A summit meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin announced a cease-fire in the Ukraine war suddenly looms on the near horizon. After their recent telephone call, it’s now only a matter of where (likely Moscow) and when (very soon).

There already appears to be a convenient overlap between the American and Russian positions on several key points, none of them to Ukraine’s liking.

First, the two superpowers agree on the urgent need for a cease-fire in place, meaning Russia will likely retain the 20 percent of Ukrainian territory it currently occupies. At this point, there is no U.S. pressure on Russia to give that territory up.

Second, the U.S. and Russia agree that Ukraine will not become a member of NATO or, likely, the European Union either, which is what Ukraine has been frantically struggling to achieve for a long time.

“Unrealistic,” snaps Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and that’s that.

It........

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