Trump advisers split on Putin’s peace intentions in Ukraine war
Some of President Donald Trump’s top advisers are pushing for a tougher approach toward Russia in resolving the Ukraine war, highlighting divisions within his team, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing its own sources.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg argue that Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown no genuine interest in ending hostilities. They advised Trump to be skeptical of Moscow’s peace claims and take a firmer stance against the Kremlin’s demands for Ukrainian territorial concessions.
In contrast, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, who has met Putin three times, believes the Russian leader is open to a peace deal. According to the Journal, Trump currently aligns with Witkoff’s view.
Even advisers advocating a harder line support Trump’s goal of ending the three-year war, the WSJ noted. However, a Russian strike on Sumy, Ukraine, on Palm Sunday, April 13, underscored the differing views among Trump’s senior aides.
Trump previously blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and former U.S. President Joe Biden for starting the war but later named Putin as one of its causes, the newspaper wrote.
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