Advisers to US President-elect Donald Trump are now admitting that the war in Ukraine will last for months, or even longer, in a stark departure from his biggest foreign policy promise - to reach a peace deal on his first day in the White House.
Two Trump aides who discussed the war in Ukraine with the president-elect told Reuters they were considering a timeframe of several months to resolve the conflict, describing the "day one" promises as a combination of campaign rhetoric and a lack of understanding of the complexity of the conflict and the time needed to form a new administration.
These estimates coincide with statements by Trump's future envoy for Russia and Ukraine, retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg, who said in an interview with Fox News last week that he would like to achieve a "resolution" to the war within 100 days.

However, even the extended deadline proposed by Kellogg is “far, far too optimistic,” according to John Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine who now works at the Atlantic Council.
"For this to work, Trump needs to convince Putin that there are serious consequences for intransigence," Herbst told Reuters.
In the run-up to his election victory on November 5, Trump stated dozens of times that he would reach an agreement between Ukraine and Russia on the first day of his term, if not sooner.
However, in late October he made a subtle shift in his rhetoric and began claiming that he could resolve the war “very quickly.”
After the election, Trump further toned down his rhetoric, often simply saying he would “resolve” the conflict, without specifying a timeframe. He also stated that ending the war in Ukraine would be harder than achieving a ceasefire in Gaza.
“I think, actually, the situation between Russia and Ukraine is going to be more difficult,” Trump said, responding to a question about Gaza during a press conference in December. “I think it’s going to be more difficult.”
Russia is also sending mixed signals regarding a possible peace deal, expressing a willingness to negotiate directly with Trump while dismissing some of the ideas put forward by his advisers as unworkable.
Russia has made significant gains on the battlefield in recent months. Although these gains have come at the cost of huge losses in personnel and equipment, many analysts believe Putin has an incentive to slow down negotiations as he tries to seize control of additional territory in Ukraine.
While the exact contours of Trump's peace plan are still being considered, Trump's advisers generally support the idea of removing Ukraine's NATO membership as an option, at least for the foreseeable future, and freezing the current battle lines.
Most of Trump's senior advisers also support providing Ukraine with material security guarantees, such as establishing a demilitarized zone patrolled by European troops.
Bonus video:
