Pokrovsk push is making Russia run out of Russians” — Euromaidan Press “Massing attack under Pokrovsk meets defense” — NV (The New Voice of Ukraine)“Ukraine’s defenders struggle to stem Russia’s air assault” — The Guardian, Oct 17, 2025“Ukraine war briefing: Moscow voices ‘extreme concern’ at Trump threat to send Tomahawk missiles” — The Guardian, Oct 13, 2025----------SILICON CURTAIN LIVE EVENTS - FUNDRAISER CAMPAIGN Events in 2025 - Advocacy for a Ukrainian victory with Silicon Curtainhttps://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extrasOur events of the first half of the year in Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa 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. Any support you can provide for the fundraising campaign would be gratefully appreciated. https://buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtain/extras----------