LOS ANGELES (OC).–U.S. delegation led by President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner met with Ukrainian and Russian officials in Abu Dhabi to work on a settlement to the Ukraine War. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was not at the meeting but let his chief negotiator Rusterm Umerov and his new chief-of-stafff Kyrylo Budanov negotiate with U.S. and Russian officials. Witkoff and Kushner flew from the Kremlin meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to Abu Dhabi to enter into serious peace talks. Trilateral talks among the U.S., Russia and Ukraine have not taken place in earnest before, representing a new step in thise round of peace talks. Killing the talks in the past was Zelenky’s refusal to meet Putin minimum conditions for ending the war, including Ukraine withdrawing its armed forces from Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Donbas.
Zelensky and the EU have refused in the past to cede any territory to Putin but, for practical purposes, Putin isn’t concerned about sovereignty over Ukrainian territory, just an agreed upon withdrawal of Ukrainian troops. What’s most ironic is that Putin made the same offer to Zelensky only weeks after the Feb. 24, 2022 war began, asking Zelensky to accept the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk and Russian sovereignty over Crimea. Zelensky refused in 2022 and went to war with the Kremlin. Zelensky had no chance of vanquishing the Russian military despite intense propaganda, largely from Budanov, saying that the Russian military was near collapse. Former President Joe Biden made it his policy to degrade the Russian military, something he said publicly. Four years of war proved that the Russian military was never near collapse as Biden and Zelensky said.
Trump correctly assessed the situation that there’s no amount of cash-and-arms that can push Ukraine to vanquish the Russian military. Trump told Zelensky Feb. 28, 2025 in the Oval Office that he “didn’t have the cards” or firepower to oust the Russian Federation from Ukraine. Trump asked Zelensky to compromise on territory already occupied by Putin since the Feb. 22, 2014 Maiden Revolution. So, the territory currently under discussion to end the war was the same proposal Putin made in 2022. Unlike then, Russia controls far more Ukrainian territory than it did at the time of the invasion. Zelensky said “its is still too early to draw any conclusions,” referring to what he’ll do in the current round of negotiations. Zelensky has watched his country decimated, losing sovereign land by the day, but refused over the last four years to resolve the conflict.
Abu Dhabi takes on a whole new meaning knowing the extent of carnage-and-destruction suffered by Ukraine because of refusing to compromise for peace. Putin has put his cards on the table requiring Zelensky to withdraw his troops from eastern Donbass, accepting the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk. Going full circle from the Feb. 24, 2022 start of the war, Zelensky has been offered to end the bloody conflict by leaving the Donetsk and Luhansk area. Zelensky hasn’t had control of eastern Donbass since 2014, so there’s really nothing to lose by withdrawing his military. Puin promised the Peoples Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk that he would guarantee their independence from Kiev. Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushanvov said today’s talks in Abu Dhabi were “exceptionally substantive, constructive, and, I would say extremely frank and trusting.”
Zelensky must decide what’s more important peace or to keep fighting when he’s destroyed his country over the last four years. Trump told him to cut his losses, negotiate and compromise for peace, even if it means letting the Kremlin keep a small portion of the land seized over the last four years. Zelensky has gotten mixed messages from the EU, saying on the one hand they want peace but agreeing that Putin should get no territorial concessions. So, when it comes to the EU, they’ve given Zelensky bad advice, knowing he’s lost the war, continuing to wreck his country. Trump told Zelensky on many occasions that peace is more important than saving face, pretending that he’s winning a war he’s clearly losing. Recent reports about Ukrainian desertions and draft-dodging prove that a majority of young people want the war to end whenever possible.
Zelensky faces a simple choice to keep fighting, losing more soldiers and sovereign territory, or, as Trump says, to cut his losses and start rebuilding his country. If Russian speaking enclaves in Donetsk and Luhansk want to affiliate with the Russian Federation, why should Zelensky make the rest of his country suffer. Trump told Zelensky that the prospects of him ousting the Russian Federation are slim-and-none. Democrats and the fake news hope Trump fails to boost their chances in the 2026 Midterm election. Betting against the economy and foreign policy is a disgraceful political practice by Democrats and the fake news. In case anyone checked, Wall Street is near record highs and GDP growth hit 4.3$, unheard of in rcent years. Trump has a lot to show for his first years in office despite all the fake narratives that deny him any credit.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
