The United States is writing a new script for the Ukraine peace process, deliberately sidelining previous multilateral diplomatic formats in favor of a direct, U.S.-brokered channel. This marks a significant shift in strategy, betting on high-level, direct engagement to break the stalemate.
Previous peace efforts often involved larger groups, such as the Normandy Format (which included France and Germany). The current U.S. initiative, however, is built around the central authority of the American presidency to bring the two principal actors—Putin and Zelenskyy—together directly.
This new script has President Trump in the director’s chair. His personal calls to the leaders and the possibility of a trilateral meeting place him at the heart of the drama. The administration’s calculation is that the authority of the U.S. and the direct involvement of the presidents are necessary to force the tough compromises that larger, more bureaucratic formats have failed to produce.
While this approach promises a faster and potentially more decisive outcome, it also risks alienating key European allies if they feel excluded. The success of this new script will depend on whether its promise of a breakthrough outweighs the potential friction caused by its unilateral, top-down nature.