The Monocle Minute

Few conflicts are as straightforwardly Manichean as the Russo-Ukrainian war. And yet, despite the immense suffering of its people, are we about to see Ukraine cast as an obstacle to peace as a result of a deal brokered by Donald Trump? The question of whether the incoming US president would make the war a priority early on in his second term was answered last week by the announcement that he was arranging a meeting with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, as a prelude to peace talks. While much ink has been expended trying to guess what will be on the table, one thing is certain: Ukraine will not have a seat around it yet.

In recent months, Volodymyr Zelensky has emphasised Kyiv’s red lines for such a deal. These were consolidated in a victory plan presented to the Ukrainian parliament in October that included five demands: that Ukraine be invited to join Nato; that more weapons be supplied to its armed forces; that it be given sufficient non-nuclear deterrence to prevent further Russian attacks; that it enter an economic partnership with its Western allies; and that an agreement be reached whereby, rather than demobilise, Ukraine’s armed forces would be transferred to other European countries in order to bolster continental security.

All are ambitious proposals that are unlikely to receive Putin’s consent. Given Trump’s impatience to end the war and the lack of vocal support from him or his allies when it comes to Ukraine’s long-term prosperity and security, one can easily envisage the returning US president acquiescing to the Kremlin’s demands to soften – or, indeed, ignore completely – Zelensky’s demands. If peace talks reached a point at which Kyiv’s refusal to accept disadvantageous terms was preventing the signing of the deal, might Trump impatiently begin to cast the victim as an impediment? Were such a situation to arise, it’s essential that Ukraine’s European allies – especially the UK, France and Germany – stand fast in their commitment to securing a just resolution. Such a position might risk Trump’s ire in the short term but rolling over would lead to even graver consequences further down the line.

Alexis Self is Monocle’s foreign editor. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.

Florence’s biannual menswear trade show Pitti Immagine Uomo is throwing open the doors of the city’s Fortezza da Basso today for its 107th edition. More than 780 brands will present their autumn/winter collections to industry insiders, buyers and menswear enthusiasts. This year’s guests of honour are MM6 Maison Margiela and Satoshi Kuwata, the founder and creative director of Japanese brand Setchu. Kuwata will host the label’s first runway show at the event.

Visitors will be keen to check out market trends after a relatively bumpy year in the luxury-fashion industry. “Fashion is going through a complex transitional phase,” says Raffaello Napoleone, the CEO of Pitti Immagine Uomo. “We can’t just stand by and watch.” As such, the trade show will be pushing collaborations between brands and products that combine lifestyle and fashion, with a focus on running culture. As ever at the start of the year, the menswear industry is already well in its stride.

Australia has about 25,670km of coast. While not all of it consists of golden sands lapped by frothy surf, there should be plenty of it for everyone, even allowing for the summer influx of tourists. But some Australians are developing disturbingly territorial tendencies towards their beaches, rising early to annex prime territory with gaudily coloured cabanas. While the tents’ designs might be authentically Australian, what these installations represent is not.

As Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has correctly noted amid the cabanas brouhaha, the beach is traditionally seen as a common resource: free to all, exclusive to none. In its effect, a cabana feels affrontingly similar to a velvet rope in a club protecting the best tables from the riffraff. Defenders of cabanas have argued that anything that protects beachgoers from Australia’s skin-scorching sun is to be encouraged and they have a case. But nobody really believes that the tents’ enthusiasts are motivated by health concerns. Albanese rightly harrumphed that the practice is “not on”, reserving – for the moment, at least – the only more damning condemnation: “un-Australian”.

French culinary title Le Fooding launched 25 years ago as a restaurant and food-events guide with a focus on underrepresented voices in the industry. Monocle sits down with its co-CEO Christine Doublet to find out more.

Tell us a little bit about the magazine’s beginnings.
The guide was launched by two music journalists who couldn’t find any food publications that they felt reflected the volume of interesting restaurants around the world. We are celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Originally, it was a supplement to Nova, their music magazine that existed at the time. It turned out to be quite the side project.

You now have an app and plenty of digital content but you have continued to prioritise print. Why?
Le Fooding has always been a print production. One of the things that makes it different to other guides is that it also has artistic illustrations. We work with 10 to 12 illustrators and photographers every year. This is difficult to translate into an online format and it looks better on page too.

The title isn’t strictly about food, is it?
We wanted to talk about politics in this year’s issue. The dining table is where you come together for a meal but it’s also a place where people discuss ideas, including what’s happening around the country and the rest of the world. It seemed natural that the magazine would feature these discussions.

You can listen to the full interview with Doublet on Monocle Radio’s‘The Stack’.

We look ahead to the most exciting books, films and exhibitions in 2025, from the first international retrospective of a beloved US artist to a political thriller so potent that its director was forced to flee his home country. John Mitchinson, Francesca Gavin and Simran Hans join Robert Bound in the studio to let you know what should be on your cultural radar in the coming months.