Dear President Trump,

One of the hallmark foreign policy aims of your second term has been securing a negotiated end to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Given your unique personal rapport with the leaders of both nations, you are singularly positioned to mediate a resolution to a brutal conflict that has claimed countless lives and left vast swathes of Ukraine in ruins.

Now, nearly six months into your new administration, the war continues to escalate—arguably more ferociously than at any other point since its inception. I urge you: it is not too late.

With swift, deliberate, and resolute action, you still have the opportunity to deliver on one of your core campaign promises. By advancing the plan outlined below—The Trump Initiative, which offers significant compromises to both parties—a ceasefire could be reached within weeks, and a sustainable settlement within months. Such a breakthrough would reshape the geopolitical landscape and enshrine your legacy as the architect of a landmark peace accord. Global recognition and praise would follow.

But consider this first:

You must reject the flawed assumptions, poor advice, and long-entrenched myths that have distorted the prevailing U.S. narrative around this war. If your strategy is shaped by these misconceptions, it will falter—and the war will drag on indefinitely.

As the U.S. president, you command powerful tools of leverage—diplomatic and economic—that can compel Vladimir Putin to negotiate in earnest for the first time. Ukraine is already at the negotiating table in good faith. It is Putin who needs a push.

Before outlining The Trump Initiative, it’s crucial to dispel three persistent myths that have misguided American policy:

Myth #1: The U.S. provoked Russia’s invasion by encouraging Ukraine’s NATO aspirations.

This argument misrepresents both the facts and the Kremlin’s motivations. Even when it was abundantly clear under your previous administration that Ukraine would not be granted NATO membership, Putin declined to engage in meaningful ceasefire talks—demonstrating that NATO was not the actual trigger for invasion.

Russia’s belligerence began in 2014, not 2022, with the illegal annexation of Crimea and the arming of separatist factions in the Donbas region. At that moment, NATO’s presence in Eastern Europe was diminishing: U.S. troops had withdrawn, defense budgets were constrained, and Ukraine’s own military was drastically under-resourced. The claim that Russia was merely reacting to NATO expansion is inconsistent with reality: Ukraine lacked an imminent NATO pathway, and support among Ukrainians for alliance membership was limited before the war.

More revealing still, Putin has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy of Ukraine’s national existence—most explicitly in his 2021 historical treatise. This war is not about NATO; it is about rebuilding the Russian Empire and denying Ukrainian sovereignty. To frame it otherwise is to obscure the aggressor’s true intent.

Myth #2: Ukraine survives solely because of U.S. military support.

Though the United States has been a vital partner, it is far from the only one. By early 2025, European nations and institutions had provided over $138 billion in military, financial, and humanitarian aid—surpassing the U.S. total of approximately $119.7 billion during the same period. Countries like Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the Baltic states have all played crucial roles in delivering weapons, ammunition, and training.

Moreover, Ukraine has significantly ramped up its domestic defense production. As of this year, it is producing nearly one-third of its military equipment, with plans to hit 50 percent by year-end. This includes artillery systems, drones, armored vehicles, and ammunition. The notion that Ukraine is entirely dependent on American support is both inaccurate and outdated.

Myth #3: Russia is on the cusp of victory, and Ukraine must accept harsh peace terms.

Despite its numerical advantage, the Russian military has absorbed staggering losses. Since 2022, it has lost more than 200,000 soldiers and thousands of tanks and artillery systems. Meanwhile, Ukraine has reclaimed key territory—retaking large parts of Kharkiv in 2022 and achieving strategic gains in both Donbas and Kherson in 2024.

Perhaps most strikingly, just this month, Ukraine launched Operation Spider’s Web—a coordinated drone assault that destroyed over 40 Russian military aircraft across five separate airbases. The estimated $7 billion in damages dealt a substantial blow to Russia’s air fleet and strategic aviation.

In short: Ukraine is not on the verge of collapse. And Russia is not winning this war.

The Trump Initiative

This plan consists of seven core components, each designed to extract reciprocal concessions while laying the groundwork for a lasting peace. It is a pragmatic framework—not concerned with historical grievances, moral adjudications, or ideological triumphs. Its singular aim is to stop the bloodshed.

1. Accept existing territorial realities (Concessions to both sides)

Ukraine acknowledges Russia’s de facto control over territory it currently occupies in Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. In return, Russia renounces all claims to unoccupied Ukrainian territory, despite its unilateral annexation decree in 2022.

Russia’s demand for territory it doesn’t hold is a clear indication that it seeks conquest, not peace.

2. Ukraine pauses NATO ambitions (Concession to Russia)

Ukraine will formally suspend its NATO membership bid. This symbolic step addresses one of Russia’s long-standing demands while leaving Ukraine’s defense posture intact—now increasingly reliant on bilateral and multilateral security partnerships.

3. Preserve Ukraine’s right to self-defense (Concession to Ukraine)

Ukraine must retain full autonomy to maintain and expand its armed forces, receive international defense support, and acquire weapons as it sees fit. Any Russian insistence on Ukrainian demilitarization must be unequivocally rejected.

4. Deploy a neutral “Reassurance Force” (Mutual concession)

To deter future aggression, a multinational force should be stationed in Ukraine—without U.S. or NATO personnel. Instead, it should include credible contributors such as France, the UK, and especially Turkey. With a large and capable military and strategic interests in the Black Sea, Turkey is ideally positioned to anchor this effort. To secure Ankara’s involvement, the EU could offer meaningful incentives, such as reviving accession negotiations or deepening defense ties.

5. Repatriation of Ukrainian nationals (Concession to Ukraine)

Any peace agreement must mandate the return of prisoners of war from both sides. Crucially, Russia must also return the more than 19,500 Ukrainian civilians—many of them children—who were forcibly relocated to Russian territory since 2022.

6. Conditional sanctions relief (Concession to Russia)

The U.S. and its allies will lift all post-2022 sanctions, contingent upon Russia’s full compliance with the ceasefire agreement. However, sanctions imposed following the 2014 annexation of Crimea will remain in place.

7. Establish a permanent peace mechanism: the “Committee of 10” (C-10)

A new international oversight body—the C-10—would include the G7 nations, Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey, and would be led by the United States. It would oversee peace enforcement, facilitate economic coordination, and mediate disputes. The C-10 would serve as both a guarantor and an enforcer of any final agreement.

Tools to Secure Putin’s Cooperation

To bring Putin to the table, threats must be more than rhetorical. They must be actionable, imminent, and unambiguous. Putin must believe that The Trump Initiative represents his final opportunity to exit this war with something to show for it. Absent that belief, he has no incentive to compromise.

The pressure points at your disposal include:

The delivery of unrestricted U.S. and NATO military aid to Ukraine, including advanced missile systems, state-of-the-art air defense, and real-time satellite intelligence.

Passage of the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, now under Congressional debate, which would impose 500% tariffs on countries that continue purchasing Russian energy.

The coordinated seizure of more than $300 billion in frozen Russian assets, with funds redirected to Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction—primarily through procurement of American-made systems and technologies.

Mr. President, you—and only you—possess the leadership, the leverage, and the audacity to bring both parties to the negotiating table. The world is watching. The opportunity to end this devastating conflict and redefine your global legacy lies within your grasp.

Seize this moment—before it slips away.