# Trump courts Putin with flattery to end Ukraine war > Trump is using praise and diplomatic gestures to entice Putin to negotiate, but experts doubt the strategy will work without real leverage. - Title: Trump courts Putin with flattery to end Ukraine war · NBC News - Summary: Trump is using praise and diplomatic gestures to entice Putin to negotiate, but experts doubt the strategy will work without real leverage. Trump is… - Keywords: donald trump, vladimir putin, ukraine war, russia, diplomacy, steve witkoff, susan collins, thom tillis, volodymyr zelenskyy, peace negotiations, politics, news - Source: NBC News — https://nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-hopes-flatter-putin-negotiating-ukraine-experts-say-rcna604770 - Author: Peter Nicholas - Published: 2026-10-22T00:34:15.027+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: donald trump, vladimir putin, ukraine war, russia, diplomacy, steve witkoff, susan collins, thom tillis, volodymyr zelenskyy, peace negotiations, politics, news ## Trump's strategy for ending the war President Donald Trump is using flattery and diplomatic gestures to entice Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war, now in its fifth year. ## Witkoff calls Putin humanitarian Trump's lead negotiator Steve Witkoff called Putin a humanitarian in St. Petersburg on Wednesday when announcing the release of retired American teacher Stephen Hubbard, detained since two thousand twenty-two. > a humanitarian ## Republican pushback on the remark Senator Susan Collins of Maine said Wednesday: I would describe Putin as a warmonger, a thug.He's certainly not a humanitarian.Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina posted: WTF, Steve?Look up the definition of humanitarian. > I would describe Putin as a warmonger, a thug. He's certainly not a humanitarian. ## Trump's personal regard for Putin Trump has made no secret of his regard for Putin. He hosted Putin for a summit in Alaska last year and a picture of them standing together hangs in the White House's Palm Room. ## Trump criticises Zelenskyy instead By contrast, Trump has stepped up criticism of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying Monday that Zelenskyy should have settled the war long ago and it's time for somebody else to negotiate. > is a man that should have had this war settled a long time ago ## Why Trump is using flattery Robert O'Brien, Trump's first-term national security adviser, said cordiality is a tool to get Putin to negotiate after he has been intractable for two years and refused to come to the table. > President Trump is using cordiality to get Putin to negotiate ## Expert scepticism about the approach Michael Kimmage of the Brookings Institution said the strategy lacks serious leverage over Russia. Without a clear agenda and real leverage, progress at the negotiating table is very difficult to imagine. > progress at the negotiating table is very difficult to imagine ## Trump's recent gestures to Putin Trump thanked Putin on October ninth after Russia agreed to release hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel fuel into global markets. ## Reintegrating Putin into world affairs Brett Bruen, former director of global engagement in the Obama White House, said Trump has been trying to reintegrate Putin into polite society after the West ostracized him since Russia invaded Crimea in two thousand… > There's no question that Trump has been trying to reintegrate Putin into polite society ## European concerns about the deal Europeans are asking what sort of peace deal Trump envisions.If Ukraine ceded territory to Putin as the price of ending the war, that would only embolden him to threaten more states, a European official said. ## Marko Mihkelson warns against rewarding aggression Marko Mihkelson, chairman of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee in Estonia, said: If you reward aggressors and signal that they can achieve their goals through aggression, then that doesn't stop them from continuing. > If you reward aggressors and signal that they can achieve their goals through aggression, then that doesn't stop them from continuing. ## Trump's thinning inner circle Trump faces the Ukraine war with a thinning inner circle.Press secretary Karoline Leavitt left over the summer.Senator Lindsey Graham, a Russia hawk and Trump confidant, died unexpectedly in July.Trump waived sanctions on Russia last week. ## Key takeaway Trump is flattering Putin and rehabilitating his international standing to pressure him into peace talks on Ukraine, a gambit experts say lacks the leverage to succeed.