Trump slams Putin, expresses shock over attacks on children in Ukraine, report reveals

According to those present last week at his club in Florida, speaking before a group of major donors, Trump described the cessation of Russia's war against Ukraine as "an increasing frustration that keeps him awake at night."

One of the attendees said that, according to Trump, negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin were particularly challenging, and he wanted to get everything in full, referring to Ukraine.

His words came in response to a question from one of the sponsors about what concerns him most in foreign policy.

However, journalists noted, that after 100 days of his second term, with none of the conflicts — neither the war in Ukraine nor in the Gaza Strip — getting any closer to resolution, nuclear talks with Iran at a deadlock, and the trade war exacerbating relations with allies, Trump found that solving global problems is more difficult than he thought.

Dan Baer, former ambassador in the Obama administration, now with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington said, that flair and theatricality play a role in diplomatic acts, details and hard work are also crucial.

White House press secretary Anna Kelly stated that Trump and his team have been focused on ensuring peace worldwide and preventing bad actors from harming Americans and our allies.

According to her, their approach has been successful — Houthi rebels agreed to a ceasefire, 47 Americans detained abroad returned home, NATO countries are increasing defense spending, China is holding back, and the peace in the Russia-Ukraine war is closer than ever.

Putin doesn't want to end the war against Ukraine

In recent weeks, Trump privately told advisers that Putin doesn't want to end the war and that both sides are refusing to compromise.

Trump also asked his advisers whether they think Putin has changed since Trump's last term and expressed surprise over some of Putin's military actions, including bombing areas with children, according to people familiar with these remarks.

Earlier this year, Trump said that, in his view, Kyiv would be harder to convince than Russia unless the terms of the agreement were Ukraine's conditions, which led to a heated exchange in the Oval Office with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a live broadcast.

Just recently, senior officials in Trump's administration admitted that Russia remains the main obstacle, refusing to agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire already supported by Kyiv, instead demanding further concessions from Ukraine.

According to Vice President J.D. Vance at the Munich Security Forum event in Washington on Wednesday, Russians are not interested in ending the conflict and they are asking for too much.

Kremlin's complaints about Kellogg

Trump's early plans for resolving the war were also disrupted over the course of several weeks. Russia complained about Trump's first envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, because the daughter of the retired general supported Kyiv.

At that point, Trump instructed Kellogg to only speak with Ukrainians and appointed Steve Witkoff, a longtime friend and former Middle East envoy, as his replacement. Kellogg and his team argue that the diplomat was effective in forcing Kyiv to accept Trump's peace process.

According to the publication, Witkoff repeatedly pressured both sides to accept terms they were not satisfied with.

Journalists note, that Witkoff now tells others that he just wants to get both sides to the negotiating table, which he has not yet been able to do. Other US officials also suggested that Trump might consider his job done if he gets the Russians and Ukrainians to begin serious direct talks.

What happens after that, according to officials, will depend on them, which will allow the US to focus on other priorities.

Trump's promises

During his election campaign, Donald Trump claimed that he could end Russia's war against Ukraine in just 24 hours.

However, after winning the election, the timeline changed significantly. His special representative, Keith Kellogg, later clarified: now Trump aims to resolve the conflict within 100 days.

In addition, in one of his statements, US Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, joked about President Donald Trump’s promise to end the Russian-Ukrainian war in 24 hours. According to him, Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours but did not specify the day.