In late July, Donald Trump escalated the threats between Russia and the United States by issuing an ultimatum demanding that Vladimir Putin end the war in Ukraine. This move was accompanied by the dispatch of two US nuclear submarines to areas near Russian territory. In response, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced the start of serial production of the Oreschnik hypersonic missile, capable of carrying nuclear warheads. The episode marked a shift in rhetoric from the former White House leader, who had recently criticized Moscow's attacks on Ukraine...

We face an avoidable crisis that was predictable, willfully precipitated but easily resolved by common sense We are being told each day that war may be imminent in Ukraine. Russian troops, we are told, are massing at Ukraine’s borders and could attack at any time. American citizens are being advised to leave Ukraine and dependents of the US Embassy staff are being evacuated. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president has advised against panic and made clear that he does not consider a Russian invasion imminent...