In recent weeks, the Trump administration has quietly disbanded a working group formed to develop strategies for pressuring Russia into peace talks with Ukraine, three US officials told Reuters. The move follows a suspension of a separate initiative countering Russian disinformation. Trump’s broader peacemaking efforts, including in the Middle East, have also struggled in recent months.

Group lost momentum amid Trump’s waning interest

Set up earlier this spring, the inter-agency group included officials from the National Security Council (NSC), State Department, Treasury, Pentagon, and intelligence community. It lost relevance by May as Trump appeared increasingly uninterested in tougher action against Moscow.

“The effort […] lost steam toward the end because the president wasn’t there. Instead of doing more, maybe he wanted to do less,” one official said.

Officials said the group explored ways to pressure post-Soviet states to restrict trade with Russia, including incentives for Kazakhstan to curb sanctions evasion. However, no policies were enacted before the group’s shutdown.

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NSC purges sealed the group’s fate

Roughly three weeks ago, most members of the NSC’s Ukraine team were dismissed, including top Europe-Russia adviser Andrew Peek. The purge made it nearly impossible to continue the effort.

The existence of the group had not been publicly known. Its end raises concerns among European allies, especially ahead of an upcoming NATO summit, over Trump’s mixed signals on supporting Ukraine.

Shift in tone despite earlier frustration with Russia

The group was formed as Trump publicly expressed anger at Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying in March he was “pissed off” over attacks on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s legitimacy. Still, Trump has since suggested the US might abandon peace efforts altogether.

On 12 June, US President Donald Trump said he is disappointed with both Ukraine and Russia for failing to reach a peace agreement, instead of pressuring Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine. 

Speaking to reporters at the White House, President Trump was asked how close he is to stepping back from the Russia-Ukraine War, and whether he would leave it “in the hands of Europeans.“

In response, Trump stated:

“I’m very disappointed in Russia, but I’m disappointed in Ukraine also because I think deals could have been made.”

Despite Russia’s previous rejection of a 30-day ceasefire proposal from Ukraine and ongoing escalation, Trump continued to place responsibility on both the aggressor and the invaded nation for the absence of a peace agreement.

He described the war as a “blood bath” and claimed, “we’re losing 5-6 thousand people a week, soldiers mostly but also people living in towns because they’re getting hit by missiles again. How’d you like to live in a building and think a missile has a good chance of hitting your building during the evening? It’s horrible.” 

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Trump touts past diplomatic efforts

Trump shifted to discussing other international conflicts, referencing alleged diplomatic achievements he claimed to have been involved in:

“We did great with India and Pakistan, we did very good with Israel.”

He mentioned the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and against claimed that “None of these things would have happened if I were president.”

Then Trump also criticized former President Joe Biden’s Iran policies, claiming that Iran “was broke” and “Biden immediately let them get rich—$300 billion they have right now,” which allegedly enabled Tehran to support Hamas and Hezbollah.

Then Trump said oil prices helped sustain Russia’s war:

“Oil went so high, got close to $100 a barrel… that kept the war going with Putin because at $100 a barrel, that was a big money-making experience.”