Negotiations with Russia to end the fighting in Ukraine will begin “immediately,” announced US President Donald Trump on Wednesday. He dispatched his team to Europe to push ahead on the details. Trump and team may be inclined to overlook Europe as a partner in negotiations, but doing so would only benefit Moscow and be a disservice to Washington and Kyiv.
Washington is moving quickly, reflecting the priority Trump has put on resolving, or at least ending, the fighting in Ukraine. Trump’s forward-deployed team includes Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, and special envoys Keith Kellogg and Steve Witkoff. These US officials have been and are meeting with European leaders, including top Ukrainian officials, in the coming days. Opening salvos in approaches to a cease-fire have been articulated, and Trump has already floated the possibility of a meeting with Russian President Vladmir Putin “in the not so distant future.”
Voice of Ukraine 