Trump’s looming return boots Ukraine war into overdrive – but big questions still linger
There are 70 days until Donald Trump enters the White House, and the international scramble has begun.
Whether on trade, tariffs, or climate change, every nation is trying to position and prepare as much as possible.
And nowhere is this more true than Ukraine.
Trump said he would end the conflict “in 24 hours” if he became president but hasn’t said how or on what terms.
Yesterday, Russia suffered its deadliest day of the war so far, according to figures from Ukraine’s armed forces, while Moscow fired 145 drones at Ukraine – the biggest nighttime attack of the conflict.
How does this war come to an end?
With the clock ticking until Trump is in power, time when it comes to the Ukraine conflict appears to have sped up.
At times, it’s felt like this is a war in a deep freeze, with Ukraine losing slowly and allies like the UK and France promising – as they did again today – “to support Ukraine unwaveringly and for as long as necessary”.
But what there hasn’t been much of is realistic discussion of how this relentless war comes to an end.
There’s been a lot of talk about weapons and military strategy, but what’s the diplomatic strategy? What’s the endgame? And what’s the plan for what comes after?
These are always the difficult questions in war, and always the ones we end up ducking – and pay the price for.
History tells us this, but we don’t seem to learn the lessons.