Trump’s Ukraine Peace Push Faces Steep Challenges Compared to Gaza Deal

Fresh from brokering a ceasefire in Gaza, President Donald Trump is now attempting to tackle the ultimate geopolitical challenge: ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. He is hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who hopes Trump can replicate his Middle East success in Europe.

However, foreign policy experts are sounding the alarm that this conflict is on a completely different difficulty setting. Unlike the nearly-finished Israel-Hamas war, the Russia-Ukraine conflict remains intensely active on the battlefield. Furthermore, the US holds far less leverage over Russia, a nuclear-armed state with strong economic ties to China and India, making sanctions less effective.

Analysts suggest that without a significant shift in Russia’s economic or military situation, a major breakthrough is unlikely. Trump’s tactic of threatening to provide Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles may alter Russian calculations, but experts doubt it alone will force a peace deal. Despite the steep odds, Trump remains confident, questioning who could believe he created Middle East peace but couldn’t get Putin and Zelenskyy to settle.