August 9 came and went. The 10-12 day deadline expired. Putin kept firing missiles into Ukrainian cities.
No sanctions materialized. No 100% secondary tariffs hit Russia's trading partners.
Instead, Putin got a prize.
Six days later, the man with an International Criminal Court arrest warrant stepped off his plane in Anchorage to a red-carpet welcome. F-22 Raptors and a B-2 bomber provided the flyover. Putin rode in the presidential limousine.
For a leader desperate to break diplomatic isolation imposed since 2022, the optics delivered everything at zero cost.
A summit planned for seven hours wrapped in under three.
Working lunch: cancelled. Ceasefire: none. Deal: nothing.
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