Kateryna Hirnyk07:35, 22.08.25

Recent optimism has faded, and Trump is looking for new answers.

On Monday, US President Donald Trump boasted about quickly reaching a peace deal in the war in Ukraine, but on Thursday he said Kyiv had no chance of winning the war without new attacks on Russia . According to The Wall Street Journal , the reversal highlighted fading optimism about Trump’s latest efforts to end the war.

Trump’s hopes for a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to broker a peace deal have not materialized. His backup plan, which would have seen Putin and Zelensky meet in person to discuss ending the war, has also failed. The Kremlin has also rejected the idea of ​​sending Western peacekeepers to Ukraine if a peace deal is reached.

According to the WSJ, the inability to achieve a diplomatic breakthrough is partly explained by the sharp differences in negotiating styles between Putin and Trump.

“The US president, according to former aides, is taking an improvisational approach, largely based on personal relationships. Putin is methodical in his preparation and devoid of sentimentality. Trump seeks an early end to the conflict… Putin is playing a longer game, counting on Russia to gradually improve its position on the battlefield while diplomats negotiate, even if it costs thousands of casualties on both sides,” the publication notes.

According to analysts, the president’s post on social media recommending Ukrainian attacks on Russia may be an attempt to regain leverage, as diplomacy does not seem to be yielding results.

“It shows that he understands that putting pressure on Russia is the most glaring flaw in his so-called strategy,” said Alexander Vershbow, a former U.S. ambassador to Russia and to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. “But if there are no weapons in development to back up that strategy, then its value is diminished.”

Fiona Gill, who served as the top Russia expert on the National Security Council during Trump’s first term, said his recent meetings with Putin, Zelensky and European leaders at the White House have led to a confusing process, and perhaps U.S. and Russian leaders have different understandings of security guarantees.

“We’re kind of stuck in Ukraine, and now everyone, including Putin, is trying to manage Trump,” she said. “The Russians are using terms in a certain context, and Trump doesn’t notice that. Maybe Putin was deliberately giving him the impression that he agreed with him.”

While the Trump administration is firm in its hope for a quick deal, some former officials have said a comprehensive settlement is unlikely.

“We’re in the same place we were two weeks ago, the same place we were six months ago,” said Kurt Volker, who served as the U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations during Trump’s first term. “There will never be a deal. Putin will never agree.”

(c)UNIAN 2025