F OR A MAN who promised to end the war in Ukraine within a day of taking office, Donald Trump has been taking his time. His first hundred days expire next week and have so far failed to produce even a short-term ceasefire, let alone a peace deal. Instead, as his vice-president, J.D.

Vance, warned on April 23rd, he seems to be preparing to “walk away” from a process that has turned out to be as hard as everyone, apart from Mr Trump and his team, had predicted.