The Atlantic: Ukraine’s short-lived comeback

The chorus of optimism has quieted on several fronts, including Zelensky’s struggle with corruption and his relations with Trump, The Atlantic stresses.

At his meeting with Zelensky last week, Trump did not agree to send more of the Patriot air-defense systems that Ukraine needs to stop Russian ballistic missiles. He also backtracked on his pledge to let Ukrainian companies make these systems themselves. Back in Kyiv, long-festering issues related to wartime corruption weakened Zelensky’s team.

A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to address internal deliberations, told us that the United States was exploring options for defense-industry cooperation with Ukraine but suggested, as Trump has publicly in recent weeks, that following through with his promise to grant Ukraine the ability to manufacture Patriot systems could endanger America’s military edge. “We must prioritize protecting these exquisite systems and expanding overall production of critical weapons systems for the U.S. warfighter and for our partners and allies,” the official said in a statement.

In a matter of days, the optimism that for months had been building around Ukraine’s prospects seemed to fade. At one point earlier this summer, Zelensky could look ahead to an influx of new U.S. missiles to defend Kyiv, the right to make even more in Ukraine, and the potential ability to strike inside Russia thanks to Fedorov’s overtures to Musk. He enjoyed greater respect from Trump for Ukraine’s innovations and battlefield momentum, and better relations across Washington thanks to a well-regarded young ambassador.

Instead, Trump appears to have turned lukewarm and is stalling on previous commitments on Patriot missiles. Entreaties to Musk have so far failed. Zelensky’s firing of his popular defense minister has prompted protests at home. And Ukraine has no ambassador to make the case for continued U.S. support, because the previous one returned home to face charges of corruption.

As if to emphasize the turnaround, Russia has intensified its missile strikes on Kyiv, taking advantage of Ukraine’s depleted air defenses. Earlier this week, the city and its suburbs faced a barrage of at least two dozen ballistic missiles in a single night. Ukraine was unable to shoot any of them down.

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