Poker politics over Ukraine. Plus: Should the Letby convictions be overturned?

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week likened the ongoing rounds of high-stakes diplomacy around the Ukraine-Russia war to playing a poker game against several people at once. Caught in a nightmarish game of bluff, the Ukrainian president could hardly have reached for a better analogy (as well as providing kind inspiration for illustrator Pete Reynolds’ striking Guardian Weekly cover art this week).

Before entering politics, Zelenskyy was a TV sitcom actor who – absurd as it even feels to recall now – played the character of a teacher who was accidentally elected president. Amid the offers, counter-offers, ultimatums and deflections, Zelenskyy’s unwavering ability to play the straight man under pressure from all sides has been vital to keeping alive his country’s hopes of a halfway-acceptable peace deal.