As I write this, Ukrainians are pulling corpses from the rubble in Kyiv. A massive Russian aerial attack killed at least 19 civilians, four of them children. It was a major escalation, with 629 missiles and drones aimed at the Ukrainian capital. The British Council building was targeted, as was the European Union mission.

Let me make a firm prediction. By the time you read this column, there will have been no U.S. retaliation. President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin with “very severe consequences” if he did not agree to a ceasefire. Yet the Russian despot has again treated his U.S. counterpart with contempt.