An Irreversible Process

How Putin Lost His Biggest Trump Card.

Any diplomatic actions, related to the so-called peace talks, leave most Ukrainians indifferent or even cause irritation. This is natural: we understand that a just peace is still a long way off. However, certain events do hold special significance, as they influence the balance of power in world politics. One such event is the meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States at the White House.

There is much evidence of its exceptional importance. First and foremost is the composition of the participants. This was not a ceremonial event, but a conversation among people who make real decisions. So, in addition to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian delegation included: the head of the Office of the President, Kyrylo Budanov; his first deputy, Serhiy Kislitsa; Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Pavlo Palisa, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sibiga, and the head of the “Servant of the People” parliamentary faction David Arakhamia; and Ukraine’s Ambassador to the U.S. Olga Stefanishyna.

The composition of the American delegation was equally telling. In addition to Donald Trump, the meeting was attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegset, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kane, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. An interesting detail: Vice President Jay D. Vance, who had previously publicly clashed with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, was not among the participants.

Given the composition of the delegations, it’s almost certain that the main topics of the talks were the war and finances. The meeting lasted over an hour—which is quite a long time, given the White House’s busy schedule. The parties did not announce any specific decisions, but there is no doubt that they were made. Indirect confirmation of this came when, on the very same day, the U.S. Senate, in a procedural vote, supported a bill on sanctions against Russia, authored by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

This is a significant piece of legislation that still must go through the legislative process. It is worth noting that the bill was introduced back in the spring of 2025 and has been informally dubbed “draconian sanctions.” The bill provides for extremely harsh tariffs not only against Russia but also against its key trading partners, primarily China and India. In effect, Graham’s initiative grants the U.S. president the authority to impose such restrictions. If this mechanism is implemented, its economic impact could exceed that of all previous sanctions packages. Combined with Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions,” all of this could deal a combined blow to the Russian economy from which it will never recover.

In addition, the parties discussed strengthening Ukraine’s air defense, the possibility of supplying a certain number of interceptor missiles before winter, as well as granting Ukraine a license to produce its own missiles for the Patriot air defense system. In early July, Donald Trump had already announced his readiness to grant such a license. Evidently, the time has now come to move from a political statement to the practical implementation of this very important initiative.

Following the meeting, U.S. media also reported that U.S. special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Kyiv, after which they will travel to Moscow with proposals agreed upon by the Ukrainian and American sides.

The meeting at the White House can certainly be called a diplomatic breakthrough for Ukraine. Its main outcome lies not even in specific decisions, but in the signal sent to the entire world: the United States is making a strategic commitment to Ukraine.

This has not always been the case. For a long time, Moscow managed to manipulate American policy in general—and Donald Trump in particular—quite successfully. It was no coincidence that a joke even circulated that Putin’s main asset was Donald Trump. Yesterday, that joke ceased to be relevant. It seems that none of the major geopolitical players are betting on Putin anymore. The world is already preparing for a new marathon of negotiations, which will most likely take place in the fall. It is unclear how these negotiations will end. But it is becoming increasingly obvious how the era of Putin’s rule itself will end—with the collapse of the so-called “Russian Federation.”

The irreversible process of the pseudo-empire’s decline began long ago and has already gone through several stages. We are doing everything we can to bring about its final stage as soon as possible. It’s not easy, but we will definitely succeed. Let’s hang in there. Glory to Ukraine!
Yuriy Fedorenko, Facebook

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