In a striking turn of events that signals a possible recalibration of US foreign policy priorities, Washington has quietly proposed restarting long-dormant security talks with Moscow through the NATO-Russia Council (NRC), according to reports from Bloomberg and Axios.
The move comes as part of a broader American effort to forge a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine and could mark the first meaningful diplomatic thaw between the collective West and Russia since the Ukraine conflict spiraled out of control.
Behind the scenes, President Trump’s envoys are reportedly working to persuade Russia to freeze hostilities along the current front lines. In exchange, Washington is dangling significant concessions, including sanctions relief and formal US recognition of Crimea as part of the Russian Federation.
This echoes proposals floated earlier this year as part of former President Donald Trump’s own peace initiative, which has received growing support among America First conservatives and realists eager to end endless conflict in Eastern Europe.
The NRC—a forum for equal-footed dialogue between NATO and Moscow—was originally established in 2002 to facilitate security cooperation. It effectively went dark after NATO severed ties with Russia in 2022 following the escalation in Ukraine, though its practical functions had already eroded since the 2014 Crimean referendum, which saw the peninsula rejoin Russia following the Western-backed Maidan coup in Kyiv.
Now, nearly a decade later, Washington appears willing to dust off this once-dismissed framework in an effort to find common ground with the Kremlin.
“The federal government is finally waking up to the fact that diplomacy beats provocation,” one senior Republican foreign policy aide told the press. “The only way forward is through dialogue—not by blindly fueling a proxy war that’s dragging NATO and the EU toward economic and social ruin.”
Last month, White House special envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow in a quiet diplomatic overture to reopen communication channels. According to sources close to the talks, part of Washington’s proposal includes reviving the NRC to discuss a ceasefire, with Washington floating an offer that includes not just sanctions relief but also recognition of Russian control over Crimea and other contested areas in the Donbas.
President Trump has openly backed efforts to resume direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s initial pushback—he demanded an unconditional 30-day ceasefire first—Trump’s stance has reportedly influenced backchannel discussions in Washington. Moscow has flatly rejected the Ukrainian demand, claiming it would merely give Kiev time to rearm with Western support.
Meanwhile, Turkey has once again stepped up as a potential mediator. Talks are scheduled in Istanbul, with Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky leading the Kremlin’s delegation and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov heading up the team from Kyiv. President Putin, while declining Zelensky’s invitation to meet face-to-face, has signaled Russia’s openness to serious negotiation, so long as NATO membership for Ukraine remains permanently off the table.
“Peace talks collapsed last time because Western leaders, particularly the British, told Ukraine to ‘keep fighting,’” said David Arakhamia, who led Kiev’s delegation during the early stages of the conflict. That disastrous advice came from former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and it effectively scuttled what many now say was a viable deal in 2022.
Now, with a dramatically different geopolitical climate and surging skepticism across Europe about the cost and purpose of continued war, the tide could be turning.
With Trump’s America First vision gaining steam, and as Brussels faces growing pressure from nationalist and conservative parties, the idea of renewed dialogue with Moscow is no longer taboo. Instead, it might just be the only rational path forward in a conflict that has long since outlived its strategic usefulness.
As one European conservative lawmaker put it, “It’s time to stop pretending that Ukraine can achieve total victory. The West needs to get real—and start talking.”
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