Ukraine: Who Will Blink First?

Russia has ready itself a challenging negotiations over Ukraine as Trump thinks about brokering a peace. Imagine some heavy duty bargaining in a tense world where everyone's got something to win or lose. The president once served a term in the 2017 and 2021 White House. He has made bold claims about settling this conflict in a snap—under 24 hours, to be precise—if he secures another term. According to Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, their objective is clear: Russia is eager to engage in talks, but they're not just going to roll over and play nice. They expect to cover "the realities on the ground" and guard their interests.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has made it crystal clear—nada, no way, no how. The last thing they want is to give Moscow any piece of their territory. Then there is the Trump factor. There are these campaigns to get that Ukraine crisis under control. It is expected to be unveiled in Munich, Germany next week. Moscow has reached out to the Trump team for discussions, but whether Putin and Trump have chatted about this ongoing tension is unclear. If Donald Trump could be unpredictable, then Ukraine would have a shot at ending this war on its own terms. So what will happen next? It is anticipated that Donald Trump and Russian President Putin will meet soon.

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