Sparks: Putin says there is 'no point' meeting Zelensky over ending Ukraine war

Another's stubbornness is not within my power; my response to it is the only freedom I possess.

The accretion of power inevitably leads to the disavowal of accountability, a pattern as old as empires themselves.

In one land, negotiations are a standard custom; in another, they are dismissed as a waste of breath, each reflecting its own peculiar justice.

The invisible hand of self-interest, when unchecked by the impartial spectator, readily declines the inconvenience of honest exchange for brute force.

Goodwill is a fragile foundation; without a structured mechanism for dialogue, even the most urgent needs will be met with obstinacy.

Things that are hateful: a clear plea met with a closed door, the beauty of intention lost to the ugliness of dismissal.

Observe the flow of stalled rivers; their stagnant force, like unaddressed conflict, builds pressure until a violent burst or a slow decay.

When the raw force of power refuses even to parley, the only path left is the brutal, grinding struggle of survival against a relentless cold.

Noticing that refusing to negotiate prolongs the expense, one wonders at the true calculus of such a costly 'pointless' decision.

It is a strange notion of peace that begins by refusing to speak, for silence is often the loudest declaration of war.

Such a stubborn refusal to engage reveals a hardened heart, blind to the suffering it perpetuates and deaf to the calls for reconciliation.

One finds that certain powerful gentlemen prefer the exquisite pleasure of a prolonged, messy conflict to the vulgarity of a quick resolution.