Trump has instructed his special representative for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, to end the war in Ukraine within 100 days, but almost no one believes he can achieve it, especially the Russians, writes The Wall Street Journal .
Rather, the newspaper claims, the appointment of Kellogg is the first step towards negotiations that Trump intends to oversee himself.
"Kellogg will advise him in the negotiation process, but it is not at all clear that Trump needs advice", notes the WSJ.
US President Donald Trump has previously said that he expects to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine within six months - although during on the campaign trail, he repeatedly stated that he would stop the war within 24 hours of being elected president.
The day before, speaking to reporters, Trump said he might consider imposing new sanctions on Russia if Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
"We're talking to Zelensky. We'll be talking to President Putin very soon and we'll see how this all plays out," Trump added.