"The week began with a diplomatic breakthrough and a (fragile) cease-fire in a years-long war. It ends with another conflict stuck in a bloody, frustrating rut. Donald Trump has made it his mission to achieve peace in both. But the deal to halt the fighting in Gaza and return the last living Israeli hostages came about in part because Trump used his leverage to push both sides to make concessions."
"Trump famously boasted that the Ukraine conflict would be easy to solve. It didn't look that way today. He met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House and called for the war to end, but declined to authorize-at least for now-the transfer of Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv. Those weapons would allow Ukraine to strike deep within Russia, a move Kyiv believes could force Moscow to the negotiating table."
"Even before the meeting, Zelensky had already been undercut by Putin, who, in a surprise call yesterday, spoke with Trump while the Ukrainian leader was en route to Washington. The Russian president warned Trump about transferring the Tomahawks and offered something that our headline-hungry president couldn't resist: the prospect of trade deals and another high-profile summit, this time in Budapest."
A diplomatic breakthrough produced a fragile cease-fire in Gaza and secured the return of the last living Israeli hostages after concessions by both sides under U.S. pressure. Trump applied maximum pressure in Gaza but withheld similar pressure on Russia, enabling Putin to continue the war in Ukraine. Trump met Zelensky at the White House and called for an end to the war while declining, at least for now, to authorize Tomahawk missile transfers that could let Ukraine strike deep within Russia. Putin placed a surprise call to Trump, warned against Tomahawks, and dangled trade deals and a summit in Budapest that excludes Zelensky.
Read at The Atlantic
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