This was reported on August 30 by the Axios website, citing a senior White House official. “We’re going to sit back and watch. Let them hang around a little longer, and then we’ll see what happens,” he told the publication.

According to the publication, some US officials have begun to see European leaders as the “main obstacle” to reaching a settlement. According to senior White House officials, some European leaders are publicly supporting Trump’s efforts to reach a settlement while secretly seeking to “undo the progress” that has been quietly made since Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s summit in Alaska.

Axios claims that White House staff are “losing patience” with European leaders who they say are pressuring Ukraine to “seek unrealistic territorial concessions from Russia.” U.S. officials say the Europeans are pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to reach a “better deal.”

“Europeans cannot drag out this war and support unfounded hopes behind the scenes while counting on America to cover the costs,” the publication quoted a White House official as saying. “If Europe wants to escalate this war, that’s its business. But it will be hopelessly defeated, not won,” he added.