News of the phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, in which they agreed to meet in person to discuss the war in Ukraine, will have come as an unwelcome surprise to Kyiv.
The country is being hit hard.
The last 24 hours alone have seen Russia launch dozens of missiles and more than 300 drones at multiple targets.
Once again, they include a large amount of civilian infrastructure with further damage to the country's gas supply network, just as the first signs of cold herald a long, hard winter ahead.
Attacks on the electrical grid are already leading to nationwide power outages.
For Ukraine's government, it’s a sign of Russian desperation.
The frontlines are at an effective stalemate, involving huge loss of life for incremental territorial gains.
And the Russian economy is feeling the effects of the Ukrainian military's increasingly effective drone strikes on oil depots.
So, President Volodymyr Zelensky's big hope was for more American military assistance to keep up that pressure.
Before he boarded his plane to Washington, he seemed to believe that things were going his way.
There was optimistic talk about Trump beginning to see the world through Ukraine's eyes, a big shift from that angry, humiliating Oval Office exchange in February when he accused Zelensky of gambling with World War Three.
The failure of the Trump-Putin Alaska summit in August and the intensifying bombardment of Ukraine were – it was thought – all causing the U.S. president to lose patience with his good friend, as he has called Putin.
Trump's frustration with Putin was obvious when he told reporters: Do they [Russia] want Tomahawks going in their direction? I don't think so. However, the logistics of deploying such weaponry could lead to delays of months, mired in disputes among military experts regarding its significance as a game changer.
Amidst this precarious situation, Zelensky landed in Washington to discuss Ukraine's defense needs with representatives of defense companies, still intent on securing the Tomahawk missiles he believes are essential for Ukraine's survival.
Despite the unexpected twist posed by the Putin-Trump call, which might overshadow Zelensky's critical meeting, he managed to convey a sense of bravado, suggesting that Russia was panicking in response to the conversation about military support.
As both sides prepare for further discussions in Hungary, the situation remains remarkable for its unpredictability, with each side poised to adapt to new developments in the geopolitical landscape.
