Trump is optimistic about possibility of achieving peace in Ukraine, according - Politico
US President Donald Trump is "optimistic" about the possibility of achieving peace in Ukraine after a successful exchange of hostages in the Middle East.
According to Censor.NET, Politico writes about this with reference to sources in the White House.
On Friday, Trump plans to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to the publication, the meeting is part of a weeklong coordinated effort by the Ukrainians to turn the administration’s attention from the Middle East to Russia.
Trump has often lamented that the Russia-Ukraine war has been much harder to solve than he had originally thought – but that calculus could change now that the administration is hopeful after its success in the Middle East, Politico writes.
"President Trump has long expressed his desire to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, just like he freed the hostages and ended the war between Israel and Hamas," said a White House official on condition of anonymity.
The official is convinced that Russia should be motivated to sit down at the negotiating table due to its military and economic situation.
If they (the Russians - Ed.) were smart, they would more urgently pursue a deal to end the war which has done significant damage to Russia’s reputation, stop the killing, and get their country back on the right track. President Putin has repeatedly rejected generous proposals toward peace that would have benefited Russia.
The President remains optimistic that he will be able to get both sides to stop the senseless killing," he added.
Politico writes that Trump's Special Envoy Witkoff told foreign colleagues about three major foreign policy goals for Trump's second term: ending the conflict in Gaza, ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, and negotiating a new nuclear agreement with Iran.
The Trump administration acknowledged that "Gaza was going to be the simplest of the three."
"But they’re not giving up on the others. If anything, there’s a sense that success will lead to more success," the interlocutor added.
