For those who study the war in Ukraine and understand its complexity, it is not surprising that following the intense diplomatic activity around mid-August, including the Trump–Putin meeting, diplomatic efforts have stalled while hostilities continue. President Trump may have left the summit believing that he had secured agreement on launching a negotiation process to end the war. President Putin, however, having already succeeded in preventing a ceasefire prior to any agreement, emerged confident that he could continue the conflict on his own terms.