Patience Wears Thin In Washington As Ukraine Peace Deal Eludes Trump

In his first 100 days in office, one key foreign policy goal has eluded US President Donald Trump: ending the war on Ukraine.

Trump ran for president on a promise to end the war quickly. In an interview with NBC News that aired on May 4, he expressed hope a peace deal could still be reached while also suggesting his patience with both Ukraine and Russia was limited.

“There will be a time when I will say, ‘Okay, keep going. Keep being stupid and keep fighting,’” he said.

Trump also said the US was “closer with one party, and maybe not as close with the other,” though he did not say which party he believed was closer to a deal.

But in recent days, the US president has voiced particular frustration with the Kremlin, urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop shooting, sit down, and sign a deal."

Republican lawmakers have moved in lock step with the US president.

South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham, a key ally of Trump, has said he has broad support for a new package of sanctions and tariffs on Russia if Putin fails to engage seriously in peace negotiations.

Louisiana Senator John Kennedy complained to Fox News that the Kremlin leader “has jacked around President Trump at every turn."

"He has disrespected our president. I don't think it's gonna get any better until we make it clear to Mr. Putin that we are willing to turn him and his country into fish food," Kennedy said.

Kennedy quickly clarified that he was referring to measures to shut down Russia’s sale of oil, not nuclear war. But the remarks echoed Trump’s recent impatience with the Kremlin.

Against that rhetorical backdrop, however, diplomatic efforts have continued. Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, traveled to Moscow to meet with Putin.

A top Kremlin aide described the talks as “productive,” and some commentators saw Witfkoff’s arrival without the usual entourage as an indication that the American emissary may be out of his diplomatic depth.

Steven Pifer, a retired career diplomat and former US ambassador to Ukraine, questioned the wisdom of Witkoff appearing to take the meeting alone, saying that the US emissary, who is a wealthy real estate developer and confidant of Trump, was facing off against “75+ years” of diplomatic experience.

“Little wonder Russia has received 10 weeks of US concessions and gifts while giving nothing in return,” Pifer said on X.

Regardless of the seating arrangements in the Kremlin, Witkoff’s meeting was a contrast with the signing event in Washington for the creation of the United-States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, a deal that will give the US access to Ukraine’s valuable rare earth minerals in exchange for what Kyiv hopes will be enduring US support.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent used strong language to describe the agreement, saying it “signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term.”

So have the tides shifted subtly in favor of Ukraine when it comes to dealing with the Trump administration?

As always, it may be too early to tell.

After all, the signing comes only about two months after a rancorous meeting in the Oval Office between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Vice President JD Vance.

That meeting was perhaps one of the more cinematic moments since Trump took office in January. But the nascent peace process has not reached the punctuation mark that will allow Trump to chalk off another achievement.

And in the interim, Trump has been consistent in his narrative: The war on Ukraine is “Biden’s war,” and never would have happened if he had been in office.

Put otherwise, if talks fail, the blame for a foreign policy failure can be shifted away from the Trump administration.