It’s a stunning twist from a president who built his campaign on promises of “ending the war in 24 hours.” Donald Trump now says the first face-to-face between Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky should happen without him in the room.
Speaking on Mark Levin’s radio show, Trump revealed he wants Russia’s and Ukraine’s leaders to hash things out directly before any big, three-way peace summit. “I had a very successful meeting with President Putin. I had a very successful meeting with President Zelensky. And now I thought it would be better if they met without me, just to see… I want to see what goes on,” Trump explained.
That’s a far cry from the image of Trump as the dealmaker-in-chief, swooping in to “close the deal” in a single stroke. Instead, he’s betting that a bruising, one-on-one test between Moscow and Kiev could clear the air before he steps back into the spotlight.
A Calculated Gamble
Trump insists he’s still ready to intervene if things stall. “If necessary — and it probably would be — I’ll go and I’ll probably be able to get [the deal] closed,” he said, hinting he still sees himself as the ultimate closer.
Zelensky, for his part, didn’t blink. On Monday, he told reporters he’s ready for a potential sit-down with Putin. That’s bold, considering the “very bad, very bad relationship,” as Trump himself described it.
The Kremlin hasn’t issued a fresh statement on Trump’s new plan, but earlier this year Putin made it clear: he’d only meet Zelensky at the “final stage” of negotiations. On Tuesday, Putin’s top aide Yury Ushakov doubled down, saying Moscow still supports “direct negotiations between the delegations from Russia and Ukraine.”
Why This Matters
Trump’s move reveals a deeper truth: there’s no magic shortcut to peace. No matter how many summits are staged, it’s ultimately Putin and Zelensky who will have to stare each other down.
And while Trump talks about stepping back, the war still rages on the ground. Every delay, every failed round of talks, means more lives lost while the world waits for two men — and one unpredictable American wildcard — to figure out whether peace is even possible.
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