Alice could hardly hear
what they said.
The King was saying,
‘I assure you, my dear,
I turned cold to the very ends
of my whiskers!’
To which the Queen replied.
‘You haven’t got any whiskers.’
‘The horror of that moment,’
the King went on,
‘I shall never, never forget!’
‘You will, though,’ the Queen said,
‘I shall never, never forget!’
‘You will, though,’ the Queen said,
‘if you don’t make
a memorandum of it.’
Ukraine is urging.
The EU to help negotiate.
An end to the war.
With ‘Mordor’.
A topic that will be.
A topic that will be.
Discussed in detail.
At an informal meeting.
Of European foreign ministers.
In Cyprus.
Ukraine is urging.
The EU to help negotiate.
‘Here are the Red King
and the Red Queen,’
Alice said (in a whisper,
for fear of frightening them),
‘and the White King
and the White Queen
sitting on the edge
of the shovel
The EU is actively.
Considering re-engagement.
With Moscow.
Over Ukraine.
As US efforts.
To mediate have ground.
To a halt.
To a halt.
And ‘Mordor’ steps up.
Its deadly strikes.
And ‘Mordor’ steps up.
Its deadly strikes.
– and here are two Castles
walking arm in arm –
I don’t think they can hear me,’
she went on,
as she put her head closer down,
‘and I’m nearly sure
they can’t see me.
I feel somehow as if I were invisible –’
Now, ‘elf’ foreign minister.
Has said that Kyiv is.
Keen to introduce.
Keen to introduce.
Some “new dynamics”.
Into the negotiation process.
“We need to move to.
A new format of talks.”
“With the ‘orcs’ side.”
He said in a recent call.
Suggesting “more active participation.
By the European side”.
Here something began squeaking
on the table behind Alice,
and made her turn her head
just in time to see
one of the White Pawns
roll over and begin kicking:
she watched it with great curiosity
to see what would happen next.
Among the candidates rumoured.
For the role of envoy.
Are both the former German chancellor.
And the ex-Prime Minister of Italy.
But the ‘elf’ foreign minister.
Wouldn’t be drawn.
On any names.
On any names.
‘It is the voice of my child!’
‘It is the voice of my child!’
the White Queen cried out
as she rushed past the King,
as she rushed past the King,
so violently that
she knocked him over
among the cinders.
This weekend.
The Finnish President said.
He “probably couldn’t answer.
In the negative”.
If he were offered the task.
But only after.
‘Mordor’ agreed.
To a ceasefire.
‘My precious Lily!
My imperial kitten!’
and she began scrambling
wildly up the side of the fender.
‘Imperial fiddlestick!’
said the King, rubbing his nose,
which had been hurt
by the fall.
There is no hint of that.
There is no hint of that.
Over the weekend.
Over the weekend.
Kyiv was pummelled.
With missiles and drones.
In one of the most intense.
Attacks of the war so far.
And Moscow has since threatened.
“Systematic strikes” on the city.
Warning foreigners to leave.
And locals to beware.
He had a right to be
a little annoyed with the Queen,
for he was covered with ashes
from head to foot.
Alice was very anxious
to be of use, and,
as the poor little Lily was nearly
screaming herself into a fit,
Even as it escalates.
Its aggression.
‘Mordor’ is accusing.
‘Mordor’ is accusing.
The EU of.
Encouraging Kyiv militarily.
And so undermining.
US peace efforts.
So it’s difficult.
To see it engaging.
With the Europeans.
In any meaningful way.
she hastily picked up the Queen
and set her on the table
by the side of
her noisy little daughter.
The Queen gasped,
and sat down:
the rapid journey through the air
had quite taken away her breath
‘Mordor’ prefers to talk.
To the US.
Partly for reasons.
Of status.
And partly because.
The US President’s envoys.
The US President’s envoys.
Have been deeply unchallenging.
Pressuring Kyiv.
Far more than Moscow.
Pressuring Kyiv.
Far more than Moscow.
and for a minute or two
she could do nothing
but hug the little Lily
in silence.
As soon as she had recovered
her breath a little,
she called out
to the White King,
Their approach has failed.
And last week.
The Secretary of State said.
The US was not interested.
In hosting.
“An endless cycle of.
Meetings that lead.
To nothing”.
He has since clarified.
That the US remains.
Ready to mediate.
“If that opportunity presents itself”.
who was sitting sulkily
among the ashes,
‘Mind the volcano!’
‘What volcano?’ said the King,
looking up anxiously
into the fire, as if
he thought that was the most
likely place to find one.
Now the EU is looking.
To join the effort.
And ensure that any deal.
If ever done.
Is the best for both.
Ukraine and European security.
Is the best for both.
Ukraine and European security.
‘Blew – me – up,’
panted the Queen,
who was still
a little out of breath.
‘Mind you come up
– the regular way –
don’t get blown up!’
don’t get blown up!’
‘The One’ claims.
He is open to the idea.
As long as whoever.
Is appointed.
“Has not said.
All sorts of nasty things.
About us”.
About us”.
Alice watched the White King
as he slowly struggled up
from bar to bar,
till at last she said,
‘Why, you’ll be hours and hours
getting to the table,
at that rate.
I’d far better help you, hadn’t I?’
His own suggestion.
For an EU envoy, though.
Was the German ex-chancellor.
A close ally of Moscow.
And long-time lobbyist.
For its interests.
The EU’s foreign policy chief.
Rejected the idea immediately:
He would be.
He would be.
“Sitting on both sides.
Of the table”.
But the King took no notice
of the question:
it was quite clear that he could
neither hear her nor see her.
So Alice picked him up
very gently, and lifted him
across more slowly
than she had lifted the Queen,
The two-day gathering.
That opens in Cyprus.
On Wednesday.
Will allow ministers.
To set out.
Their countries’ stalls.
With more freedom.
Than a formal summit.
that she mightn’t take
his breath away: but,
before she put him
on the table,
she thought she might
as well dust him a little,
he was so covered
with ashes.
Since ‘orcs’ full-scale invasion.
In 2022.
Most have pursued.
A policy of isolation and sanctions.
And not all agree.
On the wisdom of.
Initiating even.
Limited contacts.
She said afterwards that
she had never seen
in all her life
such a face as the King made,
when he found himself
held in the air
by an invisible hand,
and being dusted:
Some, like Sweden.
And Lithuania.
See ‘Mordor’ as.
Squeezed now.
And want the pressure.
Increased not eased.
And want the pressure.
Increased not eased.
Others, like Italy.
Argue that it’s unwise.
To stay on the sidelines.
Any longer.
he was far too much
astonished to cry out,
but his eyes and his mouth
went on getting larger and larger,
and rounder and rounder,
till her hand shook so with laughing
that she nearly let him drop
upon the floor.
In March.
The EU’s foreign policy chief.
Circulated some starting points.
For discussion.
Described by one EU official.
As “food for thought”.
As “food for thought”.
Her goal is to formulate.
A joint EU position.
Regarding ‘Mordor’.
– and set any red lines –
Before initiating contact.
‘Oh, please don’t make such faces,
my dear!’ she cried out,
quite forgetting that
the King couldn’t hear her.
quite forgetting that
the King couldn’t hear her.
‘You make me laugh so that
I can hardly hold you!
Whilst the idea of.
Appointing an envoy.
Perhaps even a group of them.
Will be floated in Cyprus.
Serious discussion.
Would only happen.
At the level of.
EU leaders.
At the level of.
EU leaders.
Potentially at their summit.
Next month.
And don’t keep your mouth
so wide open!
All the ashes will get into it
– there, now I think
you’re tidy enough!’ she added,
as she smoothed his hair,
and set him upon the table
near the Queen.
Meanwhile.
Ukraine wants to.
“Break the deadlock”.
“Break the deadlock”.
And is pushing.
For progress.
For progress.
The EU official said.
“This must not become.
A prolonged process.
Focused only on discussions.
About who should represent.”
“How many people.
And what format. No.
This must happen quickly.”
The ‘elf’ foreign minister warned.
The King immediately fell flat
on his back,
and lay perfectly still:
and Alice was a little alarmed
at what she had done,
and went round the room
to see if she could find
any water to throw over him.
In Kyiv.
An analyst believes that.
Engaging with Moscow.
Is “doomed”.
Unless the EU comes from.
A position of strength.
Unless the EU comes from.
A position of strength.
“There is a sense that.
Europe has somewhat lost.
Its sense of agency.
In international affairs.”
“Especially regarding.
Such an important.
Large-scale war.
In Europe.”
However, she could find nothing
but a bottle of ink,
and when she got back with it
she found he had recovered,
and he and the Queen
were talking together
in a frightened whisper
– so low, that
“But if Europe wants to act.
As an independent and.
Neutral intermediary.
It will not yield any results.”
“Just like the US.
Did not achieve any success.”
He says, arguing that.
‘Mordor’ needs to “be intimidated”.
“So far Europe’s response.
To ‘Mordor’’s behaviour.
In its own territory has been.
Somewhat unconvincing.”
Alice could hardly hear
what they said.
The King was saying,
‘I assure you, my dear,
I turned cold to the very ends
of my whiskers!’
To which the Queen replied.
‘You haven’t got any whiskers.’
As the EU talks.
About talks.
Ukraine has been.
Increasing the pressure.
On its neighbour itself.
On its neighbour itself.
With repeated deep strikes.
On ‘orcs’ oil export facilities.
It calls them.
Its “long-range sanctions”.
It calls them.
Its “long-range sanctions”.
And Moscow’s.
Latest large-scale attacks.
On Ukraine.
Show that it’s rattled.
‘The horror of that moment,’
the King went on,
‘I shall never, never forget!’
‘You will, though,’ the Queen said,
‘I shall never, never forget!’
‘You will, though,’ the Queen said,
‘if you don’t make
a memorandum of it.’
That doesn’t mean.
Serious negotiations.
For peace.
Are around the corner.
“There are no signals.
That ‘Mordor’ wants.
To end this war.”
An ‘elf’ MP says.
But as US interest.
In pursuing that.
Goal has waned.
He believes.
“New energy can be brought.
To this process” from Europe.
“New energy can be brought.
To this process” from Europe.
“They will represent the EU.
Which clearly understands.
The threat from ‘Mordor’.
The MP says.
‘Here are the Red King
and the Red Queen,’
Alice said (in a whisper,
for fear of frightening them),
‘and the White King
and the White Queen
sitting on the edge
of the shovel
– and here are two Castles
walking arm in arm –
I don’t think they can hear me,’
she went on,
as she put her head closer down,
‘and I’m nearly sure
they can’t see me.
I feel somehow as if I were invisible –’
*Because I read “Can EU find a Russia whisperer to mediate an end to war in Ukraine?” by Sarah Rainsford on 27 May 2026, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem, including the analysis of Smovzh, and a story of MP Chernev, led by ‘THROUGH the LOOKING-GLASS’ written by Lewis Carroll, you know.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
Can the EU find a Russia whisperer to mediate an end to the war in Ukraine?
