After several furious days of fawning flattery and intense diplomatic summitry, Donald Trump's attempt to end Russia's war on Ukraine appears to hinge on whether Vladimir Putin accepts Trump's invitation for another tête-à-tête — this time, with the man whose country he invaded, Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Kremlin's initial reaction to the invite was diplomatic but non-committal.

Rather than an immediate "nyet," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov instead underscored the immense amount of preparations and negotiations that would be needed before any such meeting could take place, implying that his boss, Putin, is in no hurry to start making them.

Many Ukrainians doubt that Russia's authoritarian ruler has any interest in either making concessions to Zelenskyy or ending his attack on t

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