Trump Plans Putin Meeting Amid Ukraine Peace Push
The Facts
US Pres.-elect Donald Trump has announced that his transition team is arranging a meeting with Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin, though the specific format and timing remain undetermined.
The Kremlin did confirm openness to the meeting through spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who stated Putin would welcome the reopening of high-level contacts once Trump takes office. Putin previously stated that he hadn't spoken with Trump in over four years but was ready to meet at any time. The Kremlin, however, said Trump hasn't made a formal request yet.
The Spin
Pro-Trump narrative
Even Volodymyr Zelensky has acknowledged Trump's capacity to end the war, exposing Biden for not only failing to halt the conflict but catalyzing it in the first place. If Trump swiftly brings peace where Biden could not over three years, it will confirm that the Biden regime actively fueled this war, pushing the world closer to World War III.
Anti-Trump narrative
Trump is walking into a trap set by Putin, whose strategy is to use negotiations to prolong the conflict, gaining time for further aggression. Trump's promise to resolve the war quickly plays into Moscow's hands, allowing Putin to stall, extract concessions, and weaken Ukraine while appearing to negotiate. Only sustained pressure will truly force Putin to the table.
Cynical narrative
The US should have negotiated with Russia at the war's outset when Ukraine was stronger. Now, after years of funding a bloody conflict, even Trump's best intentions for peace seem like a fantasy. Putin has consolidated gains, making his terms for peace — recognition of annexed territories and Ukraine's neutrality — non-negotiable. The West's initial refusal to talk has left little room for compromise, rendering Trump's goal of a quick resolution unrealistic.
