My Breakdown: Witkoff Meets Putin for 3
Hours — Zero Progress on Ukraine
Steve Witkoff just spent three hours behind
closed doors with Vladimir Putin on
Wednesday — and walked out with
absolutely nothing to show for it. If Trump
was hoping for a breakthrough on Ukraine,
he didn’t get it.
The Kremlin tried to label the meeting as
“constructive and useful,” but let’s be real —
that’s Russian for “we got nowhere.” The
timing was critical: the meeting wrapped up
just ahead of Trump’s sanctions deadline, but
Putin didn’t budge an inch.
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What Trump Wanted vs. What He Got
Trump wanted clear movement toward a
peace deal. Instead? More missiles. Since
Witkoff and Putin last met in April, Russia
hasn’t slowed down — it’s escalated.
Ukrainian cities have been under near-
constant attack from drones and missile
strikes.
Putin’s approach is classic: stall, delay, talk in
circles. Trump, meanwhile, is stuck waiting.
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“Signals” — But No Substance
Russian state outlets like TASS and RIA
Novosti reported that “Putin conveyed
signals” to the U.S. and that Trump sent
some back. But no details. No agreements.
Just vague language and diplomatic spin.
The Kremlin said they’ll release more
information after Witkoff debriefs Trump —
translation: we’ll get back to you when it’s
convenient.
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The Optics: One Handshake, No Deal
Witkoff was greeted in Moscow by Kirill
Dmitriev, Russia’s investment envoy. Kremlin
TV showed him shaking hands with Putin
before the talks — and that handshake
turned out to be the only visible sign of progress.
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Trump’s Patience Is Running Out
Trump has been signaling frustration since
early July, when he warned Russia of new
sanctions if peace efforts didn’t move
forward. “We’re going to see what happens,”
he said at the time. Now we’ve seen — and
it’s pretty clear he’s not happy.