Russian papers say Trump is 'doomed' and nearly defeated: Moscow report

U.S. President Donald Trump walks after exiting Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey, U.S., September 4, 2026. REUTERS/Eric Lee

On Monday, a leading Moscow correspondent provided a rundown of Russian media reports on meetings between President Donald Trump’s envoys and Vladimir Putin, and the news was not optimistic. According to the BBC’s Steve Rosenberg, the efforts of envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are already “doomed,” in part because of Trump’s “defeat” in Iran.

Rosenberg’s report follows weekend meetings in both Moscow and Kyiv, where Trump’s envoys were attempting to further negotiations to end the war that has raged since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. But based on news out of Russia, peace seems no closer. “Reading these articles, several things become clear,” explains Rosenberg. “Number one, there was no diplomatic breakthrough. Number two, there is no sign of compromise from Vladimir Putin on Ukraine. He appears to be sticking to his maximalist demands. And number three, Moscow seems to think that Donald Trump needs a quick peace deal on Ukraine more than Russia does.”

One Russian reporter characterized Kushner and Witkoff’s visit as an act of “diplomacy of the doomed.” According to Rosenberg, the paper claimed that “in Moscow, Witkoff and Kushner had a very nice, friendly and mutually sympathetic conversation with Putin. But most likely, all this cuteness has no real chance of transforming into any quick, significant progress in negotiations on the Ukraine conflict. Trump's sudden surge of interest in the military confrontation he'd largely forgotten, and which he once promised to end in a day, is logical and understandable. The US president is facing extremely important midterm elections to Congress. Therefore, the paper believes, the US president would want to demonstrate some impressive achievements.” The paper asserts that Trump wanted to make such a demonstration in Iran, but “the White House chief's Iranian adventure is one-third quagmire, one-third defeat, and the rest, an extremely unconvincing half-victory.” This prompted Trump to turn back to Ukraine.

But, argues the paper, “Putin has no reason to give Trump a gift for the midterm elections. Of course, the Kremlin chief will not offend Trump. Good relations with the head of the current U.S. administration are an important foreign policy Trump card for Russia's leader, which he intends to nourish and cherish in every possible way. But there is a huge distance between not offending Trump and appeasing him, and all the efforts of Witkoff and Kushner fall into this notorious gap, like into the hole of a donut.” According to the paper, “Witkoff and Kushner's latest mission was doomed to underachievement from the outset.”

Other Russian papers agree. As one noted, “Putin began his meeting with the US envoys by saying, today we will discuss all the components of the conflict and all its aspects, and for our part, we are also ready to inform you about our view of the situation. That's how Putin outlined the point of the meeting. Not finding a solution, no, but informing and discussing. As if he wanted to stress, the Kremlin has no illusions about quick results.” Another paper claimed that Russia’s victory is “increasingly realistic,” which will force Kyiv to accept Russian conditions via U.S. mediation. And according to Rosenberg, “There you have Russia's position in a sentence. It hasn't changed. Vladimir Putin thinks he's winning and won't be convinced otherwise. And he's in no mood for compromise, despite Russia's enormous losses on the battlefield and the economic pain being caused to Russia by long-range Ukrainian drone strikes.”

“Why is it that Trump's peace efforts go round in circles, and each round ends in disillusionment?” asked a Russian op-ed. “For both Russia and Ukraine, too much depends on the result of the confrontation for it to be resolved through one of Trump's favorite deals.”

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