Zelensky and Melania Put Putin Between a Rock and a Die-Hard Place

It is getting worse by the hour for Putin.

Melania Trump wrote the opening move — a carefully crafted letter to Putin about Ukraine's stolen children, passed to her husband, then hand-delivered across a conference table in Alaska. Putin read it immediately as both delegations watched, the words about "melodic laughter" and children's "quiet dreams" hanging in the air.

That was the opening. Zelensky seized it with both hands. Europe followed suit. Now Trump has joined in as well.

I don't know if she even realized what she was doing — the kind of impact it would create. Her letter, addressing the forced removal of thousands of Ukrainian children from their families, wasn't just diplomatic courtesy. It was a loaded weapon wrapped in maternal concern.

The chain reaction is already underway. She may have planted a mini-bomb right under Putin's feet. It will explode very soon. We'll get to the heart of this at the end of the story. It is fascinating to see that letter travelling — from the First Lady's pen, through her husband's hands, into Putin's immediate attention, and now into the machinery of international leverage.

I started the day with my stomach in knots, because all three outcomes — good, bad, and catastrophic — were still in play. The Alaska meeting between Trump and Putin didn't shatter everything, but it accomplished something more insidious: it flipped the script, making Ukraine and Europe look like the stubborn parties standing in the way of peace. Putin had played his hand brilliantly, positioning himself as the reasonable one willing to talk while painting Kyiv as the warmonger.

The real chess match would unfold three days later when all the leaders descended on Washington. Watching the media footage, I caught the exact moment French President Emmanuel Macron's face fell in visible disappointment when Trump casually mentioned that Putin wanted peace. The optics were devastating. Still, not a single word leaked about the weapons deal publicly.

Without that massive package being formalized and announced, we were staring down the barrel of a complete strategic collapse of the growing US-Europe partnership.

I tried to forced myself to sleep, but couldn't. Every few hours I'd sneak to check my phone. Nothing. I was running simulations in my head of what would happen if the day ended with no weapons deal.

All roads led to the same disaster town.

I almost gave up — then the Financial Times broke it. A $100 billion deal for American weapons, European-funded, plus a $50 billion drone production partnership. The deal wasn't finalized, but it was on the table, and that alone was enough to trap Putin into a problem he could not avoid.

To convince Trump of his sincerity in seeking peace, Putin had told him in Alaska he was open to "security guarantees" for Ukraine. He probably assumed a Donbas-for-peace offer would be enough to make Zelensky sieze. Since there was no way around the hurdle that had been set, saying "ok to security guarantees" was part of the plan.

During his meeting with Trump and other world leaders, Zelensky tiptoed around the Donbas issue. He didn’t give in, didn’t agree, just circled it — introducing delays in the process. Trump had anticipated resistance to his decision to embrace Putin’s push for a direct peace offer, sidestepping the question of a ceasefire. At that point, Europe stepped in and took the ceasefire-versus-direct-peace debate out of Zelensky’s hands. German Chancellor Merz carried it, telling Trump it would be wiser to conduct the next meeting under a ceasefire. Trump said he’d talk to Putin about it, while admitting it might not work. He even placed a direct call to Putin from the White House.

Reports said Putin had a "frank" call with Trump.

In diplomatic language, that means something.

“Ushakov (Putin’s foreign policy aide) said that Trump and Putin had a very “frank” call while the Europeans were still at the White House. In diplo-speak this means the Russians did not at all like what they heard. Ushakov also said Kremlin would send senior negotiators but omitted any reference to Putin. This goes against Trump’s trilateral talks initiative to which Zelenskyy agreed. Meanwhile, the Europeans are apparently staying over for dinner at the White House. Unlike the Russians, who ignominiously packed their suitcases and high-tailed it back to the swamps”, reported Branislav Slantchev, Professor of Political Science at the University of California.

That’s true. Russian ultranationalist community had a mini meltdown yesterday. They are yet to fully absorb the impact of what happened yesterday.

I thought it would have been better if Merz had brought forth the weapons deal and put it on the table. Instead, Zelensky was given full control. The deal on the table, under discussion is $100 billion for buying American weapons, funded by Europe. That means this was pre-discussed, agreed, and greenlit fully and clearly from Brussels.

It was breathtakingly executed.

This is how Zelensky later explained the outcome of the meeting to Ukrainian journalists' questions in Washington DC..

• This was the best meeting we've had with Trump. ​- Security guarantees are the key issue and the starting point for ending the war. ​

• The U.S. will be a participant in security guarantees for Ukraine. I can't go into details, but it's important that a political decision has been made. ​

• Russia first proposed a bilateral meeting between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and then a trilateral one. ​

• The First Lady of America, and everyone, will get involved in the return of children. The U.S. President will also help me with an 'all for all' exchange.

• ​We don't know the details of the bilateral meeting. With the U.S., we discussed that all sides must demonstrate a desire to end the war. This is a diplomatic meeting at the leader level. If Russian side shows no such desire, we will act accordingly. ​

• I believe we should meet without any conditions. Because if we start demanding a ceasefire beforehand, Russia will start making a hundred other demands. ​(Ze is signaling that he is all in on Trump’s decision)

• We are confident that the war will end. It's important to us that this is not just a pause in the fighting, but real peace that can be protected by security guarantees.

• The question of territories is a question we will leave for me and Putin.

• The American weapons package includes, first and foremost, planes, air defense systems, and so on. There's a package worth $90 billion that is part of security guarantees ​

• No unacceptable decisions were made. ​

• The details of the security guarantees will be worked out within 10 days.

Ukraine and the United States will now spend the next ten days working on security guarantees. That moves the weapons deal ahead of territorial negotiations. That was the subtitle to my story yesterday. I am more than glad to see that happen.

Putin tried to exploit Trump’s desperation for a deal at any cost. Now Ukraine is using that same desperation to place a weapons deal in the middle.

In Trump’s eyes, he had already told Putin he was considering security guarantees for Ukraine as part of ending the war. Putin said he was fine with it. What Trump most likely didn’t realize was that Putin was only trying to play him. Putin was confident that a Donbas-for-peace offer would be enough to derail everything.

It wasn’t. Full credit to Zelensky and Europe for maneuvering their way out of that trap.

A lot can be done with just $35 billion.

• 10 Patriot systems → $12.0 B

• 200 F-16s → $$15 B

• 1,000 Tomahawks → $2.0 B

• 10 Typhon launchers → unknown

• 160 HIMARS → $1 B

• 2,000 ATACMS → $2.0 B

• 5 E-3 Sentry → $2 B

There is no way Putin is going to agree to this. Just what I had listed above is enough to end his imperial regime. Trump does not care. He wants a deal.

He does not care, if its good for Europe or if its good for Putin or if its good for Ukraine. He cares about any deal. That he surely does.

Putin will try to flip the tables now and see if he can make a few twisties before Trump pushes for the next meeting. Ukraine and Europe should not waste time worrying about him. Close this security guarentee. Make this part of the peace of agreement.

Putin will also be furious, humiliated, and helpless — especially over what Melania Trump did. I hadn’t realized how loaded her move was. She lit the spark. Zelensky seized it.

Now it has become a full-blown fire.

By lending her name to the cause, Melania has permanently tied herself to the outcome. Every maneuver Moscow makes to keep those children inside will now be measured against a signal Trump cannot ignore.

He may choose silence, but he will not bury it.

GOP senators have long pressed for the children’s return. Ukraine now has Melania Trump and GOP senators aligned on a single line. This issue will inevitably surface at the negotiation table. If it does, Putin will be forced to face it like the war criminal he is.

Her husband gave Putin the red carpet.

She quietly rolled it back behind him.

Perfect.

Your subscription empowers The Concis to stand guard for democracies everywhere.