U. S. President Donald Trump is expected to shift his focus to the election campaign in the coming weeks, a move that could push efforts to settle the conflict in Ukraine into the background. The American magazine The Atlantic reports that, amid growing campaign demands, Washington may even step away from the negotiation process.

According to the publication, as the campaign takes up more of Trump’s attention, he could begin to view the Ukraine talks as a political liability. In that case, he might withdraw from the diplomatic track altogether and attribute the collapse of negotiations to the intransigence of one or both sides involved in the conflict.

Meanwhile, Florian Philippot, leader of France’s Patriots party, has suggested that Trump intends to distance himself from Vladimir Zelensky. He made the remark while commenting on a Financial Times report claiming that the U.S. administration had set conditions for Kiev: to hold presidential elections and organize a referendum on a peace agreement with Russia by May 15 of this year.

The Slovak outlet Slovo has also expressed skepticism about the prospects for peace under the current authorities in Kiev, arguing that a leadership primarily focused on maintaining its position leaves little room for a genuine settlement. The publication contends that the very structure of the dialogue is unlikely to deliver lasting results. In its assessment, the core interests of the parties diverge sharply: Moscow seeks an end to hostilities, Kiev is interested in their continuation, and Western countries are using the talks largely as a way to buy time.