In private discussions, he often mentions the intense animosity between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, noted by one source. Although this may not be surprising, Trump points out that the leaders’ mutual dislike further complicates the possibility of reaching an agreement.

Trump signals his timeline

On Thursday, Trump reiterated that he holds “no allegiance” to either side in the ongoing conflict. The administration’s approach as it transitions into the next 100 days of Trump’s presidency will hinge significantly on this stance. However, for the first time, he has implied there is a limit to his patience.

Asked what he would do if Putin kept firing bombs on Ukraine, Trump said: “I’d rather answer that question in a week. I want to see if we can have a deal. No reason to answer it now, but I won’t be happy, let me put it that way.”

Inside the Oval Office, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store had brought along his finance minister Jens Stoltenberg, who served as the secretary general of NATO during Trump’s first term in office.

Stoltenberg found success in that period convincing Trump of the importance of the defence alliance and avoided a US withdrawal from the bloc, earning him a reputation as a “Trump whisperer” when it came to matters of European defense.

Trump on Thursday seemed to remember him fondly, calling him “tremendous”.

An hour after the Norwegians pulled out of the White House driveway, however, officials did one better: the sitting NATO chief Mark Rutte arrived for his own meeting with Trump, talks not originally on the president’s schedule.

The session focused mostly on planning for NATO’s summer summit in the Hague, which some European officials have feared Trump might skip as his enmity for the defense alliance festers.

But Rutte also told reporters in the White House driveway Ukraine was discussed. After Trump insisted earlier in the day that Putin still wanted to reach peace, Rutte sounded decidedly less certain.

“I worked with him for four years between 2010 and 2014,” Rutte said, describing the period he served as prime minister of the Netherlands. “I stopped trying to read his mind.”

Rutte went on to argue that the US’ European allies are united in their view of Russia being a “long-term threat.”

“We all agree, in NATO, that Russia is the long-term threat to NATO territory, to the whole of the Euro-Atlantic territory,” Rutte told reporters.

The NATO secretary said that “something is on the table for Russia” in terms of a peace deal with Ukraine, but he argued that it’s up to Russia to bend.

“Ukrainians are really playing ball, and I think the ball is clearly in the Russian court now.”