Voice of Ukraine

From: Mariia Mykhaliyk in Kyiv (1195th day)

The second round of negotiations between Ukraine and ruzzia lasted barely an hour—and peace is no closer. Ruzzia still refuses a ceasefire. They still refuse to return thousands of kidnapped Ukrainian children. Nothing has changed: they still want us dead, and we still want to live.

Before these negotiations even began, ruzzians insisted that the United States not be allowed at the table. And the U.S. just obeyed? Remember when Trump insisted that peace would come from a deal between him and putin—without Ukraine and Europeans even being present? Now the roles are reversed: ruzzia bans the U.S. from the table, and the U.S. accepts it without protest. Where’s the leadership?

Isn’t it time to follow through on the sanctions that Trump and members of the U.S. Congress promised if ruzzia rejected a 30-day ceasefire? What’s the point of threatening consequences if there are never any? Anyone who’s a parent understands: if you make threats without enforcing them, you lose credibility and control. At this point, the only way Trump can restore some authority is by actually implementing painful consequences for ruzzia’s ongoing war crimes.

Putin’s strategy is clear: stall negotiations, escalate attacks, and hope Trump walks away—pretending the U.S. has no stake in a stable Europe. Meanwhile, he hopes Europe loses resolve and cuts support for Ukraine.

But here’s the flaw in that plan: if the U.S. becomes unreliable, Ukraine becomes even more strategic for Europe’s security. Europe can’t back down—not out of charity, but out of self-preservation.

Putin may be failing to defeat Ukraine, but he’s already succeeded in undermining U.S. global leadership and weakening European security. Not a bad outcome for what the late Senator McCain once called “a gas station masquerading as a country.”