Desperate Putin Begs Trump to Save His War

The Kremlin has dispatched its chief Ukraine negotiator to Washington in a stark admission: Vladimir Putin is running out of diplomatic options. Sources confirm that Kirill Dmitriev—a close associate of Putin and former investment banker at Goldman Sachs—is in the U.S. urging Donald Trump to intervene and salvage Russia’s standing in the war.

The move comes after a sharp geopolitical pivot by Trump himself: the U.S. president imposed fresh sanctions on Russian energy giants Rosneft and Lukoil and abruptly cancelled a planned summit with Putin in Budapest. In response, the Kremlin has rushed Dmitriev to the front lines of diplomacy, signalling urgency and vulnerability rarely displayed by Moscow.

Dmitriev arrives in Washington with a heavy brief. He is tasked with repairing a ruptured relationship—between Russia and the U.S.—which previously looked stable under U.S.-Russia talks led by Putin’s former confidants. His credentials include ties to Putin through family relations and a Harvard-Stanford background, yet his mission is formidable: convince Trump to re-open channels of dialogue and possibly unlock strategic concessions for Moscow.

Putin is evidently banking on Trump’s potential deal-making to relieve pressure on Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine. But with sanctions biting harder and Russia’s economy showing signs of strain, Moscow’s diplomatic posture is shifting from projection of power to urgent plea for relief. Analysts say this step reflects desperation more than diplomacy.

The appearance of Dmitriev in Washington also underscores the Kremlin’s recognition that its options are narrowing. Trump has placed a premium on leverage and transactional diplomacy, and Russia’s ability to deliver favourable concessions is increasingly constrained by Western cohesion and Ukraine’s battlefield momentum.

For Ukraine, and for the West, Dmitriev’s visit offers a rare glimpse behind the smokescreens of Putin’s aggression: a regime scrambling for allies, for relief, for a face-saving exit strategy. Whether Russia still holds cards strong enough to bargain from a position of strength is increasingly doubtful.

Putin is signalling willingness to make serious overtures—but the question now is whether it’s too little, too late.