Members of President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration have held discussions with White House officials as part of the incoming administration's ongoing effort to establish a ceasefire once Trump is inaugurated in January, NBC News reported on Dec. 13, citing sources familiar with the talks.
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has held multiple conversations with Trump's incoming National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, focused on sharing information but not strategies for expected peace negotiations, sources told NBC News.
A spokesperson for Trump's transition team confirmed that the two officials were in contact, adding that "the goal is for the world to understand there is a desire for the time of transition to be seen as a strong America, working for peace and stability around the world, until President-elect Trump is sworn in."
Trump, who will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, has repeatedly suggested that he would end the war within 24 hours, but has so far refrained from detailing the specifics of his plan. According to NBC, no concrete plan to end the war has yet to have been presented.
In September, Trump said that he would negotiate a deal "that's good for both sides," however, since being elected in November, Trump has subtly shifted his rhetoric, hinting that he would will not "abandon" Kyiv.
Following his meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris on Dec. 7, Trump said the Ukrainian leader is ready "to make a deal and stop the madness" and that Russian President Putin should "act" after incurring staggering losses in Ukraine.
Zelensky recently said that the country must do everything possible to end the war through diplomatic means in 2025, adding that a war would "end faster" under a Trump administration.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 12, citing undisclosed official sources, that Trump wants European troops to monitor a potential ceasefire in Ukraine. Trump reportedly made the comments during his Dec. 7 meeting with Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, making it clear he wants to see Europe take up the leadership in deterring Russian aggression.
On the other hand, Zelensky reportedly conveyed to Trump during the meeting that "peace needs guarantees because a ceasefire alone isn't enough," Reuters’ reported, citing a source in Zelensky's office.
NBC reported, citing its sources, that the Trump administration will likely reject Ukraine's NATO accessions as a means to get Russia to the negotiating table.
The incoming Trump administrations' work on moving forward with peace negotiations falls in line with comments made by Trump's incoming Ukraine peace envoy, Keith Kellogg, on Dec. 13.
Kellogg, who said the administration is "putting together some plans to actually go out and just listen," to Kyiv and Moscow ahead of potential peace negotiations added that he believed the war "will be resolved in the next few months."
Despite Kellogg's comments, Ukraine's Presidential Office Head Andriy Yermak said on Dec. 12 that the country is not prepared to enter negotiations with Russia as it lacks sufficient Western support to engage from a position of strength.
Yermak held discussions with U.S. officials during a visit to Washington last week, which multiple sources described to NBC News as "positive."
Dmytro Basmat
