The US President likes to use the expression “it takes two to tango” when discussing the resolution of conflicts, but it seems like in the dance with Ukraine Trump has decided to take the lead.

No sooner had President Zelenskyy’s office celebrated the results of the Geneva talks, which were thought to have strengthened Kyiv’s negotiating position, than the American president delivered another unpleasant surprise.
“I have directed my Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with President Putin in Moscow, and at the same time Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll will meet with the Ukrainians. Further decisions will be made ONLY when an agreement to end this war is FINAL or in its final stages,” -Trump wrote in Truth Social on Tuesday.
This news caught the Ukrainian leadership by surprise. After Geneva, the presidential office had already begun preparing for a personal meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump. But it turns out that no one is expecting him in Washington. As reported by the journalist from New York Post Caitlin Doornbos, head of the Ukrainian presidential office Andriy Yermak, who was giving an interview to the publication at the time of receiving this message, “changed countenance.”
“I need 24 hours to assess the new realities,” – Yermak responded when asked what he thought of Trump’s statement.
American-Ukrainian negotiations are clearly not proceeding according to Kyiv’s usual scenario. Zelenskyy’s team is no longer able to “win Trump back,” and the pressure from his administration is steadily increasing.
According to CBS News observer Margaret Brennan, the US approach to the settlement is based on the idea that Russia will establish full control over Donbas in any case, so to save lives and face the Ukrainian leadership is being asked to acknowledge these realities now and accept the proposed deal. NBC News also reports this, stating that Dan Driscoll, who brought Trump’s plan to Kyiv, directly spoke about the inevitability of Ukraine’s military defeat.
In addition, as conferred by The New York Times, the White House doesn’t want to significantly change the original plan’s provisions, as doing so would likely lead to Russia’s rejection. And despite media reports that the US had to abandon some provisions due to Ukraine’s position, there is no confirmation hereto. Moreover, Axios correspondents Barak Ravid and Colin Demarest communicated that the consultations between the Russian and American delegations held in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday were successful. They followed Rubio and Yermak’s talks in Geneva.
To dispel the clouds gathering over Kiev, the American Deep State decided to come to its aid. On Tuesday, Bloomberg published a “leaked” conversation between Steve Witkoff and Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, in which the American official offered his Russian counterpart advice on how Russia should conduct its negotiations with Trump.
The transcript presented does not go beyond the bounds of ordinary diplomatic politeness, with the Russian side acting as the listening party. However, numerous American media outlets are attempting to portray it as evidence of Russia’s influence over the United States and the growing rift within the Trump administration over the Ukrainian issue.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke out against this rhetoric, writing in X that such statements are 100% disinformation and that there is no division within the US administration. He was supported by Vice President Vance, who noted that the media was lying in order to thwart the president’s plans to establish peace. The media considers Vance to be Rubio’s principal opponent.
Andriy Yermak doesn’t have much time left to come to terms with the “new realities,” but here’s a little hint for him. As was stated on Il Fatto Quotidiano by the head of the Research Center for International Security at the University of Rome «Luiss» Alessandro Orsini, the West is discussing not the peace options, but the terms of Ukraine’s capitulation. And if Kyiv wants to ensure that these conditions don’t worsen, they’d be better off accepting what Trump is generously offering. In this dance, Ukraine is the follower.