White House: Russia-Ukraine peace deal makes great strides

One of the biggest issues facing Donald Trump in terms of foreign relations was the two conflicts taking place abroad.

The Israel-Hamas war is now winding down, and if we are to believe reports from the White House, the Russia-Ukraine war may also be over soon.

This week, the White House issued a statement that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been making great strides in negotiating a peace deal.

It's Happening

I don't understand how a peace deal can be negotiated without one of the countries at war at the table, but that is what is happening here.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt offered up a bone to Secretary Rubio by giving him the nod regarding the negotiations.

She stated, "What I will tell you is that today sitting down at the table was a significant first step toward peace."

Trump also commented on the conflict, calling out Ukraine as though it was Ukraine that started the war.

Trump seemed upset that Ukraine is unhappy it is not at the table, stating, "I think I have the power to end this war, and I think it's going very well. But today I heard, 'Oh, we weren't invited.'

"Well, you've been there for three years. You should have ended it three years [ago]. You should have never started it. You could have made a deal."

First, Ukraine did not start the war. The country was invaded by Russia and was only defending itself.

Second, for Ukraine to have ended this war early, it would have had to make significant concessions to Russia, something nobody would have expected Ukraine to do.

Now, I am against this war as much as anyone, and I want more accountability regarding the aid that was given to Ukraine, but this is a really bad look for Trump.

That statement makes it appear as though Trump is siding with Russia in the conflict, and the media has already pounced on that narrative, obliterating Trump on this front.

Additionally, how can anyone justify not having Ukraine at the table (my guess is they will say that since the United States supplied the majority of supplies for Ukraine during this war, we should be handling the negotiations)? Regardless of what is negotiated, Zelensky will have to sign the deal, so his people should be in on this to find out what they would possibly settle for in a peace deal.

One of the key issues for Trump about Ukraine is that Zelensky has suspended the election during the conflict, which Trump also addressed, stating, "That's not a Russia thing. That's something coming from me and coming from many other countries also, you know. Ukraine is being … just wiped out."

Trump even went so far as to call Zelensky a dictator, which the media also pounced on.

Trump has a chance for a huge win here, but he is displaying his hand right now. Zelensky has been adamant he will not accept any deal where he has no say, so they better get this figured out rather quickly or this is going to blow up right in Trump's face.