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Peace on the Line – Trump Dials, Putin Bites, Zelensky Waits

WASHINGTON – It started with a phone call. Donald Trump picks up, Volodymyr Zelensky listens in, and suddenly the world is staring at the one thing nobody dared predict: a possible face-to-face showdown between Putin and Zelensky. Yes, you heard right—the men who have traded missiles, ultimatums, and insults may soon trade handshakes.

The White House meeting Monday evening had the makings of a political thriller. Zelensky, 47, arrived with Europe at his back, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at his side, and war fatigue in his eyes. Trump, 79, played the dealmaker-in-chief, unveiling U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine and dangling the ultimate carrot: a one-on-one meeting between Putin and Zelensky. Time and place? Still as secret as Trump’s tax returns once were.

Merz, 69, emerged from the talks practically whistling. “The atmosphere was very relaxed,” he said—words rarely heard when Europe and Russia share a sentence. But the German Chancellor didn’t skip the caveats. “Whether Putin has the courage to do so remains to be seen.” Translation: we’ve seen this movie before, and the villain doesn’t always show up.

Still, Merz insisted a Putin-Zelensky meeting could happen in the next two weeks. If it does, Trump has promised to insert himself into the sequel with a three-way summit. The fine print? Ukraine won’t be strong-armed into giving up land. Trump’s promised security guarantees, hashed out in “long and intensive discussion,” would be locked in alongside Europe’s.

For now, tomorrow brings a coalition of 30 nations, followed by a special EU council. Everyone is talking peace, everyone is smiling, and everyone knows this could collapse before it even begins. But in Washington, for one night at least, the impossible suddenly felt plausible. War and peace are on the table—and, if Trump has his way, so is the table itself.