President Donald J. Trump has once again demonstrated his instinct for bold, direct diplomacy—something that many career politicians and bureaucrats would never dare attempt. In the midst of back-to-back peace talks with leaders from the United Kingdom, NATO, the European Union, and Ukraine, Trump made a decisive move: he personally picked up the phone and called Russian President Vladimir Putin. The purpose? To break through years of stalemate and arrange what could become the pivotal face-to-face meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to Trump, this wasn’t just talk—it was the beginning of an arrangement that could finally put an end to nearly four years of grinding conflict in Eastern Europe. As he wrote on Truth Social: “At the conclusion of the meetings, I called President Putin, and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelenskyy. After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself.
“Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, are coordinating with Russia and Ukraine.”
For months, the Kremlin had been unwilling to even entertain a face-to-face with Zelensky. Moscow insisted on negotiating only through the Trump White House. By directly intervening, Trump managed to cut through the gridlock that European leaders, despite endless summits and declarations, never seemed capable of breaking.
Interestingly, while French President Emmanuel Macron lobbied for a more complicated “quadrilateral” arrangement, Trump pushed forward with a simpler, more efficient trilateral approach. In the same spirit, he brushed aside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s demand for a pre-emptive ceasefire before talks could move forward. Trump’s instinct was clear: too much process and too many conditions only invite more delay.
That instinct appears to be paying off. Finnish President Alexander Stubb admitted as much, stating, “In the past two weeks, we’ve probably had more progress in ending this war than we have in the past three and a half years.” For a nation that shares a border with Russia, Finland’s endorsement of the progress is no small matter.
Of course, sticking points remain. The future of Ukrainian territory and NATO membership will not be resolved overnight. Yet it is clear that the United States, under Trump’s direction, is signaling readiness to help create a framework of security guarantees—delivered mainly through European nations, but with coordination from Washington. Trump carefully emphasized that these commitments would be managed responsibly, in contrast to the kind of open-ended military entanglements that often drain American resources and taxpayers’ dollars.
What stands out most in Trump’s approach is not just the willingness to lead, but the simplicity of the message: real talks, real leaders, real progress. “I don’t think there’s any issue that’s overly complex. It’s at a point now where people want to do things,” he said, adding that his long-standing relationship with Putin could help clear the final obstacles. “I’ve known him for a long time, I’ve always had a great relationship with him. I think that President Putin wants to find an answer too and we’ll see in a certain period of time, not very far from now, a week or two weeks, we’re going to know whether or not we’re going to solve this.”
It was classic Trump—cutting through bureaucracy, refusing to let endless conditions bog down progress, and betting on face-to-face leadership rather than faceless committees. The result could very well be the closest the world has come to peace in this region since the war began.
“We’ll do our best to get it ended, and I believe we have two willing parties,” he concluded. If his instincts prove correct, the breakthrough could mark not just a turning point in Ukraine but also a reminder of how much can be accomplished when diplomacy is driven by common sense rather than bureaucracy.
