Trump’s Ukraine Policy Just Took a Stunning Turn

I walk through the extraordinary October 9–15 sequence that, in my view, raised serious questions about U.S. leverage in the war: Trump’s announced Russian diesel arrangement, the Miami meeting involving Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, reported pressure on Ukraine to halt refinery strikes, and calls for new Ukrainian leadership. I also examine the practical problems surrounding the proposed diesel volumes and the legal restrictions on Russian fuel entering the United States.

I trace the claimed energy ceasefire that Ukraine and Russia said they had not agreed to, continued Russian strikes on Ukraine’s ener...