Senior officials within the administration of US President Donald Trump are reportedly divided over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions in Ukraine, with some urging a far tougher stance on Moscow, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Sources cited by the publication say Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Presidential Envoy Keith Kellogg are among those skeptical of Russia’s declared readiness to halt hostilities. The two senior officials reportedly believe that President Putin remains disinterested in a genuine peace process and are advising President Trump to resist Russian demands for Ukraine to cede territory.
However, others within the administration take a different view. Special Representative Steve Witkoff, who met with Putin during visits to Moscow and St. Petersburg in March and April, is said to believe the Russian leader is sincere in his calls for peace. President Trump reportedly shares Witkoff’s view and has expressed openness to territorial concessions as part of a broader peace deal.
Despite Washington’s active diplomatic outreach, including a high-level meeting with Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia on March 11, efforts to broker a ceasefire have yielded limited progress. Ukraine agreed to a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire, but Russia has so far declined to join the agreement.
Subsequent trilateral talks involving US, Ukrainian, and Russian representatives in Saudi Arabia from March 23 to 25 led to a partial accord. The White House announced commitments to protect commercial shipping in the Black Sea, prevent the use of force, and bar the use of civilian vessels for military purposes.
However, Moscow has linked its commitment to these provisions to the partial lifting of Western sanctions. The Kremlin maintains that any broader settlement must include recognition of Russian sovereignty over occupied Ukrainian territories and guarantees that Ukraine will not join NATO.
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, citing the “demilitarization and denazification” of the country as key objectives. In the lead-up to the invasion, President Putin formally recognized the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.
On 30 September 2022, the Kremlin unilaterally declared the annexation of four Ukrainian regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhia – despite not having full military control over any of them. Russia had previously annexed Crimea and the port city of Sevastopol in 2014.
Ukraine has consistently rejected the occupation of its territories and remains firm in its aspirations to join NATO and the European Union. Kyiv has also demanded robust international security guarantees as a condition for any lasting peace.
