Trump and Putin are secretly preparing a plan to end the war: details from WSJ.

According to ТСН: While the world awaits decisive actions from Washington regarding the geopolitical situation, Donald Trump's team has adopted a pragmatic, and at times cynical, approach. A new concept for ending the war in Ukraine is being formed in a closed circle in Florida, reflecting the slogan 'Make Money Not War'. The main idea is to transform Russia from a military threat into a 'land of opportunities' for American entrepreneurs, effectively forcing Ukraine to adapt to new business conditions.

This was reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing sources and insider information.

Secret meeting in Miami and 'shadow diplomacy'

Journalists recount a meeting that took place last month in Miami Beach. Three influential businessmen gathered around one table: Trump’s long-time golf buddy Steve Witkoff, the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund Kirill Dmitriev. The latter is a trusted confidant of Putin and, despite the sanctions, plays a key role in these negotiations.

On a laptop screen, they were editing a document aimed at integrating the $2 trillion Russian economy into the global system. The priority is given to American companies, which have an advantage over European competitors in this race.

For the Kremlin, these negotiations have become the culmination of a strategy developed even before Trump’s inauguration: to bypass traditional U.S. national security agencies like the CIA and State Department and convince the new administration that 'borders weigh less than business'. Witkoff, acting as Trump’s special envoy, has already visited Russia six times and met with Putin, often without informing American intelligence agencies.

Instead of missiles — tariff exemptions

One of the most striking aspects of this 'business diplomacy' concerns military aid to Ukraine. In October, President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Washington with a request for district Tomahawk missiles. The Ukrainian military planned to use them to strike Russian oil refineries to compel Moscow to come to the negotiating table under more favorable terms for Kyiv.

However, according to WSJ, Trump, after speaking with Putin, decided not to provide these missiles. Instead, Steve Witkoff offered Ukrainian officials an alternative.

'What’s the benefit of a handful of missiles?'

He advised Ukraine to ask Trump for a ten percent exemption from tariffs. In his opinion, this would 'recharge' Ukraine’s economy. Witkoff also proposed unconventional ideas, such as suggesting that Ukrainian soldiers work as operators in AI data centers built by Americans, earning salaries comparable to those in Silicon Valley.

Resource distribution: Arctic, space, and frozen assets

The plan promoted by the Russian side through Dmitriev is impressive in its scale. Moscow is offering American companies access to extractive development of resources in the Arctic and Siberia, including deposits of rare earth metals and energy resources. Even joint missions to Mars involving Elon Musk's SpaceX and Roscosmos are being discussed.

Regarding financing the reconstruction of Ukraine, the 'peacemakers' plan to use about $300 billion of frozen assets from the Russian Central Bank, mostly held in Europe. The idea is that American and Russian companies would implement joint investment projects with this money.

American businessmen are already preparing to 'reap the rewards'. Reports indicate interest from Exxon Mobil in returning to the Sakhalin-1 oil and gas project. Other investors linked to Trump’s entourage are already hiring lobbyists to obtain licenses for the purchase of Russian assets, including even the blown-up Nord Stream-2 pipeline.

Shock in Europe and risks for Ukraine

Europe's allies are concerned about this development. When details of these plans became known to European intelligence, it caused genuine panic. The EU fears that Moscow is using American business greed to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Europe.

Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk aptly summarized the situation:

'We know this is not about peace. It’s about business.'

The main question, as noted by the article’s authors, is whether Putin is willing to stop the war for the sake of these deals, or if this is just a clever maneuver to placate the U.S. while he continues to slowly, but inexorably, seize Ukraine. Previous experiences, including the unsuccessful August summit, support the latter option.

However, Steve Witkoff remains optimistic, believing that economic interests will serve as a reliable safeguard against future conflicts.

'I’m in the deal-making business. That’s why I’m here. We keep knocking on doors and generating ideas,'

It is worth noting that Donald Trump has stated that the U.S. will not provide Ukraine with 'Tomahawks' and will not confiscate Russian assets. Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ohryzko believes this indicates that 'the politics of profit' is once again coming to the forefront.