U.S. negotiators presented a commemorative medal to the Russian delegation, engraved with the phrase: "Peace through strength."
What does it mean?
According to Russian media outlet First Russia, on September 6, Donald Trump's negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited a restaurant in Moscow before meeting with the Russian president.
After dinner, Witkoff gifted a commemorative medal inscribed with the words "Peace through strength" to members of the Russian delegation.
Where did this phrase come from?
"Peace through strength" was a slogan popularized by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, and Trump frequently invokes it as well.
The meaning is that one must possess sufficient power before pursuing peace through negotiation.
The medal was a custom-made token, not an official decoration.
Witkoff was originally a real estate businessman, not a professional diplomat, and has close ties with Trump.
Currently serving as a special envoy, he is primarily involved in mediating the Ukraine-Russia conflict and frequently meets with senior Russian officials.
Many of these communications occur outside formal diplomatic channels—instead taking place during informal dinners and social gatherings, bypassing the traditional U.S. State Department procedures.
What signal does this send?
Giving a commemorative medal at a dinner is essentially sending a private message: the kind of peace the U.S. seeks is built upon its own strength.
Within the U.S., opinions are divided: some view this informal approach as flexible and effective; others criticize Witkoff for being too casual, ignoring formal diplomatic protocols, and freely distributing items bearing political slogans, which could lead to misunderstandings.
The Russian government has not specifically commented on the medal, choosing only to address content from formal meetings, without publicly acknowledging the anecdote from the dinner.
Meanwhile, Steve Witkoff seemed quite satisfied with the lunch, so he left behind a special metal commemorative coin as a memento.
The coin bears Witkoff’s name and surname, along with the inscription “Special Envoy of the President of the United States for Peace.”
In the center is the Great Seal of the United States: an eagle with a bald head, clutching arrows and an olive branch in its talons, set against a shield.
Fascinatingly, whether Witkoff left the coin as a personal memento or as part of a tradition remains a small mystery.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875538858618890/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.