When I write, I try to find an interesting angle or something novel to add. It is difficult to say anything novel about the meeting between US and Russian officials in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. Ditto to the war of words between the US and Ukrainian presidents on Wednesday. So much outrage has already screamed its way through the press and social media, and – or so one imagines – through the corridors of King Charles Street, the Quai d'Orsay and I dare say even Foggy Bottom.
In recent days, one could conclude that the mantra of 'nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine' has been abandoned. The current US president evidently sneers at such epithets as examples of the liberalism he blames for many of the world's problems. Instead, the leader of a country born to chants of 'no taxation without representation' seems to think his country has the right to dictate peace terms to Ukraine. By not inviting a Ukrainian delegation to Saudi Arabia, many think the US wants to deny Ukraine any voice in talks about its future. There are strong hints that the US now thinks Ukraine must cede territory and renounce its ambitions to join NATO for the war to end.
Thus, for many observers, the past couple of days have confirmed their worst fears. Trump looks ready to sign an agreement with Russia to end the war in Ukraine over the heads of the Ukrainians. I expect (and hope) that is a premature conclusion. But it is undeniable that the Trump administration's meeting with Russian officials suggested a preparedness to abandon years of US rhetoric asserting that states – all states, not only Ukraine – have a right to choose their alignments and institutional memberships.