Ukraine must get ready for future in which there is no ceasefire with Russia

Russia has intensified its missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, straining air defences and causing more civilian casualties. Photograph: David Guttenfelder/New York Times/Redux/eyevine

While Donald Trump – and other western leaders – are taking their time to catch up with reality, it is obvious that Vladimir Putin has no apparent desire to halt the war in Ukraine. A realistic future military and diplomatic strategy for Kyiv has to accept that fact – and formulate a new approach.

The past six months have been dominated by the erroneous assumption that it would be possible for Trump to negotiate a ceasefire, even an armistice. That would be followed by the arrival of an Anglo-French led stabilisation force to secure the future of Ukraine. But Putin has shown no desire to stop attacking.