"Mr Trump's public musings before the meeting suggested that his stance had hardened towards Vladimir Putin, to the strategically significant extent of being willing to sell long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv. But by the time Mr Zelenskyy arrived in Washington, the US president had changed his mind, instead lecturing his guest on the need to make territorial concessions to Russia."
"Since being re-elected, Mr Trump has repeatedly resiled from following up tough talk on Russia with meaningful action. Faux deadlines for Mr Putin to make substantive steps towards peace have come and gone, treated with indifference by the Kremlin. Last week, the US secretary of war, Pete Hegseth, stated that Washington was ready to impose costs if Russia continued the conflict."
Volodymyr Zelenskyy faced a disquieting White House visit after earlier February humiliation in the Oval Office. President Trump signalled a willingness to sell long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv in pre-meeting remarks, then reversed course and lectured Zelenskyy to consider territorial concessions to Russia. Since re-election, Trump has often retreated from tough rhetoric into inaction, allowing faux deadlines for Putin to lapse and Kremlin indifference. A two-hour phone call at Putin's request defused threats of costs, enabling Trump to position himself as a neutral arbitrator. A planned Budapest meeting hosted by Viktor Orban risks prioritising discussion of territorial carve-ups ahead of an EU summit.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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