It’s nice when youngsters visit the elderly at Christmas and so it was good of President Zelensky to pop in to see Joe Biden.
Studies show that putting the old and young together is beneficial to both parties, as in Channel 4’s Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, and certainly that was the case here.
Zelensky came away with a £1.7 billion aid package and Biden got a shiny medal in a presentation case which, like a grandad receiving a handmade birthday card, he was thrilled to bits with.
It’s a familiar scene, there they were in high-backed chairs, Biden with the central heating turned up full blast, Zelensky showing off his slogan sweatshirt.
Another minute in front of that blazing fire in the Oval Office and the Ukraine President would have required Nasa’s re-entry training.
They sat in comfortable companionship while one reminisced about the past and the other enthused about the latest tech – Zelensky recalling the words of Franklin D Roosevelt and Biden discussing the Patriot missile system.
Each launcher costs around £8.3 million and a single missile about £3.3 million.
For that I would expect them to be made of 24-carat gold – or Lurpak Spreadable, whichever is the more expensive per ounce these days.
From Russia with love
Vladimir Putin said he believes Russia is not to blame for the war, saying he continued to see Ukraine as a “brotherly nation”.
If the brothers he’s basing this on are Princes Harry and William he might be right.
Fellow fruit loop Donald Trump Junior tweeted that Zelensky was “basically an ungrateful international welfare queen”, demonstrating all the compassion and sophistication that has made his dad so attractive.
Upon greeting Volodymyr Zelensky, Joe Biden remarked on the length of the war, saying: “Three hundred days. Hard to believe. Three hundred days.”
If he finds that hard to believe, goodness knows what he’d make of the 1,200 days it’s taken to complete Union Terrace Gardens.
On Thursday afternoon, our Alastair Gossip broke the news that the gardens were open after council workers removed the barriers, without ceremony, at 4pm.
The £30 million revamp took a year longer than expected and fittingly, the official opening was about two hours later than the actual opening.
At 6pm Aberdeen Labour staged a ribbon-cutting ceremony as there was a feeling there had been a “missed opportunity” – actually is was just after 6pm because they were delayed.
But some things are worth the wait and this attractive project is surely one of them, bringing a touch of Christmas cheer to the city.
Film fans too were in festive spirits after they organised a screening of It’s a Wonderful Life at Aberdeen University.
More than 100 faithful Belmont Cinema fans kept the Christmas tradition going, despite the picturehouse being shut.
Let’s hope by next Christmas this is one less thing to put on their Santa list.
This year I have several luxury items on my list: brand-name breakfast cereal, tricolore pasta shapes, a Rolex watch…
I added the Roller after Education Secretary Gillian Keegan suggested that if you wear one, you’re not working class any more.
I don’t care about the class thing but I reckon if it can do that what else can it do? I had fancied an Apple Watch but this is next level.
Unions criticised Keegan for claiming nurses “usually” only use foodbanks if they have been dumped or their boiler is broken and the fact that she was flashing her Rolex while making these comments showed a “staggering lack of empathy”.
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This week she decided with all the strikes going on, it was important to defend her wristwear, saying: “It’s almost like… you start working class and you can’t become anything else.”
She then proved she is something else by claiming teachers were “probably within the top 10% of earners” which Labour branded “staggeringly out-of-touch”.
Border Force staff are among those striking at airports including Glasgow.
Santa won’t be held up by the expected two-hour security delays as he probably travels directly from the North Pole to the far north of Scotland, which is not affected by the industrial action.
Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas everyone!
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