Well, well, well — look who’s suddenly a fan of a little peace and pragmatism. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, once the darling of Western liberal media and European champagne diplomacy, is now nodding along to President Donald Trump’s ceasefire proposal like it’s the first sip of cold water after a marathon of NATO talking points.
That’s right — Zelenskyy, the wartime hero cast as the David to Putin’s Goliath by every late-night show and op-ed page in America, is calling President Trump’s plan to freeze the front lines a “good compromise.”
Let that one sink in.
Of course, we should probably mention that Zelenskyy did hedge a bit, as politicians do. He added, “I’m not sure that Putin will support it,” which is fair — Putin doesn’t exactly have a track record of playing nice. But here’s the key takeaway: the guy whose country is quite literally on the front lines of this war just endorsed President Trump’s peace framework.
And here’s the kicker — it’s President Trump, not former President Biden, who’s pushing to put diplomacy back on the table. President Trump’s position? “Cut and stop at the battle line.” Not exactly poetry, but it gets the job done. Freeze the current positions, stop the bloodshed, and hammer out a deal from there. You know — like adults. Not a bad idea considering the alternatives include another winter of dead soldiers, burned-out cities, and another 60 billion in taxpayer dollars going “poof” with no end in sight.
Peter Doocy asks Zelenskyy about the biggest difference in diplomacy between President Trump and Biden:
ZELENSKYY: “Trump has a big chance to finish this war.”
TRUMP: “I would say the biggest difference is one is extremely competent and the other one is grossly incompetent.” pic.twitter.com/HwLXylEHaa
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) October 17, 2025
Naturally, Russia wasn’t thrilled. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov took a break from rewriting Cold War history to lecture the West about “root causes” and how pausing the conflict would be letting bygones be bygones. Because heaven forbid we stop the killing before Russia finishes scooping up every last inch of Donbas.
And let’s not ignore that Russia already occupies 90% of Donbas. That ship has sailed. The fantasy of Ukraine pushing Russia entirely out of the region with former President Biden’s blank checks and Europe’s sternly worded letters is just that — a fantasy. President Trump, unlike the current administration, is actually proposing a plan rooted in the real world. It’s not ideal, but it might actually work. That’s more than can be said for whatever it is former President Biden’s doing — which at this point mostly involves pretending the war is a noble cause while quietly hoping it doesn’t become an election-year liability.
Meanwhile, President Trump met with Zelenskyy last week and, in classic Trump fashion, reportedly declined to hand over long-range Tomahawk missiles. Why? Because maybe — just maybe — arming the conflict into eternity isn’t a great idea. You know what’s not peace? Missiles. You know what is peace? A ceasefire.
Now, this doesn’t mean Trump is throwing roses at Putin’s feet. He’s also not in the mood for another pointless summit. He already walked out on the failed Alaska meeting this summer when Putin refused to play ball, and now he’s saying he won’t waste his time until something meaningful is on the table. This is what leadership looks like — not photo ops, not polished rhetoric, but results. Say what you want about President Trump’s style — at least it gets people to the table or out the door.
Meanwhile, NATO is scrambling to keep up, with leaders in Europe now co-signing President Trump’s ceasefire position and pushing a 12-point peace plan. And let’s be honest — if Europe is endorsing President Trump’s approach, you know former President Biden’s position has lost the plot. Ambassador Stefanashyna even told Fox News that “President Trump and President Zelensky has already agreed on the key positions.” Translation: President Trump is already leading the diplomatic train, and former President Biden is still stuck in the caboose trying to figure out how to read a map.
So what’s the takeaway here? Maybe it’s time to admit that peace through strength actually means something. Maybe the Republican front-runner isn’t the warmongering caricature the left wants you to believe. And maybe, just maybe, the fastest way to stop the bloodshed isn’t more aid packages or virtue-signaling in Brussels — it’s President Trump picking up the phone, laying down the line, and saying: enough.
