This is how long the war in Ukraine has raged.
I remember the day it happened. I was at my old job at Kiwibank, and our entire team had a live stream of Kiev in the corner of our screen, waiting for the tanks to roll in. Everyone and their dog expected it to happen in just a matter of hours.
But it didn’t. Zelenskyy proved himself to be an incredibly effective leader, both at motivating his people, defending their land, and perhaps most importantly, raising funds to keep the effort going.
There were moments of optimism along the way – for example, the much vaunted “Spring Offensive” – but it seems that the odds of victory for Ukraine now seem slim. There are three paths ahead: Russia succeeds in taking over Ukraine, the West fully supports Ukraine with their own troops and pushes Russia out, or they make a deal. The last option is both the most likely, and probably the best.
Worryingly, the only person who can realistically make this happen is the former star of the Apprentice. The good news is that the Abraham Accords were a masterstroke in foreign policy, the bad news is that the current signs don’t look nearly as promising.
As we speak, the G7 are all meeting to discuss a plan. I expect this week to be a memorable one.