The London Times reports.
What role have popes played in bringing about peace? Some examples, here, at Grok.
May 19, 2025
"President Trump’s tone after the call with President Putin was once again emollient."
"Rather than punishing Russia with the 'bone-crushing' sanctions some had hoped for, he hailed an 'excellent' call and said Russia had a 'tremendous opportunity' to do business with the US if the war ended. Even better for Putin, he also appeared to backtrack from US involvement in talks, speculating that they could be hosted by the Pope in the Vatican and saying it would be 'negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be.'"
The London Times reports.
The London Times reports.
Posts
62 comments:
I’ve never seen “emollient” used that way.
Trump is Emollient Claus
"Emollient"? Are they trying to say he was oily? Did they mean ebullient? Are they trying to sneak in "emolument"?
That's weird.
Ebullient.
When will the NYT and MSNBC start the "Trump is a stooge for Putin" narrative so that the killing continues.
Emollient is the cromulent choice here. It describes a soothing or mollifying act. I'm surprised at the objections.
The OED definition of "emollient," used as an adjective" is "That has the power of softening or relaxing the living animal textures. Also figurative."
Example:
1796
All the emollient cataplasms of robbery and confiscation.
E. Burke, Two Letters Peace Regicide Directory France i. 60Citation details for E. Burke, Two Letters Peace Regicide Directory France
I know: cataplasms!
Longer quote, if this might help: "Like his, the eloquence of the Declaration, not contradicting, but enforcing, sentiments of the truest humanity, has left stings that have penetrated more than skin-deep into my mind and never can they be extracted by all the surgery of murder; never can the throbbings they have created be assuaged by all the emollient cataplasms of robbery and confiscation. I cannot love the Republic."
The 18th century was something else!
Just let us know when that 24-hour clock will start ticking.
4th conjugation verbs are tricky
Emollient is a synonym for another wonderful word, salve.
Speaking of which, Trump can be quite unctuous when properly motivated.
So the carrot (emollient talk about doing business) is bad, but so is the stick (tariffs for countries that have been screwing us all these years)?
Since western Ukraine has a substantial Catholic population, Russians will not view the pope as a fair arbiter. Many would see the pope as being a western agent.
How about this for an idea to promote peace: We send every possible HIMARS system to Ukraine, with permission to use them as they see fit against the invading Russians. And target data from our own military and intelligence.
I suspect that Dave Begley (1:40 pm) is right -- the writer was reaching for "ebullient" but picked the wrong word (and the editor failed to catch it). When I wrote my comment at 1:17 I briefly considered that the writer did mean to use "emollient" as a synonym for soothing or smoothing, but I rejected that interpretation because Trump is frequently ebullient and does not much seem to care whether he ever is soothing -- quite the contrary, in fact.
Not much love between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, for that matter.
"Putin is Russian Orthodox. His mother was a devout Christian who attended the Russian Orthodox Church; his father was an atheist. Although his mother kept no icons at home, she attended church regularly, despite government persecution of her faith at that time. His mother secretly baptized him as a baby, and she regularly took him to services.
According to Putin, his religious awakening began after a serious car crash involving his wife in 1993, and a life-threatening fire that burned down their dacha in August 1996. Shortly before an official visit to Israel, Putin's mother gave him his baptismal cross, telling him to get it blessed. Putin has stated, "I did as she said and then put the cross around my neck. I have never taken it off since".
When asked in 2007 whether he believes in God, he replied, "There are things I believe, which should not in my position, at least, be shared with the public at large for everybody's consumption because that would look like self-advertising or a political striptease". Putin's rumoured confessor is Russian Orthodox bishop Tikhon Shevkunov. The sincerity of his Christianity has been rejected by his former advisor Sergei Pugachev."
"Rather than punishing Russia with the 'bone-crushing' sanctions some had hoped for, he hailed an 'excellent' call and said Russia had a 'tremendous opportunity' to do business with the US if the war ended."
Some? How about who? The Times is quoting someone, someone longing for World War III. That quote should be attributed by name, but it's not because The Times is as corrupt as its NYC namesake. More bullshit.
Good. It's one thing to replace 10% of the oil an individual country depends on, it can usually be done, with minor price adjustments, but how do you replace 10% of the oil supply of the entire world?
This war is lost but for the fighting and dying needed to prove the point. What they want to do is drag Trump into it, and then pin the inevitable loss, the one everybody who matters can see coming, on him. "Yes, Minister" should be required viewing for anybody who wants to comment on politics. They are not stupid, but they are quite happy to have us believe that they are, because they know that if we understood what they were doing, they would all be swinging from lampposts toot sweet.
Macron, Merz, Starmer, Meloni, Zelensky, Lindsey Graham, all of them were pressuring Trump for "Bone crunching sanctions". I believe that the phrase comes from Graham, who has a bill ready.
"The sincerity of his Christianity has been rejected by his former advisor Sergei Pugachev."
No relation to Yemelyn Ivanovich, one assumes. Given his sketchy history, I would look askance at his opinions regarding Putin.
A lot of blood has spilled and ground has changed hands since he made that 24 hour comment, and he has already admitted that it was a major mistake. Still, he is trying to end the war, and I am not going to nitpick. I don't think he counted on how badly Europe wants this war to go on, I think he believed that they were deferring to Biden, and maybe they were, but they have bet their economies on it now, and they are losing badly.
It turns out that Europe's economy ran a lot better on cheap Russian pipeline gas than it does on LNG, which is at least twice as expensive. If Europe has any hope of an economic recovery, they need to collapse the Russia Federation, and start looting Russia the way they have been looting Africa for centuries. That was the point of provoking this war, which could have easily been avoided by adhering to treaties that Ukraine and Russia had already signed, which would have kept Ukraine intact.
If that war ends - Democrat cheney-Kristol contingent with a dash of Mike Pence, will be sads.
There is what reporters write and then there is what Trump does. The two rarely coincide.
Pooooooor neocons. It's been an incredibly bad month for them, as President Trump goes out of his way to spit on them while making America prosperous again. He didn't even stop by for dinner. Looks like Miriam Adelson got a lot less for her money than she thought she did.
the writer was reaching for “ebullient” but picked the wrong word
Let’s read the piece together, shall we? It’s very short:
“President Trump’s tone after the call with President Putin was once again emollient.
“Rather than punishing Russia with the “bone-crushing” sanctions some had hoped for, he hailed an “excellent” call and said Russia had a “tremendous opportunity” to do business with the US if the war ended.
“Even better for Putin, he also appeared to backtrack from US involvement in talks, speculating that they could be hosted by the Pope in the Vatican and saying it would be “negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be”.
“Trump first proposed a 30-day ceasefire in March. Since then, Putin has deflected, prevaricated and stonewalled — everything but accepted the truce. The delay has allowed Russian troops to mass for a fresh offensive.”
There’s a word for people who are ebullient about being emollient: Beta.
So, a very unguent and a ungulate time was had by all ...
... if the Emollient Clause of the Constitution wasn't violated.
"Putin has deflected, prevaricated and stonewalled — everything but accepted the truce"
Putin has never once given the slightest hint that he would accept the truce as offered. Russia has pointed out that Ukraine is losing the war, would use the breather to reenforce positions, rest some troops and train others, to rearm, and probably countries like France would make good on their promise to rush European troops into Ukraine from Romania, for example, the troops are already emplaced, in order to protect Odessa. Putin has rejected the cease fire unequivocally every time it has been brought up.
Putin would have to be a first rate fool to agree to a cease fire right now. I don't think he is, but good luck getting him to fall for it. I just wish these guys would stop lying to us.
A gay atmosphere with optimistic overtones to 86 the Slavic Spring.
What bone-crushing sanctions could even be levied at this point after all the other bone-crushing sanctions? It isn't like there is an infinite or even deep pool of bone-crushing sanctions available to use on the Russians. The simple fact is that the Russians are winning and any settlement will have to acknowledge that fact.
Hey Grok, are you a tool that pushes people to accept an alternative view of facts?
Does Elon program you to spread false narratives?
Are the people that use you being manipulated and lied to?
Do they care?
If I’m reading this correctly, all Trump has managed is to secure some vague commitments about the talks to prepare for the talks before the talks to possibly have a ceasefire?
Is that about right?
Sounds like Trump is walking away and letting the new Pope try to broker a deal.
D-loser comments really point out why the Democrat party is a MSNBC dumpster fire.
of course this tradition goes back a long way, the US cannot truly be an impartial broker because of the last three years
Kakistocracy said...
If I’m reading this correctly, all Trump has managed is to secure some vague commitments about the talks to prepare for the talks before the talks to possibly have a ceasefire?
Is that about right?
Sounds like Trump is walking away and letting the new Pope try to broker a deal.
Look, it is Rich sticking his head up and making another hilariously stupid comment about what Trump is doing that in 2 weeks is going to look as stupid as all of hte other things he has said.
Thanks for the Tesla stock a few weeks ago idiot.
I also would like to remind you of how stupid you look pretending Biden was mentally fit for the last 4 years.
Stupid or dishonest. Your choice. Probably both though tbh.
"Emollient" sounds like a Britishism. On this side of The Pond, I've only heard "soothing".
TeaBagHag said...
Hey Grok, are you a tool that pushes people to accept an alternative view of facts?
Does Elon program you to spread false narratives?
Are the people that use you being manipulated and lied to?
Do they care?
Replace Grok with MSM Media and Elon with Soros and then go look in the mirror.
It will help you not look so stupid and deranged.
The most dangerous outcome for Europe is that Putin wins in Ukraine and then starts on one or more European NATO members. This could be a swift road to something close to WW3. The imperative is for the Europeans to ensure that this does not happen. The question is whether or not they will act to protect themselves.
Kate said...
"Emollient"? Are they trying to say he was oily? Did they mean ebullient? Are they trying to sneak in "emolument"?
That's weird.
Pretty sure you are right here. They want to portray Trump as happy to make Putin happy. This would fit better with the sentence.
The other alternative was that they want to portay Trump as a healing agent or salve for Putin's wounds.
Either way I think the "reporter" used an LLM to write the article and tried to change a word here and there to make it theirs.
⬆️ You did teach your LLM some manners.
Now try to install a truth patch and see what happens.
At this point, Trump appears to view the normalization of Russia-US relations as a primary goal, with all other objectives subordinated to it.
they aren't original in the least,
Kakistocracy said...
The most dangerous outcome for Europe is that Putin wins in Ukraine and then starts on one or more European NATO members. This could be a swift road to something close to WW3. The imperative is for the Europeans to ensure that this does not happen. The question is whether or not they will act to protect themselves.
Absolutely nobody thinks this is the most dangerous outcome for Europe. Europe's problems are not external. They are all internal.
Europe is controlled by a globalist cabal that is importing violent military aged males from Africa and the ME as fast as they can and empowering them to terrorize and force the submission of their native populations.
The globalist cabal has ensured the demographic doom of native Europeans. The most dangerous outcome for Europe is that the current rulers keep trying to arrest their political opposition and throwing people in jail for pointing out the Muslim minorities are violent and crime is exploding and quality of life keeps going down.
Two options on this path. Either the Muslim minorities consume those countries in a decade through demographic colonialism or a totalitarian seizes power and after beheading the ruling class and starts doing the European war thing again.
Repetitive historical patterns.
Kakistocracy said...
⬆️ You did teach your LLM some manners.
Now try to install a truth patch and see what happens.
This is just a stupid thing to say. LLM's will not produce truth. They will produce a model that will write things like the data set you give them.
The funny part is you think your truth is more true than other people's truth. You don't even understand the fundamental meanings of the word truth and how it is shaped by point of view.
At this point, Trump appears to view the normalization of Russia-US relations as a primary goal, with all other objectives subordinated to it.
Another stupid thing to say. Your mind reading skills are really bad.
Trump's #1 goal is clearly peace and business/trade deals. He is clearly open to do business with anyone who wants peace and trade deals.
Russia is just another country he would rather do business with than bomb.
A Britishism you say? In the (checks post) London Times?
Come on, Achilles. The Putin-Trump call was a sham. Putin is calling the shots, and has skated Trump off the ice (again). The best way to understand the Putin -- Trump relationship is to view Putin as the philandering husband and Trump as the battered spouse who stays in the relationship too long.
The Pope should rise to the occasion. if he were a Pope above politics, this would not be asked of him. But he is mired in vile politics, so he better use his influnce. That was his chioce, machinated through hundreds of religious leaders.
Realpopitism.
Was reading the online version of Sunday Chicago Tribune yesterday. Stopped to remark how many typos and word-usage errors there were in just first three pages of first section. Journalists - they just don't make them like they used to.
In order to have a lasting peace, Putin will have to go to Kiev and enforce regime change. Zelensky is a dictator and drunk on power. Zelensky - the killerclown - has no desire to make peace, just make war. After this thing is over, zelensky will use one of his three passports and fly off to wherever.
Kakistocracy said...
Come on, Achilles. The Putin-Trump call was a sham. Putin is calling the shots, and has skated Trump off the ice (again). The best way to understand the Putin -- Trump relationship is to view Putin as the philandering husband and Trump as the battered spouse who stays in the relationship too long.
You are just stupid. Just full stop. You analogy of Trump being a battered spouse is just dumb.
Trump just doesn't think Ukraine is actually our ally and he is right. Ukraine is a klepto fascist corruptocracy with a US puppet regime that has been sponging off the US aid with kickbacks to DC politicians for years.
During this time they have sent in irregulars like the Azov battalion which we fund and train to kill Yanukovich supporters. Ukraine has lost all credibility and they are going to lose all of the Eastern regions that are populated by Russian ethnics that they have been terrorizing.
Trump does not give 2 shits about the morally juvenile Zelensky good guy Putin bad guy narrative. They are both despots and giving weapons and spending US taxpayer dollars to prolong this fight only gets more of the little people in both countries killed.
This war only ends when reality is embraced. That reality is that Ukraine is going to lose control of the regions they have run an ethnic cleansing campaign in and agrees to never join NATO.
If Ukraine refuses to pledge to never join NATO then Russia will take the entire country and there is nothing we should do to stop it. If Ukraine joins NATO and allies with Germany again then they eventually invade Russian through Ukraine and Russia knows this. This is a choice for the NAZI remnant of Western Ukraine that sided with Germany against the Russians in WWII. Russia will never accept Ukraine as a German/European ally.
You continue to pedal this fantasy that you warmongers are the good guys fighting the evil Putin. It is stupid. The DC Uniparty regime that started this war and Zelensky are just as evil as Putin. You are scum bag warmongers and traitors.
Hopefully soon you can be sent to fight in one of your nation building proxy wars.
Pretty pathetic effort by Trump, after all his bluster, he is now realizing how intractable the problem is, and is dropping it having achieved next to nothing. It must be obvious to all by now that the war will only stop when Putin is stopped.
In order to have a lasting peace, Putin will have to go to Kiev and enforce regime change. Zelensky is a dictator and drunk on power. Zelensky - the killerclown - has no desire to make peace, just make war. After this thing is over, zelensky will use one of his three passports and fly off to wherever.
Forgot to add that Zelensky has refused to hold another election despite his term being over. Its as if Lincoln decided in 1864 to cancel the Election and just continue as POTUS!
"Putin wins in Ukraine and then starts on one or more European NATO members"
Why would Putin want to do that? Why would he send an army in to conquer a hostile population larger than his own sitting on land with few resources when he has a smaller population than Europe and is sitting on many times the resources?
What would be his motivation? Putin has made several offers of peace, signed treaties, that left Ukraine intact, then that left Ukraine with more intact than is on offer now, and has said over and over that he doesn't want anything but the Russian speaking areas which Ukraine has treated very badly. He had a treaty with Ukraine where Ukraine promised to treat them like Canada treats their French speaking population, but this was too much for Kiev to bear, they preferred this war. Why? Because the neocons thought that this war would lead to the collapse of the Russian Federation and the looting party could begin.
Looting Africa worked because European countries had formidable militaries. I don't know how they expect to loot Russia with a bunch of zoomers who, and I don't blame them or hold it against them, who would rather play video games and have sex than go fight wars against their neighbors for rich old neocons.
The whole "Putin is Hitler" narrative doesn't take into account that Hitler was after the resources of Russia to make up for the fact that he didn't have them in Germany. It makes no sense the other way. This is just neocon smoke that they throw into people's eyes to get them to go along with their wars.
The Red Army march into Europe was a counterattack.
Isn't Trump's suggestion that someone else can negotiate an end to the war consistent with what he said at that February White House meeting? That he's willing to negotiate, but only if Zelenskyy acknowledges certain realities--including the circumstances that Russia has possessed Crimea since 2014, that the U.S. is the primary funding source for Zelenskyy's military operations, and that that funding shouldn't be taken as a given? Which Zelenskyy loudly and publicly refused to accept or acknowledge?
Do actions have consequences? Is this one of the consequence of Zelenskyy's actions?
The most dangerous outcome for Europe is that Putin wins in Ukraine and then starts on one or more European NATO members. This could be a swift road to something close to WW3.
Hmmm. The people who want us to throw more money and weaponry to enable Zelenskyy and Ukraine to somehow break through and begin shelling Greater Moscow, seem to think the real concern about peace breaking out is that WW3 is a possibility.
"If I’m reading this correctly"
You could have just stopped right there, Bich, since the likelihood of you reading anything correctly is practically zero. Nothing you wrote after that basically proves it.
For now, I'm picturing Trump as the man in the Western Exterminator logo.
I think the best way to understand Zelenskiy’s actions is to realize that if concedes anything to Russia, he is a dead man. Ukro-Nazis will kill him, quite possibly with the whole family and he can’t hide from that threat anywhere. Russians are maybe doing him a back-handed favor by insisting on his illegitimacy. That way he doesn’t have to sign any concessions. But as long as he is accepted as figure head by the West, he will never concede anything. That explains his promises in private and complete rejections in public, like he did in the White House kerfuffle. He is simply fighting for survival and quite possibly trying to protect his family.
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