November 14, 2026

Saturday. Left at 9:42. Nikor. After a clear and cold night, preceded by showers. Salt on the bikepaths and streets. Pavement damp to wet in lots of places, though never slick. Cool and sunny, with some white smudges in the skies. Light winds out of the south, but enough to get movement out of both of the windmills at Kockengen. The large one before Oud-Zuilen was in action too. Gele brug to Alendorp, which still has some color. Rivierpad with everything cut back, and the little bridge frosted over. Breudijk with some other cyclists out. A little group up ahead to the right at the start of Gerverscop. Just one or two cars there. Hollandse Kade without any other cyclists. It is beginning to look barren there also. Turning north, great views up ahead, almost without distortions (just a few oversized barns). Geerkade visible beyond the highway--and the two windmills. Spengen to Geerkade and Portengen. Still some cows in the field there. Galgerwaard to Breukelen and Gunterstein. What appeared to be non-stop Saturday traffic in town. Muddy on Scheendijk, then Strook, Veenkade, and Bethuneweg. Herenweg and Oud Zuilen, Vecht and the rest. The charade of the U.S.-led negotiations continues, the past couple of days with a focus on "European security" and possible European participation in the talks. On the one hand, the various European leaders who have said there's nothing to discuss in this regard are right. "European security" has always been a Russian excuse to throw its weight around, since the more it became a reality prior to 2022, the more it placed authoritarian Russia on the sidelines. To discuss specifics, such as Russia's beef with NATO troops and infrastructure in former Soviet-dominated countries, is to divert from the true cause of the problems, namely Russia's assault on independent Ukraine and, more broadly, the Kremlin's unwillingess to see itself relegated to the political and economic sidelines on the continent. On the other hand, it is entirely right for there to be European voices at the table, since for all intents and purposes Europe has been in this war to defend Ukraine's independence from the start. Until two years ago, the same went for the U.S., but that has changed. Perhaps that in 2024, Washington could have spoken on behalf of a collective "West" in any negotiations with Moscow and Kyiv, but those days are past. Thus, since Europe will inevitably also have a part in any peace arrangement, it will have to be at the table. There are other aspects of the current talks, such as the reported suggestion of NATO membership for Ukraine in exchange for the Donbass, or the exact make-up of any European representation at the talks. In the end, though, all these discussions are at best premature (they still have to be tracked), since at every step of the way one can see how Moscow is not moving an inch on any of the core issues. A sign of good faith would be agreement to a cease-fire during the talks, but that's not forthcoming. Russia still thinks it can prevail, and with the current mediators and the man they work for, who can blame it? Just yesterday there were new signs that Ukraine's access to Starlink continues to be uneven, surely a sign that people on the American side are doing Moscow's bidding. Democratic Senators are now asking for answers on this issue, but there are limits to what they can enforce here. And so it's quite possible that the war will continue for the next two years, if Ukraine manages to hold out that long.