This was a puzzler.
After a pause, Alice began,
‘Well! They were both
very unpleasant characters –‘
Here she checked herself
in some alarm,
at hearing something
that sounded to her
like the puffing of
a large steam-engine
in the wood near them,
though she feared
it was more likely
to be a wild beast.
‘Are there any lions or tigers
about here?’ she asked timidly.
Ukraine has proposed.
A new round of.
Peace talks.
With ‘Mordor’.
‘Gandalf the Green’ has said.
In a move aimed at.
Restarting negotiations.
That halted last month.
The Senior security official.
Has offered to meet.
The ‘orcs’ side.
Next week.
‘The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright –
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
In his evening address.
Adding that everything had to.
Be done to get a ceasefire.
‘Gandalf the Green’ also.
Repeated his readiness to.
Meet ‘the One’.
Face-to-face.
“A meeting.
At the leadership level.
Is needed to truly.
Ensure peace.”
The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done –
“It’s very rude of him,” she said,
“To come and spoil the fun!”
The proposal came.
Hours after.
Ukraine was hit with another.
Widespread air bombardment.
By ‘Mordor’.
Which killed three people.
Ten regions of Ukraine.
Including several cities.
Were hit in the night.
Between Friday and Saturday.
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
Earlier on Saturday.
The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead –
There were no birds to fly.
‘Elves’ military said.
More than 340 explosive.
And dummy drones.
And 35 cruise and.
Ballistic missiles.
Had been used.
But many were downed.
But many were downed.
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
“If this were only cleared away,”
They said, “it would be grand!”
Earlier this week.
The US President said.
The US would send.
“Top-of-the-line weapons”.
To Ukraine.
Via Nato countries.
While also threatening ‘Mordor’.
With severe tariffs.
If a deal.
To end the war.
Is not reached.
Within 50 days.
‘If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year,
Do you suppose,” the Walrus said,
“That they could get it clear?”
‘I doubt it,” said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.
The US President also warned.
That the US would impose.
100% secondary tariffs targeting.
‘Mordor’’s remaining trade partners.
If a peace deal.
With Ukraine.
Was not reached.
By his deadline.
“O Oysters, come and walk with us!”
The Walrus did beseech.
“A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
Along the briny beach:
We cannot do with more than four,
To give a hand to each.”
Two rounds of talks.
In Istanbul.
Between ‘orcs’ and ‘elves’.
Have so far failed.
Between ‘orcs’ and ‘elves’.
Have so far failed.
To result in any progress.
Towards a ceasefire.
But large-scale prisoner exchanges.
And deals to return.
The bodies of killed soldiers.
Were agreed.
The eldest Oyster looked at him.
But never a word he said:
The eldest Oyster winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head –
Meaning to say he did not choose
To leave the oyster-bed.
After the last round.
Which ended in early June.
‘Elves’ negotiators said.
‘Mordor’ had again rejected.
An “unconditional ceasefire”.
– a key demand.
By Kyiv and its allies.
In Europe and the US.
But four young oysters hurried up,
All eager for the treat:
Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean and neat –
And this was odd, because, you know,
They hadn’t any feet.
‘Mordor’ also outlined.
A list of demands.
Including calls.
For Ukraine.
To cede more territory.
And to reject.
All forms of.
Western military support.
Four other oysters followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more –
All hopping through the frothy waves,
And scrambling to the shore.
At the time.
‘Gandalf the Green’ accused.
‘Mordor’ of.
“Doing everything.”
“Doing everything.
It can to ensure.
The next possible meeting.
Is fruitless”.
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.
‘Mordor’ and Ukraine.
Will hold a new round.
Of peace talks.
In Istanbul on Wednesday.
“Today, I discussed with.
The ‘elves’ Security Council chief.
The preparations.
For a prisoner exchange.”
“And another meeting.
In Turkey.
With the ‘orcs’ side.”
‘Gandalf the Green’ said.
In his daily address.
On Monday.
“The chief reported that the meeting.
Is scheduled for Wednesday.”
“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes – and ships – and sealing-wax –
Of cabbages – and kings –
And why the sea is boiling hot –
And whether pigs have wings.”
On Tuesday.
‘Mordor’ said it did not expect.
A “miraculous breakthrough”.
From the talks.
“We intend to pursue.
Our interests.
We intend to ensure.
Our interests.”
“And fulfil the tasks.
That we set for ourselves.
From the very beginning.”
The Kremlin spokesperson said.
In his daily press briefing.
He said he hoped the talks.
Would be held this week.
Without giving a date.
“But wait a bit,” the Oysters cried,
“Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!”
“No hurry!” said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.
Two previous rounds.
Of direct talks.
Between Moscow and Kyiv.
In Istanbul failed.
To make progress.
Towards a ceasefire.
Both nations remain far apart.
As to how it might be achieved.
Washington has pledged.
New weapons.
For the ‘elves’ military.
After ‘orcs’ intensified attacks.
“A loaf of bread,” the Walrus said,
“Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed –
Now if you’re ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed.”
A child was killed.
Overnight into Tuesday.
When an ‘orcs’ glide bomb.
Hit an apartment block.
Hit an apartment block.
In the eastern city.
Of Kramatorsk.
Local officials said.
Six areas of the capital Kyiv.
Had earlier come under.
A combined drone and.
Missile attack.
‘But not on us!” the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
“After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!”
“The night is fine,” the Walrus said.
“Do you admire the view?”
Meanwhile, ‘elves’ forces said.
They had pushed back.
More than 50 attacks.
In the Pokrovsk area.
Of eastern Ukraine.
Where ‘Mordor’ has concentrated.
Much of its firepower.
In recent months.
‘Orcs’ sabotage groups.
Have already tried to.
Enter the city.
Enter the city.
“It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!”
The Carpenter said nothing but
“Cut us another slice:
I wish you were not quite so deaf –
I’ve had to ask you twice!”
A Turkish government spokesperson.
Said Wednesday’s talks.
Would take place.
In the same venue.
Where previous negotiations.
In May and June.
Failed to work.
Towards a ceasefire.
“It seems a shame,” the Walrus said,
“To play them such a trick,
After we’ve brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!”
The Carpenter said nothing but
“The butter’s spread too thick!”
This week’s talks will be.
Yet another attempt to.
Bring an end to the war.
That has been going on.
For more than three years.
And will come after.
The US President expressed.
Frustration with ‘the One’.
The US President said that.
He was “disappointed”.
But “not done”.
With ‘the One’.
“I weep for you,” the Walrus said,
“I deeply sympathize.”
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.
The Istanbul talks.
Could focus on further.
Prisoner exchanges.
And a possible meeting.
And a possible meeting.
Between ‘Gandalf the Green’.
And ‘the One’.
A senior ‘elf’ official said.
“O Oysters,” said the Carpenter.
“You’ve had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?”
But answer came there none –
And this was scarcely odd, because
They’d eaten every one.’
Moscow, however.
Has downplayed the likelihood.
Of reaching any concrete outcome.
Anytime soon.
Commenting on the prospects.
For a breakthrough.
The Kremlin spokesman said.
On Monday.
That the two sides were.
“Diametrically opposed”.
And “a lot of diplomatic work.
Lies ahead”.
“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes – and ships – and sealing-wax –
Of cabbages – and kings –
And why the sea is boiling hot –
And whether pigs have wings.”
‘Mordor’ has intensified.
Its drone and missile attacks.
On ‘elves’ cities.
In recent weeks.
Causing record civilian casualties.
It launched a full-scale invasion.
Of its neighbour.
In 2022.
‘That was mean!’
Alice said indignantly.
‘Then I like the Carpenter best
– if he didn’t eat
so many as the Walrus.’
‘But he ate as many as
he could get,’
said Tweedledum.
This was a puzzler.
After a pause, Alice began,
‘Well! They were both
very unpleasant characters –‘
Here she checked herself
in some alarm,
at hearing something
that sounded to her
*Because I read “Ukraine seeks new round of talks with Russia” by Tom McArthur on 20 Jul 2025 and “Ukraine and Russia set for fresh peace talks, Zelensky says” by Stuart Lau on 22 Jul 2025, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem, led by ‘THROUGH the LOOKING-GLASS’ written by Lewis Carroll, you know.
Please read the original stories on the BBC news:
Ukraine seeks new round of peace talks with Russia
Zelensky: Ukraine and Russia to hold peace talks on Wednesday
