I’ll write about this in greater detail tomorrow, but for now, let me say this: I’ve been a relentless critic of the US-NATO proxy war in Ukraine from the very beginning, and yet — or rather, precisely because of this — I was appalled by what I witnessed today. A change in administration does not absolve the United States from its pivotal role in both triggering and prolonging the war — especially considering that Trump himself played a key role in escalating the conflict, during his first term, by being the first administration to provide lethal weaponry to Ukraine, as he himself has boasted about in the past few days. This is not just a matter of historical hindsight; it’s an ongoing tragedy with consequences still being felt today. To make matters worse, what we saw today won’t help bring peace in Ukraine — it will further embolden the hawks in Europe (as we are already seeing) while sending the message to Russia that the US isn’t a country that can be trusted: what it signs up to today could easily be undone tomorrow by a future administration — or even by the current one, if the wind starts to blow in a different direction. Until the United States demonstrates a genuine commitment to peace, which requires not only a profound reassessment of its foreign policy approach but also a fundamental shift in how it engages with other nations, including its (former?) proxies, there is little hope for an end to this war. This means moving beyond the pursuit of short-term political gains, and instead prioritising long-term stability, diplomacy and cooperation. A true commitment to peace would involve confronting the US’s (and Trump’s) own role in escalating the conflict, fostering open dialogues with all parties involved, and working to create frameworks that encourage mutual understanding rather than exacerbating divisions. Until such a transformation occurs, it’s hard to imagine a long-term settlement capable of bringing an end to this bloody conflict.