Trump currently prefers to believe Steve Witkoff, who considers a quick truce possible, claims sources from The Wall Street Journal.
The group, which according to American officials includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, recommended exercising greater caution in relations with Putin and taking a tougher stance on Moscow's demands to Kyiv for territorial concessions.
However, Trump still supports his envoy Steve Witkoff, who believes that Putin wants to make peace after meeting with him twice in Moscow. Yesterday on Fox News, he stated that following the latest talks with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, the parties have "come to an understanding": Moscow is aiming not just for a truce but for a permanent peace. According to Witkoff, negotiations between the US and Russia are being conducted on the division of Ukraine, and they are close to a deal "that will affect five territories." "But in reality, it's much more. It concerns security protocols, NATO, the fifth article of NATO. There are a lot of details," Witkoff said.
Meanwhile, Russia rejected Trump's call for a ceasefire and is in no hurry to partially suspend hostilities. Trump hopes to stop the war in Ukraine within the first hundred days of his presidency. At times, he shows impatience towards Putin, but he has not fulfilled his threat to impose new sanctions against Russian oil exports.
The ballistic missile strike by Russia on Sumy on Sunday, which killed 35 civilians and injured another 119, highlighted the disagreements among Trump's team members. The US president himself called this attack a "mistake." When reporters asked him who was responsible, he blamed former President Joe Biden for "allowing the war to happen." Later, Trump added Volodymyr Zelensky to the bench of the guilty, and even later, Vladimir Putin.
On Sunday, Kellogg said in written statements that the Russian attack "crosses all lines of decency," while Rubio called it "horrifying" and "tragic."
Daniel Fried, a former senior State Department official, said that the State Department and the Treasury are preparing options for strengthening sanctions against Russia, which could be introduced if "Trump decides he's had enough of Putin."
On April 1, Senator Lindsey Graham and other lawmakers introduced a bill targeting Russian oil and energy exports, ignoring the White House's request to hold off, congressional aides reported. Graham stated that at least 50 senators support this initiative.
Attempts by Trump to reset relations with Russia have been made by many of his predecessors, and all of them were disappointed with the meager results, said WSJ Thomas Graham, a former senior director for Russian affairs at the National Security Council under former President George W. Bush. According to him, Moscow wants to annex a large part of Ukraine's territory and establish a pro-Russian government to rule what remains—goals that have not changed since its invasion in 2022.
During the presidential campaign, Trump stated that he could make Putin and Zelensky stop fighting within 24 hours after he reoccupies the Oval Office. Later, Kellogg extended this period to the first 100 days of Trump's term, which ends on April 30.
Photo: Reuters