Although he is far too proud to admit it, Donald Trump’s quest for peace in Ukraine is over – at least for the time being. It seems to be slowly dawning on the US president that the man he was honouring with lavish affection only a week ago in Alaska may not be quite as trustworthy and reliable a partner as Mr Trump would like.
The awakening has been a long time coming, and it remains partial. The realisation that Vladimir Putin might be “tapping me along” was raised as early as April, but that didn’t stop Mr Trump indulging his counterpart. When the first lady apparently suggested that President Putin “talks nice” but then bombs civilians in Ukraine, Mr Trump’s reluctant scepticism notched up a little more. Then he told the BBC he was “not done” with Putin, but was “disappointed”.
