Trump’s Pressure: A Grand Deal to End the Ukraine War on the Horizon?

Amidst declared American positivity and calculated Russian reservations, the outlines of a new attempt to end the ongoing war in Ukraine are emerging. Under the banner of the “Grand Bargain,” the key to this attempt is the meeting between US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

The meeting, described as “very productive” by US President Donald Trump and “constructive and useful” according to a Kremlin statement, revived the stakes of political negotiations at a crucial moment before the expiration of the US deadline for Russia to accept a ceasefire agreement.

Moscow – Washington: A Rare Meeting and a Tight Deadline

At a highly sensitive time, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, contacted the Russian leadership in Moscow, a move with significant political significance. According to official statements, the talks with President Putin addressed the war in Ukraine and the prospects for improving Russian-American relations.

President Trump did not hesitate to express his optimism about the results of the meeting, announcing that he had briefed some European allies on the “positive developments.” However, this positivity is hampered by a clear timeline: Moscow is only two days away from the severe US sanctions Trump has threatened if an agreement is not reached.

Double language from Moscow: Cautious openness and a warning about time

Despite the Kremlin’s emphasis on the constructive nature of the talks, statements by Dmitry Peskov, the Russian presidential spokesman, reflected another aspect of the Russian position. He indicated that improving relations with Washington “will take time,” explaining that the “frozen relations” between Putin and Trump complicate the possibility of a quick return to normalcy.

Peskov also noted that the two presidents have not met for a long time, an implicit indication of the depth of the political gap that remains, despite attempts to bridge it through the Vitkov-Putin channel.