So no peace effort in Ukraine after all

It's amazing how views change in such a short time. Not that long ago there were all kinds of whisperings in Washington that Ukraine should start considering the possibility that now, or at least soon, might be a good time to work out how a deal could be reached with Moscow. No pressure, no direct arm-twisting, just messages back and forth indicating that the diplomatic solution to end the war might be in everyone's interest. Officials in Washington totally denied there was any suggestion that a settlement should be in the forefront of President Zelensky's thinking from now on. But subtle messages, yes that was definitely the ongoing tactic. But there as a lot of push-back from Kyiv. The military there in particular rejected any idea of talking to Putin and said things were going so well that it was imperative to keep battling on to cause more grief for the Russian invasion forces. Now the Pentagon at least is back swinging and dancing for warfighting to continue. Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, was positively bellicose in his remarks at a fancy conference of military types in Canada. War war, not jaw jaw. You wonder what the State Department and National Security Council back in Washington are thinking now that their carefully-laid peace messaging has been stamped on by the big man at the Pentagon. Kyiv will be delighted. As the snow arrives in Ukraine and the war grinds on with increasing difficulty, Zelensky I'm sure wants to persist with bashing the Russians for as long as possible until they are driven out of his country or lie dead in the cornfields. The next few months are going to be grim for the Ukrainian people with extensive power cuts and missile strikes throughout the winter. But Austin will keep plugging away with more weapons for Kyiv because, in his view, to stop now would be tantamount to ending the fight for democracy. I hope Putin has got the message.