Lacking leverage over Russia, Trump fails to seal the deal in Ukraine

Rejecting Trump's call for a 30-day ceasefire, Moscow insists that the US address the war's "root causes."

(Photo by Office of the President of Ukraine via Getty Images)

In recent days, President Donald Trump has insisted that Ukraine and Russia are “very close to a deal” that he hopes to see finalized in “two weeks or less.” While Trump can be commended for wanting to end a conflict that has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, his optimism is, by all accounts, a typical delusion. In seeking to broker a peace deal for a war in which his own government is a major belligerent, Trump is hindered by decades of hostile US policy toward Russia – including during his first stint in office -- and a Washington political establishment that reflexively resists accommodation with designated foes.