Advisers to President-elect Donald Trump acknowledge that resolving the Ukraine war will take months or longer, deviating significantly from his campaign promise of striking a peace deal on Day One of his presidency.
While Trump’s incoming Russia-Ukraine envoy, Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, set a goal of achieving a solution within 100 days, analysts like John Herbst from the Atlantic Council describe even this timeline as overly optimistic. Herbst emphasized the need for Trump to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into meaningful negotiations.
Trump’s rhetoric on the conflict has shifted post-election, from promising immediate resolution to acknowledging the difficulty of the task. He has compared the complexity of ending the Ukraine war to resolving the Gaza conflict, admitting the former might be tougher.
Russia’s recent battlefield gains provide President Putin with little incentive for swift negotiations, with Kremlin officials showing lukewarm interest in proposals from Trump’s team. Suggestions such as shelving NATO membership for Ukraine and creating a demilitarized zone remain under discussion, but no concrete plans have materialized.
Meanwhile, Trump’s administration faces internal challenges in streamlining its foreign policy operations. A planned pre-inauguration visit to Kyiv by Kellogg was postponed, partly due to concerns about the Logan Act.
Despite his ambitious campaign promises, Trump’s team acknowledges that diplomatic negotiations will require more time and effort than initially anticipated.
