In Washington, insights have emerged from White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles regarding President Trump’s perspective on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. It appears Trump believes Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s ambitions extend beyond current negotiation scopes, aiming for a larger share of Ukrainian territory than experts suggest.

During an interview with Vanity Fair in August, Wiles conveyed that while analysts speculate Putin might settle for control over the rest of Donetsk, Trump is convinced that Putin’s ultimate goal is the annexation of the entire country. This revelation sheds light on the complexities and challenges in brokering peace between the two nations.

Amidst these diplomatic efforts, Trump’s team has been advocating for Ukraine to relinquish parts of the Donbas region, a contentious issue that remains at the forefront of peace talks. The challenge is compounded by Russia’s hesitation to accept these terms without further negotiations, while Ukraine resists any territorial concessions without solid security assurances from the United States.

Despite differing views within his advisory circle, Trump has consistently maintained that Putin’s ambitions are not limited to Eastern Ukraine. According to Wiles, this belief has fueled ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to devise a peace plan that might persuade Moscow to alter its course.

As the United States intensifies its push for a resolution, a senior US official recently emphasized the primary goal of the peace initiative. The official stated that any viable agreement hinges on convincing Russia to abandon plans of a full-scale takeover of Ukraine, highlighting the delicate balance required in these high-stakes negotiations.

“I mean, look, everyone knows Vladimir Putin wants to take the whole country,’’ the official said of the Russian dictator. “That’s his been his long-sought goal. That is something he’s made quite clear. The president is very aware of that.”

Trump is not alone, according to the Vanity Fair report. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suspected similarly — at least in October — that even a maximalist deal forking over parts of the Donbas that Russia has been unable to seize in more than 11 years of war in that region would not be enough to stop Putin.

“There are offers on the table right now to basically stop this war at its current lines of contact, okay?” Rubio told Vanity Fair. “Which include substantial parts of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which they’ve controlled since 2014. And the Russians continue to turn it down.”

“And so…you do start to wonder, well, maybe what this guy wants is the entire country,” he added.

While other US officials claimed Monday that they believed Russia would accept the 20-point peace plan they’ve been hammering out with Ukraine, the Kremlin itself has not said it would approve the plan.

The reaction to Wiles’ comments has been stark, with some foreign policy experts and Ukraine advocates questioning why experts would believe Putin would stop fighting if only Ukraine capitulates on the eastern portion of its country.

“@realDonaldTrump is right. He should lead and push the Europeans to rebuild and buy American weapons for Ukraine to hold the line while bolstering NATO’s eastern front to deter further aggression,” Hudson Institute fellow and foreign policy analyst Rebeccah Heinrichs posted to X. “And crush Russia even more economically while backing Euros interdiction of the shadow fleet.”

The conflict is costing Moscow roughly 7,000 Russian lives a day as its economy hemorrhages.

“DEAR GOD IN HEAVEN! What ‘experts’ are saying Putin would be happy with just Donetsk?” wrote RT Weatherman Foundation President Meaghan Mobbs, who is also the daughter of Special Presidential Envoy Gen. Keith Kellogg. “POTUS is 100% right – Putin does want the whole country.”

“Which of his advisors or ‘experts; are undercutting POTUS’ instincts and running their own foreign policy track on his back?” she added on X.

Still, senior US officials were optimistic on a call with reporters on Monday, during which they said Trump’s goal with the peace plan is to reach “a conclusion to this conflict that really stops the Russians from moving west.”

“Under President Bush, Russia moves west. Under President Obama, Russia moves west. Under President Biden, Russia moves west,” an official said. “President Trump really wants to see this as an agreement that ends that for good.”