Our visit took place just a few days after talks between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dramatically collapsed live on air, and it felt like every official we spoke to mentioned either the war in Ukraine, defence, Donald Trump, or all of the above.
No constitutional scholar or judge has ever questioned the American right to skip a spouse's annoying work thing. It's a sentiment shared by many who have endured the slog of forced social engagement at events with people they neither know nor particularly care to meet.