Trump and Putin’s Alaska theatrics imperil Ukraine – and Europe

IT MAY be some time before we know what was discussed in Alaska between presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. But much can be deduced from the two words never spoken during the heavily choreographed, question-free joint press conference that wrapped it up: “ceasefire” and “sanctions”.

There were two Trumps who could have shown up in Anchorage, and it is hard to overstate how much was riding on which one appeared, including the future of Ukraine, the security of Europe, the health of the transatlantic alliance and the protection it provides for North Atlantic Treaty Organization members in Russia’s sights.

One Trump was the version who has long held a kind of teenage crush on his Russian opposite. In a quarter century in the Kremlin, Putin has achieved so much of what Trump clearly aspires to create in the US: a state, economy and media that revolve around him.