WSJ: Trump says resolving conflicts has proved more difficult than he thought
US President Donald Trump said during a closed-door meeting with a group of leading party donors in Florida that resolving international conflicts, particularly the Russo-Ukrainian war, had proved to be a much more difficult task than he had expected. The president shared his disappointment and sleepless nights over foreign policy failures.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Details: WSJ’s sources, who were present at the meeting with the president, said that Trump had described attempts to end Russia's war against Ukraine as a growing disappointment that was keeping him awake at night.
When one of the donors asked Trump about the most difficult foreign policy challenges, Trump replied that negotiations with Putin had been particularly difficult.
Trump said that Putin wanted "the whole thing", meaning Ukraine.
Quote: "When Trump campaigned to return to power, he vowed to end both of those wars [the Russo-Ukrainian and Israeli-Palestinian wars – ed.] diplomatically and argued that neither conflict would have begun if he was in the White House at the time. He would even end the war in Ukraine on ‘on day one’, he said.
Instead, as he passes the 100-day mark of his second term with neither conflict closer to a resolution, negotiations to end Iran’s nuclear programme stalled, and a trade war straining relationships with allies, Trump is finding solving the world’s problems more difficult than he had thought."
Details: Over the past few weeks, sources say, Trump has said in private conversations with advisers that Putin does not want to end the war and that both sides are refusing to compromise. Trump has also expressed surprise at some of Russia's military actions, including airstrikes in areas where children are present.
Recently, senior officials in the Trump administration acknowledged that Russia remains the main obstacle to peace. Moscow is refusing to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire, which has already been supported by Kyiv, and instead is demanding additional concessions from Ukraine.
US officials also suggest that Trump may consider the mere fact that direct talks between Ukraine and Russia have begun to be a success. The administration believes that further developments should be resolved without direct US involvement, which will allow it to focus on other priorities, officials said.
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