U.S. Peace Strategy for Ukraine Put to the Test

"WASHINGTON -- President Trump finds himself a "yes" away from brokering a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine. But it is Russian President Vladimir Putin who has to say it, and he is leaning in the other direction.

That has put Trump, the self-professed master dealmaker, in a bind of his own making. After promising Putin wants peace and pressuring Kyiv to back the 30-day fighting pause, Trump will face a decision on imposing new sanctions on Moscow, as he has vowed to do if the Kremlin balks at the U.S.-brokered plan.

But punishing Moscow could add another roadblock on the already arduous path to a deal, one that would put at risk his larger goal of improving relations with Russia.

Asked Thursday about leverage he might have over Putin, Trump insisted at the White House, "I don't want to talk about that." But he said of the three-year-old conflict: "We have to get it over with fast."

Whether Trump achieves the goal depends on how he and his advisers navigate talks with Moscow in the coming days. Instead of rejecting the cease-fire outright, Russian officials are signaling they may demand concessions before talks on ending the conflict ever begin, putting even more pressure on Trump.

The larger question is whether Putin is as committed to peace as Trump has insisted he is -- or whether the concessions required to get him on board will cost Trump the support of Ukraine and European governments fearful that Russia will resume fighting without a strong deal.

Trump said Thursday that negotiators have already been discussing the outlines of an agreement, including territorial concessions that will be required and narrower issues, such as control of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant now in Russian hands.

National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes insists Trump "is focused on one objective: bringing this conflict to a peaceful resolution" by first getting Russia to agree to the 30-day cease-fire.

But many analysts remain skeptical that Putin will ultimately sign off on this or any other proposal. "There is no deal to be had with the Russians and they would reject any deal that the U.S. negotiates with Ukraine," said Alina Polyakova, president and CEO of the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington.

Trump said ending the conflict would be easy, claiming on the campaign trail it would take him only 24 hours. After failing to meet that deadline once back in office, Trump has turned to wooing Russia and pressuring Ukraine to catalyze a deal.

The president has said Kyiv wouldn't be offered NATO membership and has yet to endorse a European plan that calls for sending British and French troops to Ukraine as peacekeepers. Moscow opposes both ideas.

After a disastrous White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump paused military and intelligence support to his forces until Kyiv backed the U.S. cease-fire plan this week.

That has left the conflict's immediate future in Putin's hands.

"Who will give orders to stop fighting? What is the value of those orders? Who will determine where and by whom they were violated?" the Russian president said Thursday, enumerating issues that he says need clarification before a cease-fire.

Senate Republicans, including some of Trump's staunchest allies, are calling on him to retaliate against Russia if Moscow walks away from the negotiations. "Putin deserves a lot more pressure than Ukraine does," said Sen. Mike Rounds (R., S.D.).” [1]

This is wrong. Trump was right to offer Russia a lot before the talks since now we see that Russia has good cards here. To let British and French “peace-keeping” foxes into the chicken coop of Ukraine would be a mistake, leading to increased risk of a nuclear war. The fighting keeps these foxes away. The Americans and the Russians should take time to sort out their differences before the fighting stops.

Trump already knows how to get all the support he needs from Ukraine by stopping supporting the Ukrainian military. Trump has practically no need for support from Western European governments, because these governments do not want peace and are trying to sink the United States.

1.  World News: U.S. Peace Strategy for Ukraine Put to the Test. Ward, Alexander; Wise, Lindsay.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 15 Mar 2025: A9.