Russia Rejects Vatican and CIA Ceasefire Demands (The Duran)

Time Stamps:

00:00:00 Diplomacy on Ukraine: Vatican, Ratcliffe and Lavrov statements
00:01:23 Lavrov says Western diplomacy is built on deception, goodwill exhausted
00:03:36 Vatican envoy offered no pushback, just asked for a ceasefire
00:03:56 Lula of Brazil pressures Russia to agree to a ceasefire
00:07:21 New York Times changes the narrative on Ratcliffe's Moscow trip
00:09:38 New York Times headline: Ratcliffe pushing Kremlin toward a peace deal
00:12:17 Trump reportedly misled by his own officials on the war
00:13:34 Reuters: Zelensky sending Azov fighters to the Donbass front
00:16:10 Fortified towns in Donbas face encirclement as Russia advances
00:19:49 Ukraine chooses to defend Donbas, risking a decisive encirclement battle

[Posted at the SpookyWeather2 blog, August 29, 2026.]