Diplomacy is obviously stalemated and almost non-existent when it comes to the Iran conflict and Hormuz Strait crisis, and so the White House needs some level of a 'win'.
It seems President Trump continues to look for this in the years-long Ukraine crisis, as he's said to now be mulling a major deal which would see the Kremlin free some political prisoners in exchange for a significant easing of sanctions on the Russian economy.
The Atlantic on Tuesday in reporting the initiative characterized the potential deal as so sweeping that it "could outrage even his allies." Of course, the Zelensky government and Europe is actively trying to tighten the screws on Moscow.
But the proposed plan would in many ways be a reversal of the prior policy of 'global isolation' of Putin. The report says:
Donald Trump’s envoy to Eastern Europe came to the president with a new idea for breaking the deadlock in U.S. relations with Moscow. The plan involved a quid pro quo reminiscent of the Cold War: The Kremlin would free some political prisoners, and the United States would reward their release by easing sanctions on the Russian economy. Trump signed on.
This new initiative, which is still in its early stages and has not been previously reported, promises to advance several of Trump’s goals at once. It would help reintegrate Russia into the global economy and broaden Trump’s talks with the Kremlin beyond the intractable war in Ukraine, which his envoys have failed to end after more than a year of diplomacy. It would create a path for the U.S. to sign lucrative deals involving Russian oil, diesel, rare earth minerals, and other commodities. As a bonus, the release of prisoners on humanitarian grounds could bolster Trump’s case for his long-coveted Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump's envoy to Eastern Europe, John Coale, had reportedly first pitched the initiative "a few months ago," and "Trump signed on," the report notes.
However, it's said to still be early stages, but if it gets close to the finish line the plan "is likely to outrage the Ukrainians, Europeans, and even many of Trump's allies on Capitol Hill," The Atlantic underscores.
But such concerns have never stopped Trump before, and it could actually help jump-start the long dormant peace process, and possibly cool soaring tensions with NATO.
The report also comments that "any potential business deal between the US and Russia would risk funneling money to the Russian military even as it continues to terrorize Ukraine and threatens a wider war against US allies in Europe."
An important caveat which could hinder an ambitious prisoner release for sanctions relief is that fact that Trump just drastically upped the ante by earlier this month signing a bill co-authored by the late NeoCon senator Lindsey Graham which authorized the president to "impose severe sanctions on Russia and its trading partners."
Lindsey Graham, even from the grave, still dictating -- or at least being the avatar of -- Trump's foreign policy.
From "I'll end the Ukraine/Russia war in 24 hours" to "More sanctions on Russia!"
Also, those who claimed Putin ruled Trump through blackmail can't explain this: https://t.co/rb7e44ZJ7E
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) September 19, 2026
So if Trump was wishing to soon strike a deal and cool tensions with Russia, why sign the Graham bill? A lot of contradictions in Washington policy remain. The Trump administration has also had a running 'love-hate' relationship with Zelensky. At times Zelensky is being berated, at others he's being praised. Like the Iran conflict, MAGA and conservatives in general have by and large been divided on the issue of Ukraine and what US policy should be.