Donald Trump’s latest attempt to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine has ended in a crushing public humiliation, as Vladimir Putin once again made it clear who holds the power.
Earlier this week, Trump proudly announced he was arranging a face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He painted it as a major diplomatic win and proof he was on track to end the war he once vowed to stop “on Day One.”
But just days later, that momentum collapsed.
On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made it crystal clear: “There is no meeting planned.” He added that Putin would only consider meeting Zelenskyy “when the agenda is ready for a summit, and this agenda is not ready at all.” In short, Moscow isn’t playing ball.
It’s a stunning reality check for Trump, who just days earlier claimed he had moved the needle on peace. In fact, as Trump was touting progress, Russia launched one of its biggest airstrikes of the year — firing 574 drones and 40 missiles at Ukraine.
Trump, caught flat-footed, responded with visible frustration. “We’re going to see whether or not they have a meeting,” he told reporters. “If they don’t, why didn’t they have a meeting, because I told them to have a meeting.” He then threatened new sanctions or tariffs, though his vague threats did little to change the situation.
Meanwhile, Putin made a public visit to Sarov, a secretive nuclear weapons city, reminding the world of Russia’s might.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy called out Moscow’s tactics, saying, “The Russians are trying to do anything to avoid the meeting… They do not want to end the war.” European leaders echoed the sentiment, warning that Putin’s demands for Ukraine to give up land are a dangerous trap.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said bluntly, “We are forgetting that Russia has not made one single concession. They are the aggressor here.” She added, “Putin is just dragging feet. It’s clear that Russia does not want peace.”
This public rejection and ongoing aggression marks a significant humiliation for Trump. His much-touted peace plan has been dismissed outright by Putin, exposing the limits of Trump’s influence and leaving the president scrambling to salvage his credibility on the world stage.
