The Wall Street Journal reports:

On a call Monday, President Trump told European leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin isn’t ready to end the war in Ukraine because he thinks he is winning, according to four senior European officials familiar with the conversation.

In what the officials characterized as a rambling and at-times contradictory call, Trump also said he believed Putin ultimately desired peace, albeit on Russia’s terms, they said. The Europeans’ takeaway was that Trump didn’t believe that a near-term peace deal was in the offing and that the war was Europe’s problem, they said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt disputed these accounts, writing in an email that Trump “did say he believes Putin is winning the war BUT he NEVER said ‘Putin isn’t ready to end war.’” Leavitt said Trump told the Europeans “he believes Putin wants peace and wants the war to be over.”

One of the European officials, who participated in the call, said that Trump began Monday’s discussion, held to brief allies on the U.S. president’s lengthy Sunday phone conversation with Putin, by saying, “I think Vladimir does not want peace.”

Trump, the official said, told the people on the call that the war was going well for Putin and that he would “therefore keep fighting.” This official’s conclusion: Trump “simply doesn’t want to take sides.”

The officials said Trump showed no inclination he would follow the advice of European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who have argued he should double down on the fight against Russia. [Continue reading…]