U.S. President Donald Trump is expressing his frustration in private to donors about his inability to broker an end to Russia's war against Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported on May 9.
Trump originally claimed during the 2024 presidential campaign that he would end the war on his first day in office. He then went on to say that he would end it during his first 100 days in office, repeatedly adding that the war "never would have happened" if he'd had a consecutive second term in office.
However, Trump has since acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance has also said publicly that Russia is "asking for too much" to end its war against Ukraine.
This change in rhetoric comes after Trump had a number of public missteps with President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him "a dictator without elections" and claiming that Ukraine was "more difficult" to deal with than Russia.
Trump has asked advisers in recent weeks whether they think Russian President Vladimir Putin has "changed" since his last term in office, and voiced concern over Moscow’s military actions, including strikes in areas with children, the WSJ reported.
Trump called for an "unconditional" 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine on May 8, adding that "if the ceasefire is not respected, the U.S. and its partners will impose further sanctions (against Russia)."
Zelensky and Ukraine's European allies have endorsed Trump's calls for a 30-day ceasefire.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
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