Last week was a relatively good week in Kyiv. Despite all the hype and hoopla swirling in the Western media, few Ukrainians expected much from the summit in Anchorage. But in the run-up to the meeting, Vladimir Putin was eager to get on Donald Trump’s good side, and he showed some restraint in launching missile and drone attacks. There were no significant air alerts in the capital city for a week. Residents got their first full night’s sleep in many months, and it showed in the mood—everyone seemed just a little kinder and more cheerful. “Now, if only we can survive the peace,” one active-duty soldier joked, looking ahead to the Alaska talks.
When the news came late Friday, no one in Kyiv was surprised that the meeting had fizzled. If anything, there was a sigh of relief—no deal had been made above Ukrainian heads.
Now the grim reality is setting in—in Kyiv and across the West. If all the silly talk and false hope leading up the summit served any purpose, it was to remind the world that war is still raging in Europe. It also helped concentrate minds—among Western publics and politicians—on the end game in Ukraine.
