Putin won't accept ANY peace deal until the cost of fighting on grows too great

Russian President Vladimir Putin seen at the Kremlin in Moscow on Dec. 8, 2025. Photo by PAVEL BEDNYAKOV/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock

Vladimir Putin last week sent Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner packing , passing on President Donald Trump’s latest peace plan, and has followed up with yet more aerial assaults on Ukrainian civilians; it’s plainly time for Trump to up the economic pressure to get Vlad to the table.

Absent that, the only peace Putin is interested in is the total conquest of Ukraine.

Trump may grumble about Volodymyr Zelensky, but Ukraine’s president has been happy to negotiate; Putin’s the one who keeps saying nyet, even as he orders his forces to prepare for winter operations.

European leaders who met Monday with Zelensky say they’re going to up their aid to Kyiv and lo