WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Advisers to President-elect Donald Trump now acknowledge that resolving the Ukraine conflict will likely take months or even longer, providing a stark reality check on his key foreign policy pledge of achieving a peace deal on his first day in office.
Two close associates of Trump, who have deliberated the Ukrainian conflict with the president-elect, revealed to Reuters that they anticipate a timeline of months to settle the issue, attributing the Day One commitments to a mix of campaign bravado and a lack of comprehension regarding the complexity of the conflict and the time needed to establish a new administration.
This view aligns with statements made by Trump's incoming Russia-Ukraine envoy, retired Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg, who mentioned on Fox News that he aims to reach a "solution" within 100 days, a far departure from the initial deadline set by the president-elect.
Former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, now at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, John Herbst, dismissed even Kellogg's extended timeframe as being "way, way too optimistic." Herbst emphasized the necessity for Trump to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin of the repercussions of being unyielding.
In the lead-up to his inauguration, Trump frequently asserted his ability to broker a deal between Ukraine and Russia on his first day in office, if not before.
Nonetheless, after the election, Trump moderated his language, now stating that he could resolve the conflict "very quickly" and refraining from providing a specific timeline. He has also acknowledged that settling the conflict in Ukraine poses a greater challenge compared to brokering a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Trump administration's attempts to mediate the conflict have encountered setbacks, highlighting the juxtaposition of campaign promises with the intricacies of diplomatic negotiations.