Although President Trump vowed on the campaign trail to settle the Russia-Ukraine war in “24 hours,” he is likely to move cautiously in office, conservative analysts say. A major concern is avoiding in Ukraine a repeat of President Biden’s defeat in Afghanistan. For his main interlocutor’s bravado disguises a weak military position.

“Take a deep breath and stay calm,” Hudson Institute senior fellow Luke Coffey wrote yesterday in Foreign Policy. “Contrary to widespread speculation that Trump will throw Ukraine under the bus, this is not a time for panic.”