The Day Putin Peaked
Newsweek, August 15, 2026
Olexiy Haran, professor at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy, said that Ukrainians had a different term for the so-called "Spirit of Anchorage"—"the bad smell of Anchorage."
Haran credited Ukraine's partners, including Europe, Canada and Japan, with having "managed to persuade Trump not to look weak" in pressing for the 28-point plan.
But he noted that the administration also played a role in Ukraine's ability to introduce added pressure on Russia.
"There's a lot of criticism regarding Trump, I'm also among these critics, but intelligence data continues to be supplied to Ukraine. That's really, really important," Haran told Newsweek. "And the Europeans are buying American weapons for Ukraine. So, it's not for free, but still, it continues."
