Thomas Graham, a former White House adviser on Russia who recently travelled to Moscow, where he met Russian officials, said: “It’s quite clear from the Russian standpoint that president Putin wants to control Ukraine and all of Ukraine.
The Kremlin has appeared to reject Donald Trump’s claim that Vladimir Putin is open to European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine, underscoring Moscow’s reluctance to align with Trump’s efforts to quickly end the war despite a thaw in relations.
The Kremlin’s rejection of western forces in Ukraine could pose a major early test for Trump’s team in handling a public rebuke from Moscow, and also exposes Washington’s limited influence over Putin’s willingness to make concessions.
Pushing to deliver on a central campaign pledge, Trump asserted on Monday that the Ukraine war “could end within weeks” and claimed that he and Putin supported the presence of European troops on the ground.
It also raises questions about whether European leaders will move forward with solidifying their plans for a peacekeeping force, as Putin makes it clear that he will not accept the presence of European troops in Ukraine as part of any settlement.
