The Cosmopolitics Edit: Putin BS edition

Also: State Department purge, Trump's tariff blitz and Netanyahu's endless war

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Trump's pivot away from Putin

"We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin," Trump declared this week, his exasperation cutting through months of diplomatic niceties. For a president who just recently called the Russian leader "very kind," this wasn't just a mood swing—it was a collision with geopolitical reality that's been brewing since inauguration day.

In February I wrote about Trump’s pivot to Putin. That honeymoon appears officially over. After promising to end the war in 24 hours, we're now 4,000 hours in, and Putin has responded to Trump's peace overtures by launching the largest drone assault of the conflict just hours after their latest phone call. It’s pretty clear Moscow isn't interested in Trump's dealmaking theatrics, and timing these attacks to humiliate the American president seems to be part of the strategy. This time the self-proclaimed “ultimate dealmaker” has met someone who simply isn't interested in making deals—at least not on terms that look anything like winning for America.

What's remarkable isn't just Trump's wounded pride, but…