A building burns in Okhtyrka, Ukraine, after a Russian drone attack on Aug. 20, 2025. The attack injured 14 people, including three young children.

Donald J. Trump boasted during last year’s campaign that if he were reelected president, he would end the war between Russia and Ukraine in his first 24 hours in office. More than 5,180 hours later, the war goes on.

And as if to underscore the impotence of Mr. Trump’s campaign promise and its defiance of the U.S., Russia on Thursday attacked an American factory deep in western Ukraine, far from the front. The attack came amid an offensive that has only intensified since Mr. Trump started pressing anew for peace.

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One doesn’t have to wonder why Russian President Vladimir Putin continues this naked aggression. One day, the man who is supposed to be the leader of the free world is demanding a cease fire and threatening “severe consequences”; the next he’s rolling out the red carpet for an imperialistic autocrat and saying a cessation of hostilities isn’t as necessary as a comprehensive deal. One moment he’s saying a summit with his Russian counterpart was “extremely productive”; the next he’s expressing doubts about whether Mr. Putin really wants a deal. He sets a deadline for........

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