Moscow
If only Donald Trump were president of Russia, he would surely agree to a quick and easy deal to end the brutal war in Ukraine, even – he might suggest – in just 24 hours.
From Trump’s point of view, this is a no-brainer.
Not only would a resolution to this bitter conflict, now in its fifth year, put an end to the slaughter of what Trump calls the thousands of “young, beautiful children” slaughtered every month on the front lines, but it would also – and more importantly – be extremely cost-effective.
Sanctions against Moscow could be rolled back, which would inevitably lead to lucrative trade deals. In other words, peace and prosperity would prevail.
But of course, Trump is not the president of Russia. That would be President Vladimir Putin, and the current Kremlin strongman appears to have very little interest in compromising his stated war aims in Ukraine, whether for the sake of Russian and Ukrainian lives or even for billions of dollars more in his state coffers.
This is a fundamental misunderstanding that motivated the Trump administration’s failed efforts to end the fighting, and was on display again in the latest critical meeting in St. Petersburg between Trump’s business friend turned chief negotiator, Steve Witkoff, and Putin himself.
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US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, where he called him “humanitarian.”
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US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, where he called him “humanitarian.”
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US envoy Witkoff calls Putin ‘humanitarian’
US special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, where he called him “humanitarian.”
At the table, Putin told Witkoff he was “curious” about the outcome of meetings held the day before in Norway, where officials from the United States, Europe and NATO met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to hammer out potential new peace proposals, including economic incentives for Moscow.
Later, a senior Kremlin official confirmed that Trump’s envoy had briefed the Russian leader on the discussions, before adding, inevitably, that “in truth, these were of little value in resolving the Ukraine crisis.”
It was an entirely predictable outcome from a Kremlin that has stubbornly refused to give in to its hardline positions, including taking control of the entire Donbass region in eastern Ukraine and having a say in kyiv’s future security arrangements.
Still, the White House might have sincerely hoped that the Kremlin would demonstrate a greater willingness to compromise, especially after Trump lifted sanctions on Russian diesel exports last week — a political attempt to lower U.S. fuel prices ahead of the midterm elections, but also a huge economic boon for Moscow.
Later, Trump announced an (unsuccessful) energy ceasefire that would have required Ukraine to end damaging drone strikes against Russian oil refineries.
Amid recriminations, in which US intelligence sharing was impacted, Trump also called for a change in Ukraine’s leadership – sweet music to the Kremlin’s ears.
However, for Moscow, the agreements, incentives and even shared contempt towards kyiv are seen not as a signal to play along and back down, but as a sign that the US strategy is bearing fruit.
And this strategy, unlike Washington’s, is clear-eyed, with the Kremlin leader understanding what motivates Trump and effortlessly distracting his wayward counterpart in the White House with the promise of sweeping economic deals.
Others were presented by the Kremlin at the Witkoff meeting in St. Petersburg, where Putin praised the controversial diesel deal before suggesting that Russia could also increase its exports of key fertilizers to the United States, and much more.
“We are also discussing different projects such as data centers, projects in the field of energy and energy cooperation,” Kiril Dmitriev, head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and a key Kremlin interlocutor with Trump administration officials, said after the three-hour talks broke down.
And the Kremlin doesn’t just use economic trinkets to flatter and charm, or to keep an ear out for the White House.
Putin’s release – before the St. Petersburg meeting – of a 74-year-old American citizen, Stephen Hubbard, detained by Russia since his capture in Ukraine in 2022, at the start of the full-scale invasion of Moscow, was presented by a flattering Witkoff as a “humanitarian” act.
Hubbard, a native of Michigan, reportedly suffered serious health problems during his four long years of captivity in a remote Russian penal colony. But his eventual release was hailed by the White House as a sign of Trump’s negotiating prowess and Putin’s deference.
“The United States, out of respect for President Trump, was not required to give anything in return – an unprecedented situation for Russia,” read a statement posted on Trump’s own Truth Social platform.
But the former KGB officer in the Kremlin is unlikely to see things that way.
