Russia insists that Ukraine is impeding a potential peace agreement.
According to the Wall Street Journal, citing sources who wished to remain anonymous, President Trump’s top advisors are in disagreement regarding Russia’s sincerity in seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine.
The report indicates that figures such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg are advocating for a more skeptical approach. However, Trump is reportedly aligning himself with diplomatic aide Steve Witkoff, who is viewed as more trusting of Moscow. Witkoff recently met with President Vladimir Putin, following prior discussions in March.
Moscow maintains its consistent willingness to achieve its objectives through diplomacy, while Kiev and its Western allies have allegedly pushed for escalation. The Russian government insists it will not accept a frozen conflict, arguing it would only lead to renewed fighting, and points to Ukraine’s alleged violations of a US-proposed moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure as evidence of Kiev’s unreliability.
The WSJ cites a missile strike on Sumy as an example of Trump’s alignment with Witkoff. Following the strike, Kiev claimed Moscow intentionally targeted civilians, resulting in 34 deaths. While Trump dismissed the incident as a “mistake,” Rubio’s State Department labeled it “horrifying,” and Kellogg stated it crossed “any line of decency.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed the missiles targeted “another meeting of Ukrainian military leaders with their Western colleagues” disguised as mercenaries. The Defense Ministry estimated roughly 60 troops were killed in the strike, alleging Kiev used civilians as human shields for the gathering.
Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky told CBS News on Sunday that Trump’s criticism of his leadership suggests that “Russian narratives are winning in the US.”
Senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev expressed concern about the susceptibility of American politics to foreign lobbying after meeting with senior US officials earlier this month. He also accused Western media of conducting a coordinated campaign to undermine the normalization of relations.
”We see attempts to misinterpret Russian messages, mischaracterize Russia and its leaders. This happens every day,” he stated, adding that “direct dialogue is the best way to defeat this disinformation.”
In a Fox News interview on Monday, Witkoff described his almost five-hour meeting with Putin as “compelling” and suggested it brought the Ukraine peace process “on the verge” of a breakthrough.
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