This was a comment on a post about the Trump/Putin meeting and I found it very well written.
Steve from Rockwood
August 16, 2025 at 12:59 pm

In 2017 I was a director of an oil and gas company based in Texas and we were sued by one of our suppliers. Our contract called for mediation by an independent person who was appointed to our case. We met at a neutral location all together in one room. After the basic rules and hoped outcomes were discussed we were divided into 2 groups (our group in one room with a mediator and their group in another room also with a mediator).

During separate mediation we wrote down on a white board the main issues from our side, starting with the major points first. We then regrouped as one with the white boards side-by-side. The mediator noted that both sides had written down about 6 main points. The mediator then attempted to delete one item from each board starting at the bottom. Both sides immediately erupted in objections and after a long period of arguing the mediator broke up the meeting and recommended litigation (this is why you don’t negotiate with Putin and Zelensky in the same room).

A week later I picked up the phone and called the owner of the supply company. I attempted to explain the cost and delay of litigation and how it would be far better to agree to a settlement between us. He was adamant for full payment and extra costs. We ended the call courteous but with no agreement. I called this man once a week at the same time for the next four weeks. By the fifth week I had a deal. The biggest issue was understanding who this guy was (very technical) and having an understanding as to why he was so stubborn to settle (we had insulted him).

Of course settling one side is just the start of the deal. The other guy (who hired me) wasn’t very happy with the deal and felt betrayed. I had to handle that differently (appealing to his greed) in order to get him to agree to the final terms. The day the signed agreement hit our office was the day my contract ended (Trump won’t be loved by either Ukraine or Russia when peace arrives).

Trump handled Zelensky as a moron, a puppet, at the White House. He knocked him down a few notches to remind Zelensky (Ukraine) they are the conceding country if they want peace. Trump handled Putin with respect but also showed strength (we meet in my country, my air force will fly over, but I respect you). After the meeting Trump made several phone calls to the wallflowers in Europe so that they can feel important even if they aren’t part of the negotiations.

I hope Trump gets a cease fire and I hope he doesn’t get a Nobel Peace Prize (to show how political and useless that has become). When he retires he will write an epic book that many will criticize as untrue. I’d like to believe the banker boxes he left at Mara Logo were confidential files that implicated the Democrats as a warning to stand down if he got in for a second term. The only way for a trick like that to work is if they were confiscated by the government. So they know he knows. That would explain why the Democrats have been so quiet.

We are in the 2nd inning of a very interesting ball game.