Political messages don’t get much blunter than the Russian missiles that slammed into an American-owned manufacturing plant in western Ukraine this week — hundreds of miles from the front lines, but right in the middle of President Donald Trump’s push for peace.

The strike, part of the heaviest Russian missile and drone barrage in more than a month, killed nine civilians and injured 19 others, including workers at Flex Ltd., a US-based company. Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of deliberately targeting American property — a symbolic rebuke to Trump’s diplomacy just days after he welcomed Vladimir Putin to Alaska.

The Diplomacy vs. the War

In Alaska, Trump rolled out the red carpet for Putin, proclaiming a breakthrough in talks and hailing himself as the only leader able to bring Russia and Ukraine together. At the White House days later, he staged photo-ops with European leaders and touted “stunning progress” toward peace.

But the fundamentals have not changed. Russia continues pounding Ukrainian cities. Putin shows no interest in ending the war, instead stalling talks through Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, a master of Cold War–style obstruction. Ukraine, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, cannot accept the sweeping territorial concessions Moscow demands without inviting a future assault.

“Ceding land in the Donbas would be setting up for the next blitzkrieg on Kyiv,” one European diplomat said.

Trump’s Gamble

Trump’s critics say the president misunderstands both the stakes and the players. His envoy, real estate developer Steve Witkoff, has floated land swaps as though they were property deals, ignoring the blood spilled over territory and identity.

Trump himself has been inconsistent — one day hinting at US troops joining a postwar reassurance force, the next walking it back after uproar among his supporters. At a private moment caught on a hot mic, he told French President Emmanuel Macron that Putin “wants to make a deal for me.”

For now, Trump has avoided forcing Ukraine into outright surrender, a relief to European allies. And his pressure on NATO countries to increase defense spending may leave a lasting impact on European security. But the Alaska summit has also reinforced a troubling perception: that Putin can play Trump while still escalating the war.

Europe’s Dilemma

European leaders staged a united front in Washington, desperate to pull Trump closer to them and away from Moscow. Their plan for security guarantees for Ukraine after the war — with Britain and France at the core — remains vague, and in any case, would require Trump’s buy-in.

Without US backing, diplomats admit, any such guarantees are “fantasy.”

The Reality on the Ground

While diplomacy stalls, the war drags on. Overnight strikes this week included 574 drones and 40 missiles, stretching as far west as Lviv, near the Polish border. The attack on the US-owned plant underscored the message.

“The Russians knew exactly where they were hitting,” Zelensky said in his nightly address. “This was a deliberate strike against American investments.”

The White House Spin

The Trump administration insists momentum is building. “Now, there may finally be light at the end of the tunnel and an opportunity for lasting peace. That’s because President Trump is the peace president,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday.

She accused experts and journalists of undermining Trump’s efforts, dismissing concerns that Putin is outmaneuvering the US.

Yet even inside Trump’s circle, frustration is showing. On Thursday, he hinted in a cryptic social media post that Ukraine might need to strike inside Russia to prevail — a position that could inflame both Moscow and his base.

What’s Next?

A summit between Ukraine and Russia — once predicted for this week, with Trump possibly present — looks remote. Putin appears committed to delaying diplomacy until his forces grind out more gains on the battlefield.

That leaves Trump’s image as the world’s dealmaker under strain. Tariffs and bluster may work against weaker rivals, but against Russia and China, the Alaska meeting exposed limits to the “Art of the Deal.”

As one European official put it, “Putin gave him the red carpet. Then he gave him the missiles.”

Source: CNN