The Trump administration has quietly dismantled an inter-agency working group that had been tasked with developing strategies to pressure Russia into speeding up peace negotiations with Ukraine.
Reuters reported, citing three US officials, that the group was launched in March or April, at a time when some of US President Donald Trump’s closest advisers had grown skeptical about the Kremlin’s willingness to negotiate in good faith, despite Trump’s campaign rhetoric suggesting he might reconsider his previously accommodating approach toward Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, by May, the effort “lost steam” as officials realized Trump had little appetite for a tougher stance against Moscow.
“It lost steam toward the end because the president wasn’t there. Instead of doing more, maybe he wanted to do less,” one official told Reuters.
Despite Trump’s high-profile campaign pledge to end the war in Ukraine on his first day in office, US officials said he had grown increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress and recently began suggesting that Washington might abandon its peace-brokering efforts altogether.
The existence of the working group, which had not been previously reported, is likely to raise fresh concerns among European allies ahead of a key NATO summit later this month.
Trump’s sometimes conciliatory tone toward Russia and reluctance to fully back Ukraine have already caused unease in transatlantic circles, the report read.
According to Reuters, the final blow to the working group came about three weeks ago when a broad White House purge led to the dismissal of most of the National Security Council (NSC) team working directly on the Ukraine war, according to the officials.
The group, coordinated by senior NSC staff, also included officials from the State Department, Treasury Department, the Pentagon, and the intelligence community. Among those involved was Andrew Peek, the top NSC official for Europe and Russia, who was removed in May.
The officials could not confirm who specifically ordered the working group’s termination but said the mass NSC staff cuts made its continuation nearly impossible.
One of the officials said the group had been designed to give Trump options “if he wanted to get tougher on Russia,” adding that US president could still pursue a harder line regardless of the group’s fate.
While Trump has expressed frustration with both sides of the Ukraine war, some of his allies, including Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, have called for sweeping new sanctions against Russia. Graham has pointed to Moscow’s ongoing strikes on civilian targets and refusal to accept US ceasefire proposals as evidence of Putin’s obstinance.
Trump has reportedly said he is considering additional measures against Russia, though no concrete steps have been announced.
The working group’s dissolution follows a broader rollback of US counter-Russian initiatives, including a March suspension of efforts by some US national security agencies to combat Russian sabotage and disinformation campaigns, Reuters previously reported.
