Trump Insists Ukraine-russia Peace Deal Is Close, But Mistrust In Putin Leaves Experts Skeptical

President Donald Trump this week said he is "very" optimistic that Ukraine and Russia will participate into immoderate benignant of woody successful nan coming days, but information experts are still sounding nan siren that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want peace. 

A emotion of geopolitical whiplash is surrounding Washington aft nan Trump management past week said it would abandon bid efforts if a ceasefire cannot beryllium secured, though days later Trump said location is simply a "very bully chance" a woody will beryllium reached this week.

The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions astir what it would mean should nan U.S. locomotion distant from 1 of Trump’s apical run way issues: ending nan warfare successful Ukraine. 

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt refuses to opportunity what Trump intends erstwhile he says he will locomotion distant from bid negotiations, but she told reporters that "he has grown disappointment pinch some sides of this war, and he's made that very known." (Getty Images)

TRUMP HOPEFUL RUSSIA AND UKRAINE CAN MAKE A DEAL AFTER TEMPORARY EASTER CEASEFIRE ENDS

The management besides has not clarified if Washington would return retaliatory measures against Putin, arsenic Trump threatened to do past month.

"Simply because Trump hasn’t announced immoderate consequences yet does not mean that he doesn’t scheme connected taking immoderate anti-Russia measures," erstwhile DIA intelligence serviceman and Russia master Rebekah Koffler told Fox News Digital. "Trump almost surely intends for his economical warfare against China to service arsenic an example to Putin really acold Trump is consenting to spell to compel his adversaries to his will."

"But dissimilar nan China case, there’s nary akin dependence betwixt nan U.S. and Russia. Trump’s determination connected Russia is overmuch much complicated, much risky and requires much thought," she added. "He whitethorn aliases whitethorn not return draconian economical steps against Russia, arsenic Putin whitethorn return devastating, non-kinetic actions against nan U.S. 

"It’s Trump’s consequence tolerance vs. Putin’s now," Koffler said. "And some for illustration to triumph and some person consequence tolerance measurement supra average."

The White House did not respond to questions by Fox News Digital connected whether nan U.S. would still assistance Ukraine successful immoderate capacity, peculiarly fixed caller restrictions connected subject assistance Trump has implemented connected Kyiv, for illustration refusing to waste Patriot missiles antecedently utilized to take sides civilian populations from Russian strikes and that costs $1.5 cardinal a piece.

"If we want to beryllium a world superpower, and we want to deter aggression, not pinch U.S. troops connected nan ground, but successful general, to deter aggression because it is bully for our nationalist security, past we should proceed to support Ukraine," erstwhile CIA Moscow Station Chief Dan Hoffman told Fox News Digital. "It's a mini percent of nan Department of Defense budget."

Women and children position a memorial of flowers and toys astatine nan tract of a Russian rocket onslaught successful Sumy, Ukraine, connected April 14, 2025. (Vlada Liberova/Libkos/Getty Images)

TRUMP SAYS US WILL 'TAKE A PASS' ON UKRAINE PEACE EFFORTS IF RUSSIA REFUSES TO PLAY BALL

"The return connected finance is beautiful high," he added, referring to nan $66.5 cardinal successful subject assistance Washington has provided Kyiv since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, compared to nan $841.4 billion defense fund congressionally approved for 2024 alone, a fig which Trump has pushed to increase.

A Ukrainian delegation was group to meet pinch Trump management officials successful London connected Wednesday alongside different European partners, including representatives from nan U.K., France and Germany.

Special envoy Steve Witkoff is reportedly group to return to Moscow this week to proceed negotiations pinch Russian officials, though nan Kremlin has not indicated they are anyplace adjacent agreeing to ceasefire terms, fto unsocial a bid deal.

A spokesperson for Putin, Dmitry Peskov, connected Tuesday reportedly said nan rumor of Russia’s penetration was excessively "complex" to execute a speedy hole and warned against rushing into a deal.

"It is not worthy mounting immoderate rigid clip frames and trying to get a settlement, a viable settlement, successful a short clip frame," he said.

The Kremlin’s position has fixed credence to repeated warnings from information experts that Putin is not interested in securing a bid woody pinch Ukraine. 

"There's nary denotation that Putin wants to extremity nan war," Hoffman said. "That isn't surprising. Because for a warfare to end, personification has to triumph aliases some sides person to beryllium truthful tired they can't proceed to fight. 

"Russia is nan invader, truthful you person to extremity them successful bid to person an extremity of nan war," he added. "The 1 accordant point present is Putin is continuing to fight. His nonsubjective is to overthrow nan authorities successful Ukraine. He’s going to support fighting until he feels for illustration he has accomplished that extremity aliases he can't conflict anymore."

Damage from a Russian drone onslaught is seen successful Kharkiv, Ukraine, connected April 22, 2025. (Pavlo Pakhomenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Koffler echoed Hoffman’s position: "Putin will beryllium pursuing nan aforesaid strategy sloppy of Trump’s actions; that is continuing nan warfare of attrition until Ukraine capitulates aliases is wholly destroyed and nan authorities collapses."

"Putin would for illustration to drawstring Trump on and will proceed to effort doing so," she added.

A report by nan Moscow Times connected Tuesday cited sources adjacent to Putin and said nan Kremlin main is looking to reorder nan world "spheres of influence" by negotiating leverage points betwixt nan U.S. and adversaries for illustration Iran and North Korea. 

The article claimed that Putin would effort to get Trump to either unit a less-than-desirable woody for Ukraine aliases perchance extremity nan U.S. from aiding Kyiv by proposing personally enticing deals, for illustration allowing Trump to build a edifice successful Moscow, and geopolitical wins, for illustration securing a atomic statement pinch Iran and a "peace deal" successful Ukraine.

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Ukrainian soldiers are seen connected March 8, 2025. (Roman Chop/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital could not verify nan report’s claims, but Koffler agreed it could beryllium a strategy that Putin is looking to employment arsenic nan U.S. pushes deals crossed Europe and nan Middle East. 

"He could committedness Trump not to stock definite delicate technologies to these 2 [nations]," Koffler said. "And he could person Iran not to operationalize and weaponize its atomic programme successful speech for Trump’s committedness not to target Iran’s atomic facilities successful a kinetic onslaught and to assistance sanctions from Russia. 

"The important facet of each of this is to springiness these adversaries face-saving opportunities, which is not a beardown constituent for nan U.S. style of diplomacy," Koffler said. "But Putin’s expertise to person Trump and Trump’s determination calculus are 2 different things."