It’s the deal Volodymyr Zelensky has no choice but to sign as Donald Trump happily boasts it may be worth $US1 trillion ($1.57 trillion).

As the Australian government appreciates, in its attempts to seek an exemption from the US president’s proposed tariffs on steel and aluminium, economic logic matters little in the Trump era. Nor does US support for its traditional allies and joint security arrangements – even those that have long operated to America’s benefit as well.