Trump frustrated by Putin’s lack of 'flexibility' in Ukraine war talks

The Wall Street Journal reported the information.

Officials familiar with the situation told the outlet that Trump is surprised - and at times irritated - that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not showing “flexibility.”

The publication notes that Trump is increasingly frustrated - and possibly paralyzed - by his inability to swiftly end the war in Ukraine, despite his promise to do so within 24 hours.

Thomas Graham, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, believes Trump’s overly optimistic assessment of the chances for peace stems from his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, who has reportedly met with Putin three times and assured the former U.S. president that the Russian leader wants to strike a peace deal.

• Earlier, Trump said that Washington was already putting “a lot of pressure” on Moscow.  
• And in response to the Russian shelling of Kyiv, the White House chief called on Russian leader Vladimir Putin to stop the shelling and conclude a peace agreement.