Ukraine-Russia war latest: Angry Trump officials admit fast peace deal with Putin now unlikely
The likelihood of the Donald Trump administration achieving a Ukraine peace deal in the next few months has plummeted, senior US administration officials said.
Mr Trump’s team has been irked by Russia and Kyiv alike, with Vladimir Putin actively resisting attempts to strike a lasting peace accord and Ukraine dithering on a minerals deal with Washington, the officials said.
Washington is openly acknowledging its growing anger towards Moscow, including from the president himself, marking a shift in the administration’s internal deliberations about Mr Putin’s willingness to negotiate.
Germany’s outgoing foreign minister Annalena Baerbock has warned that Mr Trump must not be misled by Mr Putin’s “stalling tactics” to delay peace in Ukraine.
On the war front, Mr Putin has called up 160,000 men as part of the country’s bi-annual conscription drive as Russia seeks to beef up its military ranks in one of the biggest-ever mobilisation drives.
Volodymyr Zelensky, meanwhile, has said Ukraine will hold in-depth talks with a small group of foreign countries about contributing forces to a contingent that would act as a security guarantee for the war-hit nation.
