U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker told Fox & Friends First on January 6, 2026, that officials could be “on the cusp” of a breakthrough toward peace in Ukraine, a starkly welcome note of cautious optimism after years of grinding violence. His comments came as a high-level push to convert diplomatic momentum into concrete guarantees takes center stage in Europe. The American people have long wanted an end to this war, and leaders who now talk seriously about peace deserve careful, patriotic scrutiny rather than reflexive condemnation.
This push is not happening in a vacuum: French President Emmanuel Macron hosted a Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris on January 6, attended by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and delegations from across Europe, with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner representing Washington’s interests in a visible way. The gathering is meant to nail down security guarantees and a framework for a ceasefire, with allies testing whether Europe will step up alongside America. If talks in Paris produce binding commitments, it would vindicate the hard realpolitik many conservatives have long argued for—negotiating from strength to secure lasting peace.
Diplomats on the ground say negotiations have advanced substantially and that much of the architecture for a settlement may already be in place, though the devil remains in the details and in whether Moscow and Kyiv will accept the same terms. Conservatives should welcome any real chance to end bloodshed, but we must insist on guarantees that prevent future Russian aggression and ensure Ukrainian sovereignty is protected wherever possible. Washington must not be bullied into a deal that leaves Americans paying forever for an insecure Europe; if a fair peace can be secured through firm diplomacy, it is the duty of leaders to pursue it.
President Trump’s direct push for negotiations and his clear message that the U.S. will not endlessly subsidize a failed status quo has shaken complacent European leaders into action, and Republican voices in Congress rightly demand real accountability in any deal. Conservatives know that peace bought with concessions instead of strength is unstable; a legitimate bargain must bind allies to credible security measures and put teeth into enforcement mechanisms. If diplomats cannot deliver that, Americans should back a hard line rather than a lipstick-on-a-pig ceasefire that collapses the moment political pressure eases.
Ambassador Whitaker has been blunt that NATO must recommit to deterrence and that “peace through strength” is not a slogan but a policy—he has pushed allies to dramatically increase defense spending and modernize capabilities so any ceasefire can be enforced. That posture is exactly what a conservative foreign policy should prioritize: ensure that any agreement is backed by real military and economic consequences for future aggression. If NATO and its partners will shoulder burdens equitably, we can reduce American risk while ensuring Europe does not return to the pre-1990 complacency that invited trouble.
While diplomats work on Paris, courageous Iranians are pouring into the streets in a nationwide wave of anti-government protests driven by economic collapse and repression, and the regime’s violent crackdown has reportedly left dozens dead and many more detained. Americans of conscience should stand with those brave souls demanding freedom over tyranny, and our policymakers must make clear that brutal repression will carry political and economic costs for Tehran. President Trump’s public warnings to the regime reflect the right instinct: democracies must support the oppressed, and the lesson from history is that silence only emboldens dictators.
The moment calls for principled pragmatism: push hard to turn Paris talks into a real settlement that secures Ukraine and reduces future American exposure, demand credible European commitments, and simultaneously stand unequivocally with Iranian protesters fighting for basic rights. Patriots know peace is not the opposite of strength; it is its fruit. If our leaders embrace that reality, America can help end a devastating war and send a clear message to tyrants everywhere that freedom will not be bargained away on the cheap.
