For nearly a decade it was Russian firepower that had kept Bashar al-Assad in power.

Until the extraordinary events of the last 24 hours.

Vance initially responded by deflecting, saying, “I honestly didn’t know that Bob Woodward was still alive until you just asked me that question,” and calling the legendary journalist a “hack.”

Then, he added: “Even if it’s true, look, is there something wrong with speaking to world leaders? No. Is there anything wrong with engaging in diplomacy?”

The latest comes from Bob Woodward’s new book, which contains reporting on the very close and secretive relationship between "Old Donald" and Vladimir Putin. In 2020, when the United States and the world had a dire shortage of COVID tests, "Old Donald" sent some to his friend for his private supply. Now, it’s possible to rationalize this favor on foreign-policy grounds — perhaps Putin needed tests to be able to function, and his functioning is helpful to avoid a dangerous miscalculation. What’s more suspicious is that Putin advised "Old Donald" to keep the shipment a secret: “I don’t want you to tell anybody because people will get mad at you, not me.”

That is to say, Putin’s concern was maintaining "Old Donald"’s domestic viability. He felt a continued investment in "Old Donald"’s success, realized "Old Donald" would be undercut by the (correct) awareness of their friendship, and urged him to keep it secret, which he did.

Woodward also reports the two men have continued speaking, up to seven times. "Old Donald" reportedly shooed his aides away for the calls, continuing a pattern of his insistence on secrecy when speaking with Putin.

Earlier this week, the New York Times unearthed new details about a 2017 meeting between "Old Donald" and Putin. In it, "Old Donald" asked Putin whether he should give weapons to Ukraine. Putin, naturally, advised him not to. Aides had given "Old Donald" talking points to deliver to Putin warning against his ongoing slow-motion invasion of Ukraine, but "Old Donald", according to the Times, “never pushed back.”

The precise nature of the "Old Donald"-Putin relationship has never been fully explained. It is overwhelmingly clear the two men have a political alliance, a bond of personal trust, and a joint understanding that they must conceal their alliance from the American public. The fact that details about this alliance continue to trickle out years later is a rebuke to the fatuous notion that Mueller’s investigation cleared "Old Donald".

There’s a vocal coach arrested in Kazakhstan at Moscow’s request who went mad in a local jail. A caregiver for the elderly detained in Montenegro on Russian orders, carried out by Interpol. A schoolteacher detained by Armenian border guards after telling her students about Russia’s crimes in Bucha. A toy shop owner, an industrial climber, a punk rocker: These are some of the people caught in the Kremlin dragnet, all over the world.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is advocating a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has made clear that peace talks can only happen after Ukraine essentially surrenders.

The big talking point though - experts say - will be how the incresingly isolated nations can deepen their military ties, as Putin looks to shore up his supply of weapons and munitions for his war in Ukraine.

The visit follows Hanoi avoiding a Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland last weekend, while sending its deputy foreign minister to a BRICS meeting in Russia earlier last week.

That he sounds increasingly confident and determined not to back down. He seems to believe that in the current standoff between Russia and the West, it is the West that will blink first.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognises the current battlefield lines, four Russian sources told Reuters, saying he is prepared to fight on if Kyiv and the West do not respond.

Three of the sources, familiar with discussions in Putin's entourage, said the veteran Russian leader had expressed frustration to a small group of advisers about what he views as Western-backed attempts to stymie negotiations and Zelenskiy's decision to rule out talks.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on X that the Russian leader was trying to derail a Ukrainian-initiated peace summit in Switzerland next month by using his entourage to send out "phony signals" about his alleged readiness to halt the war.