U.S. Must Reject Russia’s Narratives in Ukraine Peace Negotiations

The United States will try to mediate another round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia starting tomorrow. If it is to be successful, the U.S. must depart from its current strategy. In President Trump’s eagerness for a deal to end the war in Ukraine, there has been a spate of U.S. actions that are favorable to Russia. visited Russia and flattered , calling him a “humanitarian.” President Trump lifted , waived enforcement of much of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, and publicly pressured Ukraine’s president to take a deal.

This approach appears premised on two false narratives, which Russia is proffering to the U.S. special envoys: one, that the Russian government’s demands are reasonable and therefore open to compromise for the sake of peace, and two, that Russia’s defeat of Ukraine on the battlefield is only a matter of when, not if. The State Department, rather than the special envoys, should lead the effort to mediate an end to the war, and it should soundly reject both Russian narratives if it is to develop a strategy that could work.

About the Author

Rebeccah Heinrichs

Rebeccah Heinrichs is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and the director of Hudson’s Keystone Defense Initiative.

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The United States will try to mediate another round of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia starting tomorrow. If it is to be successful, the U.S. must depart from its current strategy. In President Trump’s eagerness for a deal to end the war in Ukraine, there has been a spate of U.S. actions that are favorable to Russia. visited Russia and flattered , calling him a “humanitarian.” President Trump lifted , waived enforcement of much of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026, and publicly pressured Ukraine’s president to take a deal.

This approach appears premised on two false narratives, which Russia is proffering to the U.S. special envoys: one, that the Russian government’s demands are reasonable and therefore open to compromise for the sake of peace, and two, that Russia’s defeat of Ukraine on the battlefield is only a matter of when, not if. The State Department, rather than the special envoys, should lead the effort to mediate an end to the war, and it should soundly reject both Russian narratives if it is to develop a strategy that could work.