A few days ago, I said here in the Corner that “waiting for a tougher Line on Russia from the Trump administration is like waiting for Godot.

Well, unlike in the play — spoiler alert for a work that came out in 1953 —  a tiny glimpse of Godot is now finally visible! And it only took 100 days into Trump’s second term.

On Wednesday, the Trump administration informed Congress of its intention to green-light the export of defense-related products to Ukraine through direct commercial sales (DCS) of $50 million or more, Kyiv Post has learned from diplomatic sources.

The permission – the first of its kind since Trump returned to the White House over 100 days ago – comes just weeks after the administration paused all Ukraine-related military aid for review, emphasizing a new priority: leveraging US influence to end the conflict through diplomacy rather than prolonged military support.

Now, $50 million in defense aid is a small amount in the context of the war, now in its third year. But it does represent a sign that the cutoff of assistance to Ukraine, feared by internationalists and Russia hawks and desired by isolationists, isn’t happening yet. As for my March 3 contention that the U.S. effectively switched sides in the conflict… this is one small step back in the right direction. Credit where it’s due. Keep going, Mr. President. You gave Vladimir Putin every chance and a lot more to end the conflict and bring peace, and Putin never budged. It’s time to increase pressure on the Russians.