The war in Ukraine is a meat grinder. But it may be coming to a close.
And now Vladimir Putin handed Trump a win that no one was prepared for.
Trump Envoy’s Moscow Marathon: Five Hours with Putin Yields Signs of Peace Willingness
President Donald Trump’s aggressive push to end Russia’s nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine took a pivotal turn Tuesday, as his special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner held marathon five-hour talks with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin—emerging with the impression that the Russian leader is eager for a resolution, even as battlefield stalemates and leaked U.S. proposals underscore the high stakes of Trump’s dealmaking diplomacy.
Putin’s Overture? Emissaries Report Russian Desire for Truce Amid No Breakthrough
Witkoff, a real estate magnate and Trump confidant credited with brokering the Israel-Hamas ceasefire earlier this year, and Kushner—whose Middle East expertise helped forge the Abraham Accords in Trump’s first term—spent over four hours probing Putin’s stance on a revised U.S. peace framework. The session, which stretched past midnight Moscow time, focused on a 28-point draft that balances Russian security concerns with Ukrainian sovereignty, including NATO-style guarantees for Kyiv while addressing territorial flashpoints like Donbas.
No concrete compromises emerged, with Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov noting the sides were “neither further nor closer” to a deal, and Putin dismissing European counter-proposals as “absolutely unacceptable.”
Yet Trump, briefed immediately at the White House, highlighted a silver lining from his team’s read: “[Putin] would like to end the war. That was their impression,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “Their impression was he would like to see the war ended.”
This contrasts sharply with Putin’s pre-meeting bravado, where he warned Europe of “swift defeat” in any escalation and touted fresh claims of capturing key cities like Pokrovsk—advances Ukraine disputes, insisting its forces hold northern sectors amid urban fighting that has bogged down Russian troops.
Russian forces now control about 19% of Ukraine—up just 1% from two years ago—but at a staggering cost: over 1.1 million casualties since 2022, per U.K. estimates, with November seeing 505 square kilometers gained, nearly double October’s pace yet far from decisive. Trump’s approach—leveraging economic sanctions, military aid pauses, and direct backchannels—appears to be wearing on Moscow, especially as Russia’s economy grapples with 20% inflation and halved oil revenues projected for 2026.
Zelensky’s February Fumble: Trump Laments Missed Chance for Early Deal
Trump’s optimism tempers with realism, as he stressed to reporters: “What comes out of that meeting, I can’t tell you, because it does take two to tango. You know, Ukraine, I think we have something pretty well worked out with them. They’re very satisfied, considering.”
This follows productive U.S.-Ukraine huddles in Florida and Geneva, where Kyiv softened on elements of the original draft—once slammed as overly Russia-friendly—yielding a “refined” framework that dangles security pacts in exchange for army caps and Donbas adjustments.
Reflecting on stalled progress, Trump revisited his explosive February 28 Oval Office clash with Volodymyr Zelenskyy—a televised shouting match where he and VP J.D. Vance accused the Ukrainian leader of ingratitude and “hate,” suspending aid for a week until Kyiv agreed to a 30-day ceasefire probe (later scuttled by Moscow).
“When I was in this office and I talked about ‘no cards,’ I said, ‘you have no cards,’ that was the time to settle,” Trump recounted of the fiery exchange over a stalled rare-earth minerals deal tied to concessions. “I thought that would have been a much better time to settle. But they in their wisdom decided not to do that. They have a lot of things against them right now.”
That spat, which polls showed 51% of Americans viewing as Trump being disrespectful, marked a low point but catalyzed shifts: Aid resumed after Zelenskyy’s olive branch, paving the way for today’s talks.
Zelenskyy, facing Russia’s fastest advances since 2022 and domestic war fatigue, has since signaled openness to compromises—echoing Trump’s view that endless fighting benefits no one, especially with over 400,000 Ukrainian casualties and a battered economy.
Trump’s unorthodox team—bypassing Senate confirmations for proven closers like Witkoff and Kushner—has already notched wins, from Gaza to potential Ukraine breakthroughs, proving his outsider dealmaking can cut through entrenched conflicts where Biden’s $100 billion aid pipeline yielded stalemate. As NATO’s Jens Stoltenberg put it, “only one person… is able to break deadlock,” crediting Trump’s persistence since February.
With Putin signaling fatigue and Zelenskyy at the table, Trump’s vision of a swift, America-first resolution feels tantalizingly close—potentially averting deeper U.S. entanglement while securing energy deals and global stability.
