Escalation threatens Ukraine peace opening as Trump remains focused on Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump holds an umbrella as he disembarks Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, in Maryland, U.S., August 2, 2026. (Photo: REUTERS/Daniel Heuer)
U.S. President Donald Trump risks missing an opening to broker an end to
Russia’s war against Ukraine as he focuses on Iran, Thomas Graham wrote in The
New York Times.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
have recently signaled that they want Washington back at the negotiating table.
Graham served as the White House’s top adviser
on Russia under President George W. Bush.
Kyiv and Moscow “will not wait forever,”
Graham warned. Although the Russian dictator continues to speak favorably about
Trump, several senior officials and commentators have pointed to U.S. aid for
Ukraine and questioned Trump’s ability to serve as an effective, reliable
mediator. Ukraine, meanwhile, continues to work closely with European countries
on negotiating tactics.
Some in Kyiv want Europe to take a more direct
role, a move Graham argued would deepen the divide with Moscow and reduce the
chances of peace.
He cited two compelling reasons for the United
States to immediately rejoin the negotiations.
The conflict has entered a dangerous spiral of
escalation, Graham wrote. Ukrainian forces are intensifying strikes inside
Russia, including attacks on military facilities and energy infrastructure.
Russia, in turn, is rapidly expanding its
attacks on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure, exploiting Ukraine’s
shortage of air defense systems. Destruction and civilian casualties are
mounting.
Fears that the war could spread are also growing across Europe. Both sides urgently need to end the war, Graham argued.
“Each day the war continues, the future looks
increasingly bleak. Yet if it ended today, each side could claim victory,” he
wrote.
Intensive negotiations are now urgently needed
to seize the opportunity and end the war, Graham argued. Only Washington has
the contacts, political weight and influence required to do so.
The United States can negotiate with Moscow
and Kyiv as well as key European capitals.
Graham urged Trump to send his envoys, Steve
Witkoff and Jared Kushner, first to the Ukrainian capital and then to Moscow as
soon as possible.
Those visits would not produce an immediate
breakthrough, but they could lay the groundwork for an intensive period of
shuttle diplomacy aimed at bridging the vast differences between the parties.
Success is not guaranteed, and the effort
would not deliver the quick results Trump wants. But the opportunity is real
and may prove fleeting, Graham warned.
Washington must act before escalation wipes
out the diplomatic opportunities created by military exhaustion, he concluded.
Talks on ending Russia’s war against Ukraine — key details
Trilateral talks among Ukraine, the United
States and Russia stalled in February 2026 after the war in Iran began. The
Kremlin said on May 7 that it considered further talks in that format
impractical until Ukraine withdrew its troops from the part of the Donbas under
Kyiv’s control.
Zelenskyy published an open letter to Russian
dictator Vladimir Putin on June 4, calling on the two sides to end the war
“between you and us.” He proposed an in-person meeting, a complete ceasefire
and an “all-for-all” prisoner exchange. The Russian dictator responded that the
letter contained “elements of rudeness” and refused to meet.
It later emerged that oligarch Roman
Abramovich had traveled to Kyiv in May with the Russian dictator’s
authorization. During their meeting, Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine would
not agree to withdraw from the Donbas.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on
July 31 that Washington would spend the next several weeks trying to determine
whether talks between Kyiv and Moscow could be revived and bring the war closer
to an end.
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