As global headlines turned toward the Middle East this week, political observers couldn’t help but notice the quiet satisfaction coming from Moscow. While President Donald Trump celebrated his latest “everlasting peace” deal in the region, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to be watching from afar with a knowing smile.
After claiming to have “resolved eight wars in eight months,” Trump stood before the Israeli Knesset and confidently declared, “Steve Witkoff is going to get it done.” His performance was classic Trump theatrical, optimistic, and self-assured. But beyond the applause, questions linger about how realistic his broader ambitions really are.
Fresh from his Middle East success, Trump has turned his attention toward Ukraine. Reports suggest he may consider supplying Kyiv with U.S.-made Tomahawk missiles a move that would dramatically escalate tensions with Moscow. He also insisted that negotiating peace between Hamas and Israel was more difficult than ending the war in Ukraine, a claim that many analysts see as politically convenient but strategically naive.
Unlike Israel, a long-standing American ally, Russia poses a vastly different challenge. Vladimir Putin, who has ruled Russia for over two decades, remains an adversary entrenched in power. His government has consistently outmaneuvered Western leaders, exploiting diplomatic gaps and testing global resolve.
Trump’s bold talk about America’s unmatched military strength boasting of “weapons nobody’s ever dreamt of” may resonate domestically, but deploying such force in Europe would be a dangerous gamble. Ending the war in Gaza, by contrast, depended largely on persuading Israel to slow its bombing campaign, something made possible through U.S. leverage and military aid.
For Putin, however, such leverage does not exist. Watching from his Novo-Ogaryovo residence, he likely dismissed Trump’s speech as more bluster than strategy. Even if the U.S. were to deliver long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, Putin knows that Western unity is fraying and that Europe’s military support for Kyiv is gradually decreasing.
With few viable options left short of direct military intervention or a massive increase in aid the path to peace in Ukraine remains elusive. Trump’s assertion that his allies “are going to get it done” overlooks a key reality: the geopolitical landscape in Eastern Europe is far more complex than the Middle East.
Then there’s China. Despite not being formal military allies, Moscow and Beijing share what they describe as a partnership with “no limits.” Their growing alignment is centered on one goal curbing U.S. influence and reshaping the global order. This makes any U.S.-led peace effort in Ukraine even more difficult.
While Trump’s Middle East peace deal may serve as a short-term political win, it also highlights the limits of his diplomacy. Influencing Netanyahu with charm and praise is one thing; trying to sway Vladimir Putin is another entirely.
Trump’s claim that brokering peace in the Middle East was tougher than ending the war in Ukraine reveals a misunderstanding of both conflicts. The harsh truth is that peace in Ukraine is now more distant than ever and even Trump’s showmanship may not be enough to bridge that divide.
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