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Vladimir Putin last week brushed aside President Donald Trump's latest peace plan, continuing with more airstrikes on Ukrainian civilians.
Putin's meeting with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner produced nothing new, and it is now time for Trump to increase economic pressure to bring Vlad to the negotiating table.
In the absence of this, the only peace Putin is interested in is the total occupation of Ukraine.
Trump may complain about Volodymyr Zelensky, but the Ukrainian president has been happy to negotiate; Putin is the one who keeps saying "no," even as he orders his forces to prepare for winter operations.
European leaders who met with Zelensky on Monday said they would increase their aid to Kiev and aim to further tighten their grip on Moscow; if they succeed, Trump could certainly do the same.
American public support for Ukraine is growing: Over 60% of American adults support Kiev's defensive war against Russia and want to continue supplying weapons.
And Trump's sanctions are having a severe impact: Moscow's oil and gas revenues have fallen by 27% compared to last year; Russian inflation is at 8% and interest rates are double that.
Russian public support for the war Putin chose, and which was presented nearly four years ago as a quick fix, is eroding.
His refusal to counter-offer Witkoff and Kushner shows that Putin still hopes for a dramatic breakthrough, but as things stand, Russian forces are paying in gallons of blood for every yard they advance.
Adding to its economic pain, perhaps through long-discussed secondary sanctions, is the obvious next step for Washington.
Trump's sincere desire for peace cannot end the carnage in Ukraine until Putin feels he must end the war he himself started.
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