Trump Moves Forward With His Plan In Europe
NBC News is at it again, running yet another story based on the vague assertions of unnamed “Western intelligence officials” claiming that President Donald Trump’s push for peace in Ukraine is doomed to fail because Vladimir Putin supposedly doesn’t really want peace. Sound familiar? It should.
This is the same playbook that was used during the 2020 election, when 51 intelligence officials falsely claimed Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian disinformation, or when the media spent years peddling the debunked Trump-Russia collusion hoax. In short, this latest “intelligence” assessment feels like yet another attempt to undermine Trump’s efforts—before they’ve even begun.
According to NBC’s report, four Western intelligence officials and two U.S. congressional officials say they have “zero intelligence” that Putin is serious about making peace. This revelation is supposed to be some sort of bombshell, but in reality, it’s just a restatement of the obvious. Of course Putin would prefer all of Ukraine rather than just a portion of it. That’s how wars work. Throughout history, aggressors have always sought maximum territorial gains. That doesn’t mean they always achieve them.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio outlines three points on U.S. and Russia discussions to end the war in Ukraine after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Saudi Arabia:
1 - Reestablish diplomatic facilities in each respective country.
2 - Appoint a high level… pic.twitter.com/tFQ04RqLKf— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) February 18, 2025
World War I Germany wanted to conquer all of France but never reached Paris. North Korea aimed to take all of South Korea but got none of it. Iraq wanted all of Kuwait in 1991 but was forced out entirely. So when these anonymous intelligence officials whisper that Putin’s original war objectives haven’t changed, the only proper response is: Tell us something we don’t already know.
Now, reality on the battlefield dictates what happens next, not Putin’s initial ambitions. The war has reached a stalemate. And despite what NBC’s sources claim, both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have signaled an interest in peace. Last week, both leaders spoke with Trump by phone, leading the U.S. president to send a team to Saudi Arabia for meetings with Russian officials. At the same time, Vice President J.D. Vance met with Zelenskyy in Munich to discuss possible peace terms.
Zelenskyy has made it clear that he won’t sit down with Putin until a common plan is negotiated with Trump. “We want peace very much, but we need real security guarantees,” he said. Meanwhile, Vance echoed Trump’s goal: “We want the war to come to a close. We want the killings to stop. Not the kind of peace that’s going to have Eastern Europe in conflict just a couple of years down the road.”
The key takeaway? The U.S. and Ukraine are approaching these negotiations with caution, fully aware that Putin’s promises mean little without enforceable terms. That’s why Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed after meeting with Russian officials in Riyadh that the U.S. would be appointing a high-level team to work toward a lasting and acceptable resolution.
So what’s really going on here? NBC’s anonymous sources are working overtime to cast doubt on Trump’s peace initiative—before it’s even had a chance to succeed. Maybe it’s politically motivated, or maybe certain factions within the intelligence community have their own reasons for prolonging this war. Either way, the public has seen this routine before, and the media’s credibility isn’t what it used to be.