Understanding the conflict three years on.

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U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants the Russia-Ukraine war to end. But his administration’s oscillations—stopping and restarting military and intelligence support to Kyiv; urging Ukrainian offensive action while accepting many of the Kremlin’s talking points on the war; and categorically insisting that Ukraine must give up Russian-annexed Crimea and abandon any hope of joining NATO—confuse Washington’s messaging. At last month’s White House summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders, maps displayed the scale of Russian incursions. Trump flirted with giving several unconquered parts of Ukraine to Russia but palliated this idea with a vague proposal that the United States would play a role in post-conflict security assurances.

Likewise, Trump scolds and praises Russian President Vladimir Putin for “killing a lot of people” while dropping the demand for a cease-fire and spewing happy-talk about business deals with Russia. Trump publicly rebuked Putin for Russia’s increasingly deadly barrages on Ukrainian cities—writing in April on Truth Social: “Vladimir, STOP!”—and subsequently imposed 50 percent tariffs on India (but not Russia or China, its main backer) partly over its Russian oil imports. Such chaotic vacillations have muddied the outlook and slowed progress to the end goal. Trump variously raises and lowers expectations about which side needs to make the most concessions, which makes diplomacy a guessing game and increases the risk that Washington simply walks away.

U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants the Russia-Ukraine war to end. But his administration’s oscillations—stopping and restarting military and intelligence support to Kyiv; urging Ukrainian offensive action while accepting many of the Kremlin’s talking points on the war; and categorically insisting that Ukraine must give up Russian-annexed Crimea and abandon any hope of joining NATO—confuse Washington’s messaging. At last month’s White House summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders, maps displayed the scale of Russian incursions. Trump flirted with giving several unconquered parts of Ukraine to Russia but palliated this idea with a vague proposal that the United States would play a role in post-conflict security assurances.

Likewise, Trump scolds and praises Russian President Vladimir Putin for “killing a lot of people” while dropping the demand for a cease-fire and spewing happy-talk about business deals with Russia. Trump publicly rebuked Putin for Russia’s increasingly deadly barrages on Ukrainian cities—writing in April on Truth Social: “Vladimir, STOP!”—and subsequently imposed 50 percent tariffs on India (but not Russia or China, its main backer) partly over its Russian oil imports. Such chaotic vacillations have muddied........

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