Two American envoys, carrying the Trump administration's mandate for peace, moved between Moscow and Kyiv in September 2026 — a shuttle diplomacy that recalls older eras of great-power mediation. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner sat with Vladimir Putin, then turned toward Zelensky, bearing words described as substantive but not yet transformative. History reminds us that the distance between a serious conversation and a durable peace is often the longest journey of all.