A "no" is not a "yes" when it is a "maybe," a "probably not," or an "only if." This is the painfully predictable lesson the Trump administration's first real foray into wartime diplomacy with the Kremlin has dealt. They've been hopelessly bluffed. They asked for a 30-day, frontline-wide ceasefire, without conditions. On Tuesday, they got " after a theatrical week-long wait and hundreds more lives lost " a relatively small prisoner swap, hockey matches, more talks, and " per the Kremlin readout " a month-long mutual pause on attacks against "energy infrastructure." This last phrase is where an easily avoidable technical minefield begins. Per US President Donald Trump's post and that of his press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, the agreement concerned "energy and infrastructure." These are two entirely different sets of ideas.
Trump felt he could either persuade, coax, or outsmart Putin. He has yet to do any of that. He has palpably lost in their first direct diplomatic face-off. For millions of Ukrainians his next choice defines their lives. Does he lose interest, apply pressure, or again provide concessions? It is a dizzying prospect.
His adversary is focused not on improved relations with Russia's decades-long adversary, the United States, or with its current president, Donald Trump, but instead on victory in its most existential conflict since the Nazis.
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