When Tomahawks become boomerangs
Zelensky’s latest Washington humiliation is about more than yet another Trump mood swing. Leave it to Mr. Unpredictable, aka Donald Trump, President of the United States, to pack a policy U-turn, a harsh unfriending, and some fuzzy ambiguity into just a few days. As things stand now, Trump has said “no” to American Tomahawk cruise missiles for Kiev – maybe not yet forever, as his vice president J.D. Vance has stressed – but, clearly, for the foreseeable future, whatever that may mean with Trump. In the process, he has also made it clear – painfully clear – that Kiev’s Vladimir Zelensky is back in the doghouse. Seemingly in favor for a while – after donning a suite like a good boy and flattering Trump at every opportunity and without inhibitions – the Ukrainian leader-without-elections is out in the cold again: No welcome at the airport; a Friday-afternoon meeting demonstratively scheduled to get a nuisance visitor out of the way before the weekend; and, we hear, some rough talk,…
