Some get frustrated in following the reasoning of U.S. President Donald Trump. It wasn’t automatically clear to either Ukraine or Russia that they had agreed to an “energy ceasefire” this weekend. But yesterday, when asked by reporters about the confusion, Trump invoked the clear, no-nonsense Humpy-Dumpty precedent, found in Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland: “‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ’it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.’”

Had Moscow and Kiev agreed to the energy ceasefire? Trump explained to the reporters: “Well, they agreed. You know why? Because I said, ‘You agreed.’ That’s why.”

Trump then proceeded to explain how the art of the deal doesn’t end with agreement. “I think they want to make a deal, but they don’t know how. But we’re going to get them to make a deal. I think, actually, Putin wants to make a deal more than Zelensky.” He dismissed Zelensky’s complaints about his easing of sanctions on Russian diesel: “Zelensky has to focus on making a deal, not talking about that.”