While the so-called “experts” in Washington and Brussels spend their days complaining and accomplishing nothing, President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff — joined by Jared Kushner — traveled to Moscow on Tuesday for a face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin to advance Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine. Yes, actual diplomacy. Remember that?
Trump’s original plan had 28 points, already discussed with Ukrainian and European officials, but it has been streamlined to 20 action items. And here’s the part that must drive the foreign-policy establishment crazy: Ukrainian officials reportedly said they would support it — assuming Russia agrees and a few final details are finalized. Imagine that. Progress.
At the Kremlin, Putin brought out his top foreign policy and economic advisers, Yury Ushakov and Kirill Dmitriev. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin was prepared to talk “as long as necessary,” not the usual quick, protocol-driven session. In other words, Trump’s team is being taken seriously — as they should be.
“We have no doubt that this will be a very important step towards peace,” Peskov said. Quite a contrast from the days when endless war was considered “responsible leadership,” isn’t it?
Witkoff has now met with Putin five times since February 2025 as Trump’s emissary. Their last meeting in August was described by President Trump himself as “very productive.” And unlike the current European façade of “peace efforts,” actual movement is happening.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is ready to proceed with negotiations depending on signals from the American delegation after their Moscow meetings. In short: Trump’s team makes progress, Ukraine moves. Simple, effective, and already more productive than anything the Biden-era bureaucrats ever managed.
Russian analyst Abbas Gallyamov suggested Putin may offer compromises for a ceasefire — though he cautioned that any ceasefire might not last long. He also made a telling point: Putin “can’t afford to fall out with Trump.” Looks like even Moscow understands something the D.C. elite still pretends not to: Trump is the power player here.
Putin also accused Europe of trying to sabotage Trump’s peace plan and made it clear he’s ready for conflict if Europe insists on provoking one. He warned Europeans they may not be included in future negotiations unless they accept “realities on the ground.”
At the end of the day, here’s what matters: Trump’s envoys are in the room, speaking directly to the key players, pushing forward a peace plan that both Kyiv and Moscow are actively responding to. It’s real diplomacy, real leverage, and real movement toward ending a war the world is tired of watching.
And for once, it feels like peace might actually be on the table — because the right people are finally doing the talking.
