From the Politico:
"Russia-Ukraine summit talks become a ‘grind’
By Eli Stokols, Dasha Burns and Felicia Schwartz
...In the West Wing, Trump is expressing confidence to associates that the talks are still on track, according to a White House official, who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to discuss private conversations. But there is a growing recognition that the talks — which Trump once publicly projected could result in a trilateral summit within a week — are a “grind,” a second White House official said...
The U.S. president, of course, has been negotiating in public for some time. And he remains, according to three people familiar with his thinking, reluctant to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin, convinced he has more leverage over Ukraine and European allies.
“He’s long believed that Russia has the upper hand in the war itself and needs to be coaxed into peace talks,” said one former administration official. “Ukraine, on the other hand, relies heavily on the U.S. for weapons and intelligence. So there are more pressure points to get them to accept a deal.”
That was the meaning behind Trump’s cryptic social media post on Thursday asserting, “It is very hard, if not impossible, to win a war without attacking an invaders country … There is no chance of winning!” According to a senior administration official, Trump wasn’t sending a warning to Putin that he’d consider heavily arming Ukraine if peace talks fail but explaining away Ukraine’s lack of leverage in negotiations as his predecessor’s fault.
Former President Joe Biden, whose administration was reluctant to send certain weapons to Ukraine and at times restricted their use, “would not let Ukraine FIGHT BACK, only DEFEND,” Trump wrote in his post. “How did that work out?”
Trump, the senior official continued, believes Ukraine is going to have to accept a deal largely on Russia’s terms to end the war.
In a private comment to French President Emmanuel Macron during Monday’s East Room summit that was picked up by a hot mic, Trump said he thinks Putin “wants to make a deal for me…as crazy as it sounds.” But Putin, who for months has ignored Trump’s push for peace while escalating attacks on Ukrainian civilian populations, has yet to show any sign that the president’s belief in him — and his interest in peace — is justified.
One of Russia’s heaviest bombardments since the war began occurred overnight Thursday with 574 drones hitting targets in western Ukraine, including an American electronics factory..."
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