A Rare Look at Actual Diplomacy—And a Glaring Truth About U.S. Foreign Policy

Over the weekend, President Trump sat down with Ukrainian President Zelensky and VP Vance for a diplomatic discussion. 

Although the internet is abuzz with reactions to the fiery exchanges (and I’ll leave you to decide how to feel about it) the thing that really struck me was that it all happened in front of cameras, and with full transparency to the watching world.

That’s a big change from what we’re used to. 

It got me thinking: Imagine if all diplomacy worked this way. 

For years, politicians and bureaucrats have treated foreign policy as something far too complex for regular people to understand—as if the business of war and peace belongs to a select group of elites making deals behind closed doors. 

And yet, time and again, those deals end in disaster for regular people.

Transparency would change a lot of this, I think. 

If the public could see the conversations that lead to war, I believe they’d demand different outcomes. If the true motivations behind conflicts were exposed, fewer people would be willing to send their children to fight and die in wars.

They’d realize that the reality of most global conflict actually looks a lot like this:

This weekend’s political theater laid bare one important truth: the United States funds way too much of the rest of the world.

Right now, NATO nations are making a very public show of gathering around Ukraine—without the United States. 

This is, of course, intentional. After years of relying on U.S. funding and military support, they’re trying to project strength and independence. But the reality is, without American tax dollars propping up these alliances, they’d be forced to reckon with their own policies, their own budgets, and their own conflicts.

The UK’s Prime Minister has now committed to “boots on the ground and planes in the air” in Ukraine. This is potentially a massive escalation—one that would have direct consequences for the entire world. 

And yet, we’re seeing relentless pressure on President Trump to do the same, to commit to sending American men and women off to war once again.

I’m glad to see him holding the line. 

Prioritizing American lives. Keeping American dollars here at home. Even as the whole world tries to pull him into another war, he’s resisting—and that’s exactly what an American president should do.

Senator Mike Lee has called for the United States to leave NATO, allowing these nations to truly move forward without America. He says that the U.S. has no obligation to bankroll Europe’s security while our own economy continues to buckle under the weight of endless debt.

I don’t think he’s wrong.

I am for peace. 

The United States should always pursue a policy of non-interventionism—not isolationism, but a philosophy that fosters peace through trade and diplomacy rather than endless conflict.

It’s easy to forget, in the midst of political posturing and media propaganda, that most people—whether in Ukraine, Russia, Iran, or anywhere else—just want the same things: peace, prosperity, and the freedom to live their lives without interference. 

I wrote about this years ago in a blog post about Iran, and the lesson holds true today. 

America should lead by example, proving that free markets and voluntary exchange create stronger, safer nations than bombs and endless intervention—either direct, or indirect—ever could.

If you want to hear more about topics like this from a “Tuttle Twins perspective,” stay tuned—our podcast is relaunching later this week with three new episodes, where we’ll be covering topics just like this one. 

We’ve even written books for kids about peaceful conflict resolution.

I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I like seeing US leaders protecting US lives, and advocating for peace and trade over bloodshed and endless war. 

I know that teaching the next generation about the realities of how so-called diplomacy has worked in the past, and a better way for it to be conducted in the future is going to be pretty high on the list of things that have the potential to truly make the world great again. 

Thanks for including us in the important conversations you’re having as a family.

—Connor