adminPresident Trump’s hosting of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago this week shows the sort of bold, direct diplomacy America used to lead the world — not the timid, bureaucratic theater we’ve endured for years. The meeting on December 28, 2025, signaled a real push to translate American leverage into a tangible ceasefire and a concrete plan for peace, and it’s proof that the White House is willing to sit leaders down and get things done. For conservatives who believe in strength through negotiation, this is exactly the kind of leadership we should expect from our president.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appearance in Florida to meet with Trump adds weight to the administration’s claim that it can build coalitions and push fragile ceasefires into durable solutions. Progress in Gaza and momentum on a broader Middle East reconciliation require firm American engagement, and these Mar-a-Lago sit-downs are the hard work of statecraft that weak hands on the left would never attempt. If the United States can convene parties and force results, that is a win for peace and for American influence abroad.
Former Under Secretary of Defense Robert Wilkie was blunt on Newsmax’s Wake Up America: until Vladimir Putin agrees to a ceasefire, the diplomatic clock doesn’t start ticking. That straightforward assessment — that an end to violence requires Moscow’s cooperation — reflects a conservative realism: peace without the enemy’s commitment is just a pause before more bloodshed. Wilkie’s perspective underscores the hard truth that America cannot buy or paper over a settlement if the Kremlin remains hostile to the idea of peace.
Wilkie and other experienced hands have also warned that Putin has repeatedly brushed aside offers, and that internal Russian politics are complicating any honest deal — a reminder that appeasement won’t work. Senior voices in the conservative national-security community note that Putin rejected multiple ceasefire offers and is now reshuffling his foreign-policy team, which suggests Moscow may be trying to dodge accountability rather than negotiate in good faith. Conservatives should remain skeptical of Russian intentions and insist on verifiable, enforceable terms if any agreement is to stick.
Other seasoned diplomats have pointed out that President Trump holds leverage the Obama and Biden teams never did; meetings from Anchorage to Mar-a-Lago have shown he can pressure adversaries and convene allies in ways that matter. Trump’s ability to use energy policy, economic sanctions, and coordinated military aid as bargaining chips gives him tools few presidents have wielded effectively, and his willingness to use them is exactly what deters aggression. If the Kremlin refuses to make a real ceasefire stick, American strength — not hollow declarations — must be the response.
Patriots should cheer a White House that prefers tough diplomacy to endless hand-wringing and that puts American interests and global stability first. That means demanding clear terms, insisting on enforcement mechanisms, and being ready to tighten the screws on any actor that plays games with peace. In these dangerous times, conservatives should back strong, results-oriented leadership that protects our allies and keeps America at the center of the peace table.
