A week in diplomacy is supposed to change everything, but in the Ukraine-Russia war, even five hours of midnight talks can leave the world exactly where it began. So what really happened behind those closed doors in Moscow and Washington? Why is a leaked 28-point peace plan, crafted not by diplomats, but by a billionaire, a presidential son-in-law, and Putin’s favourite financier, suddenly steering the world’s biggest war? And why is Europe learning about it all through news headlines instead of briefings? This episode cuts through the noise: the backchannels, the business deals, the geopolitical improvisation, and the uneasy feeling that the U.S. and Europe are no longer reading from the same script. Is the West splintering? Is Ukraine being asked to swallow the unthinkable? And what does it mean when analysts warn that Washington might be shifting sides? Ananya Dutta breaks down the stakes, the secrecy, and the shockwaves ahead.