Trump thinks Putin wants whole Ukraine - Wiles
Photo: Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump does not believe that Vladimir Putin wants peace. In his view, the Russian president ultimately intends to occupy all of Ukraine.
This was stated by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, according to Vanity Fair.
War in Ukraine
As the publication writes, there was no consensus within Trump’s team on whether Putin might want something short of a full takeover of Ukraine. At the same time, the US president himself believed that Putin does not want peace.
"The experts think that if he could get the rest of Donetsk, then he would be happy," Wiles said.
However, privately, as the outlet notes, apparently referring to comments by the White House official, Trump did not believe this. He does not think Putin wants peace.
"Donald Trump thinks he wants the whole country," Wiles added.
What else White House chief of staff said
Judging by the material, the interview was not recorded in a single sitting. It consists of fragments taped at different times and on different topics over the course of the year, later compiled into one extensive piece.
During the conversations, Wiles also made several other statements, including:
-
She described US Vice President JD Vance as a "conspiracy theorist";
-
She said she tried to persuade Trump to stop "going after" political opponents after 90 days in office;
-
She characterized the US president as a person with "the personality of an alcoholic";
-
She described Elon Musk as a "heavy ketamine user," a "quirky, strange guy" whose actions were "irrational" and caused her "fear," adding that Musk "sleeps in a sleeping bag in the Executive Office Building";
-
She defended USAID, saying that "anyone who pays attention to the work of the government knows that they do very good work";
-
She said she had read documents in the Epstein case and confirmed that Trump’s name appears in them.
Attempt to push back
Shortly after the article was published, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles dismissed it as fabricated, arguing that significant context had been omitted and that the facts had been distorted. She said the piece was defamatory and deliberately misrepresented statements made by her and others in order to portray Trump, his team, and the administration in a negative light.
Wiles also maintained that the Trump administration had achieved more in eleven months than any other presidency had in eight years, attributing this to Trump’s leadership and vision. She added that such reporting would not deter the administration from pursuing its agenda.
Putin wants all of Ukraine
In May 2025, Donald Trump publicly stated that Russia was not satisfied with the Ukrainian territories it had already seized during the war. In an interview with NBC News, he said Moscow was seeking the full takeover of Ukraine.
In November, the US presented a new peace plan to end the war in Ukraine. As of mid-December, the document is still being refined, but it is known that Washington is demanding that Kyiv concede Donbas to Russia.
For this reason, during one of his meetings with the media, Trump was asked whether too much was being demanded of Ukraine and what concessions Russia would make in return. According to the US president, the fact that Russian forces would not advance further would supposedly already constitute a concession.
