WSl: Trump Has Begun To Lose Interest In Ukraine Peace Settlement
- 20.02.2026, 13:52
U.S. president targets Iran deal and Gaza reconstruction
The notorious 24 hours in which Donald Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine has stretched for almost 400 days. During his 13 months in office, the president was able to organize several meetings between representatives of Ukraine and Russia. But the last three rounds of talks held this year (two in Abu Dhabi and one in Geneva this week) have not brought the warring sides any closer to a peace agreement. And Trump is now more interested in a deal with Iran and rebuilding Gaza, U.S. officials told The Wall Street Journal.
They said Trump is not putting any pressure on Vladimir Putin or Vladimir Zelensky to get them to make a deal. He has previously repeatedly rebuked or even accused Ukraine of intransigence, and against Russia he imposed oil sanctions in the fall, forced India to cut purchases of its raw materials and launched a hunt for shadow fleet tankers. But now the Trump administration is slowly losing interest in the Ukraine peace process, WSJ sources say, devoting more time to other geopolitical issues.
Trump's main interest now centers on Iran. To get it to abandon uranium enrichment or even curtail its ballistic missile program, Trump has formed the largest air force in the Middle East since 2003, when the U.S. was preparing to invade Iraq. A strike on Iran (if successful) could allow Trump to present a victory to voters on the eve of November's midterm elections for the US Congress.
Trump's approval ratings are at record lows, with Americans unhappy with the rising cost of living, the economic situation and even, increasingly, his administration's anti-immigration policies. Zelensky has previously said that the White House would like to strike a deal on Ukraine before the summer so that there would be something to present for the election.
But Russia continues to voice maximalist demands, including the complete surrender of Donbass by the Ukrainian army. Moreover, this is only a tactical demand that will not satisfy the Kremlin's strategic ambitions to get rid of the current government in Kiev and put Ukraine under its influence to make it a buffer between Russia and the West, the heads of five European intelligence agencies explained to Reuters.
They were pessimistic about the chances of reaching a peace deal this year.
The war is likely to last another one to three years, senior European officials told the WSJ.
The latest talks have turned into an attempt by both sides not to displease Trump, the WSJ wrote. Russia has been stalling for time to try to negotiate with Washington on mending economic ties and easing sanctions amid discussions on the Ukraine issue. Putin's special envoy Kirill Dmitriev has come up with $14 trillion worth of projects that the U.S. could access in Russia.
This incredible sum is seven times Russia's GDP. Even in pre-war times, when American companies were active in Russia, they did not even come close to such sums.
Russia needs US help to put pressure on Ukraine to make concessions, political analyst Abbas Galliamov said:
"Putin cannot afford to anger Trump because the situation in the Russian economy is deteriorating rapidly and it is being undermined by new sanctions. So he is assiduously playing the role of a man ready for a peaceful settlement."
In turn, Kiev, too, is trying to demonstrate loyalty to Trump. The talks held this year were aimed at convincing the U.S. president that Ukraine is not the problem, a senior Ukrainian official told the WSJ.