Several senior advisers to U.S. President Donald Trump are urging him to treat Moscow’s peace claims with skepticism, warning that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has shown no genuine interest in ending the war, The Wall Street Journal reported on April 14.

According to the WSJ, the group includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg. Citing unnamed officials, the report said the group has advised Trump to be more cautious in his dealings with Putin and to adopt a firmer stance on the Kremlin’s demands that Ukraine cede territory.

However, officials told the paper that Trump continues to back special envoy Steve Witkoff, who claims Putin wants peace following their meeting in Moscow.

The article emphasized that Russia has dismissed Trump’s call for a ceasefire and is stalling his efforts to broker a partial pause in fighting. According to the report, the Kremlin is trying to buy time, gain ground on the battlefield, and extract the most favorable terms at the negotiating table.

Trump, the WSJ noted, hopes to end the war in Ukraine in part to remove one of the main obstacles to broader rapprochement with the Kremlin. While the U.S. president has at times expressed frustration with Putin, he has not followed through on threats to impose new sanctions on Russian oil.

The WSJ also reported that even Trump’s advisers who support a tougher approach toward Moscow agree with his goal of ending the war. But Russia’s April 13 missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, which killed more than 30 people and injured dozens, has highlighted divisions among Trump’s senior team.