Trump advisers push for tougher stance on Russia, but he is siding with special envoy Witkoff, WSJ says
www.pravda.com.ua
Tue, 15 Apr 2025 10:31:00 +0300
Several advisers to US President Donald Trump are urging him to treat Moscows statements about its desire for peace with Ukraine cautiously, emphasising that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has yet to demonstrate a genuine intention to end the fighting.
Source The Wall Street Journal, citing informed sources, as reported by European Pravda Details The sources say that the group includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg.
It was reported that the group is advising a more cautious approach to negotiations with Putin and a tougher stance regarding Moscows demands for territorial concessions from Kyiv.
However, Trump is currently leaning more towards the opinion of another US special representative Steve Witkoff who believes Putin seeks peace, following two meetings with him in Moscow, according to officials.
The WSJ wrote that even those Trump advisers advocating for a tougher approach towards Moscow support his intention to stop the war.
However, Russias missile strike on Sunday 13 April, which killed 35 people and injured another 100 in the city of Sumy, has only deepened divisions within Trumps team.
The sources claim that during a White House discussion on whether the US should tighten sanctions against Russia to force it to negotiate, Rubio and Kellogg advised Trump to be wary of Putins diplomatic intentions.
It is worth noting that in recent weeks, Witkoff has made highprofile statements regarding occupied territories in Ukraine, calling them the largest issue in resolving the RussoUkrainian war.
In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Witkoff said that the largest issue in that conflict are these socalled four regions.
In his view, these include Donbas, Crimea, Luhansk and two others.
Following such statements, Reuters reported that some of the actions and comments made by Witkoff regarding a settlement of Russias fullscale invasion of Ukraine have drawn criticism within the White House and among Republicans.
Background On 11 April, Witkoff met with Putin in Saint Petersburg, where they discussed a potential path towards resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
According to Russian propaganda media, the conversation lasted four and a half hours.
Commenting on the visit, Witkoff stated that he and Putin had discussed steps that could bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
He also said that the key to a comprehensive agreement revolves around five territories.
This peace deal is about these socalled five territories, but theres so much more to it, Witkoff said.
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