The Witkoff-Kushner visit to Moscow and Kyiv did not produce a breakthrough, but it can help begin a new process.

Kyiv is facing a brutal Russian response as its air defence missile stocks dwindle.

Fuel shortages in the country are unlikely to force Putin into concessions for peace.

The US president failed to ‘un-unite’ the two powers because he has repeated the same mistakes his predecessors made.

The president seems unable to secure for Ukrainian people a gain that can compensate for a painful peace.

Viktor Orban’s stepping stone – the EU’s own illiberal tendencies and militarism – is still very much present.

A protracted conflict in the Middle East could help Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.

What many in the West viewed as a strategic blunder is increasingly seen in Moscow as a costly but necessary gamble.

The louder the West talks about defeating Russia, the further peace in Ukraine moves out of reach.

Moscow is focused on winning in Ukraine; all else is a means to that end.