Putin, Trump Move to Put Ukraine Peace Deal Back on Track
April 30—Sources close to the White House report that President Donald Trump is working closely with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a deal to end NATO's war against Russia in Ukraine. The plan aims to initiate direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine's government, led by NATO's sock puppet Ukrainian dictator Volodymyr Zelenskyy. These talks, supervised by U.S. mediator and Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, would occur without preconditions. They would follow a full-stop truce proposed by Putin to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany's defeat on May 8, 1945. The truce, set to last three days, coincides with Moscow's May 9 celebrations.
Sources indicate that if negotiations were slated to begin—despite Zelenskyy dismissing Putin's truce offer as a "trick"—President Trump plans to attend the May 9 event in Moscow. There, he would meet with Putin to discuss Ukraine and other matters. Trump might also engage with other leaders attending the event, which honors the memory of over 30 million Russians and millions of others who perished fighting Nazi savagery, as well as the tens of millions, including several million Americans, who joined the battle. Chinese President Xi Jinping has confirmed his attendance, and sources suggest Trump may meet with him to discuss de-escalating the U.S.-China trade war.
Putin's call for a three-day truce and direct peace negotiations was discussed with Witkoff during their meeting last week. Initially, Trump had proposed a 30-day truce as a precondition for talks but later abandoned the idea, deeming it too vulnerable to sabotage by NATO and Zelenskyy. A previous limited ceasefire covering air and sea operations collapsed amid mutual accusations of violations.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov clarified Putin’s gesture April 29 as an offer for “the start of direct negotiations with Kiev without preconditions.” He cited Putin’s brief announcement, which stated that “the Russian side reiterates its willingness to enter peace talks without preconditions, with a view to eliminating the root causes behind the Ukraine crisis and establishing constructive interaction with international partners.” That phrase is a direct follow-on from the Washington-Moscow discussions.
Were Kiev to agree and begin such negotiations in a timely fashion, the subsequent three-day truce could be evaluated for an extension, based upon how the talks are going. However, Zelenskyy’s position has been that a 30-day ceasefire comes first. That position is designed to put aside any and all of the diplomacy between Washington and Moscow.
Speaking to journalists following a meeting of BRICS Foreign Ministers, Lavrov also addressed the fraud behind Zelenskyy’s demand: “A [30-day] ceasefire in this situation is considered a precondition that will be used to further support the Kiev regime and strengthen its military capabilities,” TASS quoted him as saying. He explained that Zelenskyy’s problem was that Ukraine’s military was “retreating.” Obviously, rest plus fresh military supplies could extend the fighting for a longer period.
This latest effort to move the peace process forward follows the sabotage of an earlier peace outline negotiated by Witkoff and Putin. That deal proposed a ceasefire in place, allowing Ukraine to retain positions in two of the four eastern oblasts claimed by Russia after referenda. Putin was reportedly open to negotiating the oblasts' borders but not Crimea's status, which Russia annexed in 2014. The deal also included provisions for an armed peacekeeping force, Ukraine's right to maintain a self-defense military, and EU membership by 2030, while barring NATO membership.
Trump has consistently stated that NATO membership for Ukraine is "DOA"—dead on arrival—and that Crimea's status is irreversible. "That happened under Obama," he said in a recent interview. "It should have been addressed then. Nothing can be done now." Trump asserts that only he can prevent Ukraine's total disintegration, which he warns will result from continued war. He has reportedly told Zelenskyy that rejecting a reasonable peace pathway could jeopardize U.S. support for the conflict.
However, Trump faces criticism from NATO allies, including British Prime Minister Keith Starmer and France's strutting peacock President Emmanuel Macron, who have labeled him "weak" and a "Putin patsy." Both leaders have urged Ukraine to hold out for better terms, prolonging the war.
Three weeks ago, Witkoff's proposed peace outline was leaked to the {Financial Times}, which reported that Putin was willing to cede land for peace. The leak, perceived as U.S. alignment with Russia, led to Russian denials and the collapse of a planned Paris meeting involving Zelenskyy and European leaders. Zelenskyy subsequently demanded a 30-day ceasefire as a precondition for talks, a stance Trump had already dismissed.
The source of the leak remains unclear, though some insiders suspect British diplomats or elements within the U.S. State Department opposed to Witkoff's influence. Publicly, both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Witkoff have denied any rift, emphasizing their collaboration on Trump's policies. However, the differences remain; for example, a State Department spokesperson seemed to oppose the Putin three-day truce, sating that the U.S. continues to back a full 30-day ceasefire, and repeating threats made by Rubio that if there are not concrete proposals and progress in the negotiations, the U.S. would back away from its mediation.
While Witkoff comes under attack from the NATO propaganda machine, which includes such neo-con outlets as the New York Post, what their real target is Trump's new diplomacy, which does not treat Russia and Putin as an "enemy."
Amid ongoing violence and slaughter in Ukraine, Trump grew increasingly frustrated and embraced Witkoff's proposal for a limited ceasefire and direct negotiations, minimizing NATO and European interference. "This is a risky and bold move," said a source. "Trump will get hell from many sides if he goes to Moscow. But it could work in his favor if can announce the start of direct negotiations. White House polling shows that Americans want the war in the Ukraine to end; they show that very few people believe the lies in the NATO media that if Ukraine would hold out longer, Putin and Russia would collapse, and Ukraine could win. Trump believes that he entered the White House with a mandate to stop the wars and the drive towards a potential World War III. He is acting on that mandate in Ukraine, against the policy of the NATO war machine, which does not want this war to stop. While he has not gotten there yet, he has done something rather extraordinary: He has reversed the deterioration of Russian and American relations and opened the possibility of actual cooperation of matter and projects that are in the best interest of all peoples. He already has done his, and if it continues, he deserves the credit for the new world it is creating."
On April 27, Trump met Zelenskyy at Pope Francis's funeral in Rome—their first meeting since Zelenskyy was ejected from the White House in February. French President Macron, expecting to join meeting, was notably excluded by Trump, as recorded by world media. Trump and Zelenskyy held a serious 45-minute discussion, after which Trump expressed satisfaction with their talk.
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Putin, Trump Move to Put Ukraine Peace Deal Back on Track
April 30—Sources close to the White House report that President Donald Trump is working closely with Russian President Vladimir Putin to put a deal that would end NATO's war against Russia in Ukraine. The plan now is to force direct negotiations between Russia and the government of NATO's sock puppet dictator of the Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, supervised by U.S. mediator, Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff. These negotiations, which would occur without any preconditions, would follow on a full-stop truce, called for by Putin, to honor the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany on May 8, 1945, which is being celebrated in Moscow May 9; the truce would run three days.
The sources report that if the start of negotiations can be worked out—Zelenskyy has not yet accepted Putin's offer of the anti-Nazi truce, and called it a trick—, the sources report that President Trump intends to attend the Moscow May 9 celebration and would meet with Putin on the Ukraine and other matters; he might also meet with other leaders attending the event, which will serve to honor the memory of the more than 30 million Russians and millions of other nationalities who lost their lives in the fight to save the world from Nazi savagery, as well as the tens of millions, including several million Americans, who joined in the battle. Chinese President Xi Jinping has said he plans to attend, and these sources say that Trump might also meet with him to discuss de-escalating the trade war between the twq nations.
The call by Putin for a three-day truce and for direct negotiations on a full peace deal was discussed between Putin and Witkoff when the envoy met with the Russian leader last week. The sources say that Trump, who had initially called for a 30 day truce as a precondition to any direct negotiation, decided that this was not the right pathway, as it were too easy for NATO and its puppet Zelenskyy to sabotage any cease fire, as had been the case with a limited arrangement that fell apart with charges and countercharges of violations last month. That had only covered operations at sea and in the air.
It also follows sabotage of an agreement on an outline for the larger peace deal, or at least a significant part of it, which had been worked out late last month in discussions between Witkoff and Putin. That deal called for a ceasefire in place, which meant that the Ukrainians would maintain their positions in two of the four eastern oblasts which Russia says have become part of the Russian Federation, as a result of referenda. By accepting this it was understood that Putin would be willing negotiate the borders of the oblasts, although not altering the status of the Crimea, which Russia seized and became part Russia in 2014. Russia, under this deal, would also agree to the stationing of armed peace keeping force and would allow Ukraine to maintain a military for self-defense purposes. It would allowed Ukraine to join to the European Union by 2030 but would bar any membership in NATO.
Trump, while never referring to this specific deal, has repeatedly said that NATO membership for Ukraine is "DOA"—dead on arrival and that there is no returning of the Crimea. "That occurred under Obama," he said in a recent interview. "Something should have been done about it them. Nothing can be done now." Trump has said only he can save the Ukraine from total disintegration, which he says is what will happen if the war continues. Continuing the war means the end of the Ukraine and the loss of millions of lives, and under the misguidance of the NATO allies, could lead to World War III. The sources spoken to today say that Trump has told Zelenskyy that if he rejects what Trump considers a reasonable pathway to a peace deal, he cannot count on continued American support for this senseless war.
But other sources report that Trump is being called a "weak sister" and "Putin's patsy" by some NATO powers, including the British, led by Prime Minister Keith Starmer and the silly French peacock, President Emmanual Macron. They have met with Zelenskyy alone, and in presence of U.S. negotiators. They have privately and some cases publicly called on Ukraine to hold out for better terms, prolonging the war.
Three weeks ago, when Witkoff worked out the outlines of a deal with the Russians, the plan was to present it to a meeting with the Ukrainians, including Zelenskyy and the Europeans. Witkoff was to tell them to work from this outline or risk the collapse of the negotiations and a possible pull out of U.S. involvement, which had been hinted at by U.S> Secretary of State Marco Rubio. But he never go a chance to present the proposal.
The content of the U.S.-Russian discussions had somehow been leaked to the Financial Times, which published the story on its front page, featuring a headline about Putin willing to cede land for peace and seeking the same from Zelenskyy.
The publication, with its twists, implying that the U.S. was playing along with Putin, as well as a lack of support from Europe, cause the Russians to officially deny that anything had been agreed to. When that happened, both Rubio and Witkoff pulled out of the Paris meeting and no proposal for a peace deal was ever put on the table. This enabled Zelenskyy to announce that would demand the 30-day ceasefire as a precondition to negotiations, something which Trump had already discarded.
Sources remain unclear as to who leaked the story. While most insiders say it came from British diplomatic sources, the question is where did they get it? Some people point to Rubio and the State Department, who they say believe that the U.S> is moving too close to the Russians and their position, but who also resent the power given Witkoff and the trust that Trump has in him, not just in dealing with Putin, but in the Mideast and Iran negotiations. Publicly, they have both denied that there is any rift between them, with both saying they are working together on carrying out Trump's policies.
And missiles and drones attacking and bombs dropping, and people continuing to die Trump became even more frustrated about the prospects of a deal. That's when Witkoff came wot Trum with this idea for a limited ceasefire and moving to direct negotiations; that would limit NATO and the Europeans playing dirty games behind the scenes.
"This is a risky and bold move," said a source. "Trump will get hell from many sides if he goes to Moscow. But it could work in his favor if can announce the start of direct negotiations. White House polling shows that Americans want the war in the Ukraine to end; they show that very few people believe the lies in the NATO media that Ukraine would hold out long, Putin and Russia would collapse, and Ukraine could win. Trump believes that he entered the White House with a mandate to stop the wars and the drive towards a potential World War III. He is acting on that mandate in Ukraine, against the policy of the NATO war machine, which does not want this war to stop. While he has not gotten there yet, he has done something rather extraordinary: He has reversed the deterioration of Russian and American relations and opened the possibility of actual cooperation of matter and projects that are in the best interest of all peoples. He did this, and if it continues, he deserves the credit for the new world it is creating."
Trump met at the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome April 27 with Zelenskyy for the first time since the Ukrainian dictator had to be thrown out of the White House in February. Interestingly, French President Macron expected to be in on the meeting but could be seen being told by Trump that his presence was not necessary. Trump and Zelenskyy sat face to face, a few feet apart, in serious discussion for more than 45 minutes. In the end Trump said he was pleased with the talk.