A Deal in the Shadow of Rockets – Trump Sends Two Trusted Envoys While a War Refuses to Wait

Trump announces that his peace plan has been "fine-tuned" and sends two trusted envoys on their way: Steve Witkoff is to go to Moscow, Dan Driscoll is to speak with Ukraine. He himself wants to appear only when everything is "final", as he writes. The message is clear: he sees himself as the final act, not the mediator. But while Washington builds this image, Kyiv shows how thin the foundation of these announcements really is. Hours after Driscoll sat with Russian representatives in Abu Dhabi, rockets hit the capital. At least seven people were killed, twenty were injured, residential buildings were in flames. City officials said it had been a night that instantly destroyed any thought of relief.

The attack came at a moment when Trump is trying to rescue his agreement from growing doubts in Europe. His plan originally consisted of 28 points that gave Russia far more than Ukraine. After Geneva, the document was shortened, parts were adjusted, and Kyiv emphasized that at least a few common points had been found. But Moscow immediately dampens any public optimism. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Russia is waiting for an "interim version" and suggests that any deviation from the meeting in Anchorage, where Trump clearly aligned with the Russian approach, would put the talks "in a fundamentally different situation". It is a hint no one needs translated: Moscow expects a deal on its terms.

Meanwhile, European states are conferring by video because they were excluded from the initial drafts. French President Macron stresses that decisions affecting Europe and NATO must be coordinated with all partners. He calls it a chance for progress, but only if Ukraine receives robust security guarantees. Paper alone, he says, has never been enough, not after all the years in which Russia breaks agreements whenever it suits its interests. In Kyiv, people feel the consequences of this situation directly. Underground parking garages are once again turning into shelter spaces. In cafés, residents talk about how familiar this sequence has become: a diplomatic initiative, followed by an attack that buries every hope in rubble. Some openly say they fear Washington could push Ukraine toward a solution the country would pay for dearly. A member of Parliament from the opposition Holos party says, "Even for a bad peace, you should not issue an ultimatum to the victim. You need to put pressure on the aggressor."

But despite all the skepticism, many desperately want the war to end. Zelensky announces that he is ready to travel to the United States as soon as a joint text is finalized. His security adviser emphasizes that Geneva produced "a common understanding of the central points". But he also notes that nothing has been agreed yet. While diplomats talk, Russia continues: attacks on Odesa, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy. Zelensky says the primary targets are energy infrastructure and everything that keeps daily life functioning. At the same time, Ukraine launches its own strikes on Russian territory, including in Krasnodar and Rostov, where several people were killed.

The war presses into every sentence of these negotiations. It allows no pause, no moment for political staging. While Trump sends his envoys around the world and announces that he will appear only when the "final deal" is ready, the situation in Ukraine shows a different truth: reality does not follow the schedule of the White House. It follows the impact of the next rocket.