Trump administration dismantles working group to develop strategy to pressure Russia - Reuters
The administration of US President Donald Trump has recently suspended the activities of an interagency working group that was supposed to develop strategies to put pressure on Russia to advance peace talks on Ukraine.
This is reported by Reuters with reference to three American officials, Censor.NET reports.
As noted, the working group was created in the spring and coordinated by the US National Security Council. It included representatives of the State Department, Treasury, Pentagon, intelligence, and Andrew Peake, the chief adviser on Europe and Russia, who was removed in May. According to the interlocutors, the initiative lost momentum in May, as Trump showed reluctance to maintain a tougher line toward Moscow.
Approximately three weeks ago, the group was finally dismantled as a result of the dismissal of most members of the National Security Council, including the team that was in charge of the war in Ukraine.
Despite Trump's promises to end the war "on day one," in recent months he has expressed frustration with the lack of results and hinted at the US abandoning its role as a mediator in the conflict. Officials note that Trump could change his position at any time, but the very fact of creating or dismantling the group could have escaped his attention.
The group's work remained at the stage of preliminary discussions, in particular on limiting supplies to Russia from Eastern Europe, Asia, and the former Soviet republics. Its activities were not related to the sanctions initiatives of the Congress.
