News sources have reported a monumental breakthrough in the effort for peace talks in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The war has continued to rage on for three and a half years since Russian President Vladimir Putin issued the go-ahead for a four-front air and land invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022.
Experts have estimated that the number of Russian personnel casualties reached one million this summer, with the number of killed Ukrainians significantly lower, reportedly, but still exorbitantly high.
The breakthrough came from sources close to the Kremlin, confirming that Putin has agreed to meet with his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, who is eager to follow through on one of his biggest campaign promises to end the bloody conflict, even though it may be six months longer than initially anticipated.
When asked earlier this week whether a meeting between him and Putin would happen, Trump responded by saying there is a “good chance” it could happen. Putin poured cold water on the idea of a trilateral discussion with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, prior to him sitting down with Trump, staying consistent with his relentless disdain towards his Ukrainian foe.
The meeting between Trump and Putin will come on the heels of President Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s recent visit to Moscow to hammer out a framework for the coming peace talks with Ukraine. Witkoff has made several trips to the Russian capital, meeting with President Putin and aides, but has returned with little to show for his efforts.
President Trump has expressed frustration with the Russians for what he interprets as a negotiating side that’s been “dragging me along” and trying to “bide more time” for advancements on the battlefield to gain a more favorable negotiating position for peace talks.
Trump has also accused Putin of being full of “bullshit!” after openly sitting down with the U.S. president in ongoing phone discussions, to then bomb Kyiv “in the middle of the night.”
Frustrations came to a head a few days ago before Special Envoy Witkoff made his trip to Moscow, when Russian Vice President Dmitry Medvedev warned the Trump administration to refrain from applying deadlines to Moscow for an immediate ceasefire with the Ukrainians, posting on X, “Trump’s playing the ultimatum game with Russia”, reminding the U.S. President of Russia’s nuclear weapons capabilities.
President Trump responded to this threat by ordering a pair of U.S. nuclear submarines to station near Russia, posting on Truth Social, “Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that…”
If a sit-down between the two nations, the United States and Russia, were to in fact take place, it would be “diplomatic dynamite”, to quote Sky News, and certainly a piece of political world-stage entertainment for spectators. But the question is, will it lead to peace?
