WSJ: Rubio and Kellogg advise Trump to toughen his stance on Russia

A number of high-ranking officials of the administration of US President Donald Trump, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Keith Kellogg, advise him to take a tougher stance towards Russia in resolving the conflict on In Ukraine, however, they have not yet convinced the head of state himself, writes the Wall Street Journal with reference to American officials.

"This group (of senior White House officials), which, according to US officials, includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg, advised (Trump to exercise) greater caution when doing business with (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and (take) a tougher stance on Moscow's demands for territorial concessions from Kiev," the newspaper writes.

According to sources, the American leader still adheres to the same position as his special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, that the Russian president wants to make peace.

The publication notes that even those Trump advisers who advocate tightening the US position towards Russia support his desire to put an end to the Ukrainian conflict.

At the same time, as Daniel Fried, a former senior US State Department official, told the Wall Street Journal, the US State Department and the Ministry of Finance are already preparing options for tightening anti-Russian sanctions.

On April 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Special envoy of the US President Steven Witkoff, who visited Russia. Their meeting was held in the building of the Presidential Library in St. Petersburg. The negotiations lasted about four and a half hours.